What does brain fog feel like? A qualitative study of written accounts from 37 US adults with long-term conditions
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Background: Brain fog is a common, loosely defined complaint across many long-term conditions. Most first-person research comes from postural tachycardia syndrome, long COVID or social media. We asked adults with a range of long-term conditions how they describe brain fog, what it affects, what brings it on and helps, and whether they tell health professionals. Methods: Online qualitative survey of US adults with a long-term condition, recruited through Prolific on 9 November 2026. Participants answered seven open questions, then closed items. Forty of 41 screened had brain fog and completed it. We excluded three accounts (two likely AI-written, one describing recreational intoxication) and analysed 37 with codebook thematic analysis, counting people per code. Results: The commonest conditions were depression or anxiety (18/37) and ADHD (9); median impact was 6/10. We developed five themes. People compared brain fog to being half asleep, hungover, drunk, high or on cold medicine (12/37) or to fog (9), and described the mind going blank (7) or slowing (10). Eleven felt detached from body or surroundings and 14 described physical sensations. It made conversations (18), reading (17), work (15) and driving (8) harder, and 7 wished others knew they were not rude or unintelligent. Stress (16) and poor sleep (14) were the main triggers; 13 were unsure. Rest (12) and stepping back (11) helped most. Seventeen had never told a health professional, citing futility (6) or fear of dismissal, diagnosis or losing a medicine (6). Of 20 who had, 10 were told it was part of another condition, a medicine or a habit. Conclusions: Brain fog was described as a mind-and-body state, likened to sleepiness and intoxication, that affects how people feel seen and that many keep from doctors. Clinicians may need to ask directly, offer words for it and address fears about dementia and medicines. This record contains the white paper (version 1, not peer reviewed), the de-identified written answers and closed items for all 40 participants, the codebook script that reproduces every count in the paper, and the consent page and questions word for word. See README.md. The study was run by the team behind Juno chronic illness support, an app for people living with long-term conditions. For a plain-language guide to brain fog, see Brain fog: causes, what helps and when to worry.
Authors: Gould, Marshall, Tolley, Isaac
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225770610
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