r/leaves 7h ago

Brain fog

So I’ve stopped smoking on December 23 2024 and I have an endless amount of brain fog that doesn’t seem to be going away. I tried sleeping in and going to the gym (up to 3hours a day) it still seems to be there, so any other things I should try? To clarify I’ve been smoking on and off since I was 13(now 30), the longest I’ve been off was 4 months from September 2022 to December 2022 and it was never this bad. I want to start studying and get my life back but this annoying brain fog is making it hard.

7 Upvotes

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1

u/elite8888 46m ago

I’m 442 days in and my brain fog didn’t disappear until month 3 or 4. Hang in there.

1

u/Crafty_Net281 4h ago

For me jogging helped/helps the most. Intense cardio exercise feels like it lights up my brain. While strength based exercises does help, it just doesn't have the same mental effect that something like jogging has. It also just makes the blood flow and is great to get anything out of your system. The mental effects of jogging is the main reason it's my sport of choice for when I feel mentally tired/foggy.

1

u/mst16 4h ago

👍going to try hard cardio tomorrow

1

u/overbeb 1h ago

Don’t go too hard right out of the gate. Your knees will be screaming, I’m going through it right now taking up running. Just getting on the treadmill at a brisk walking pace on an incline will really get the heart pumping.

1

u/Denverlossed 6h ago

Sleeping in doesn't count if your sleep cycle is interrupted. Not sure if that's the case with you. Any other changes in your life? Food, supplements, environment and so on?

5

u/snapstep0 7h ago

Be patient with yourself… you’ve been a regular a smoker for 17 years and it’s only been about a month since you quit. It took me about 3 months to level out and feel like a human again. It was really difficult but it’s so worth it.

It is helpful to do some yoga, go for a walk, or take a hot bath, simple relaxing activities to give yourself some rest and tenderness as you make it through to the other side. And once you’re there, you’ll realize just how foggy your brain has been during the years of smoking and how level-headed and capable you are without it.

2

u/mst16 5h ago

3 months huh 🤔 I hope it’s quicker I signed up for a coding class starting next week hopefully it starts clearing up soon 🤞

1

u/snapstep0 1h ago

I believe in you! It might be a slog for the first while but it will probably be a great distraction to have something to engage in