My Head Feels Foggy, A Hazy Sensation | Incheon Brain Fog

Hello, I am Choi Yeon-seung, a doctor of Korean medicine at Baengnokdam Korean Medicine Clinic.

People Who Start Their Day with a Foggy Brain

“It’s not that anything specific hurts; it just feels like my brain isn’t awake.”

You’ve probably heard this expression often. Some people wake up in the morning feeling foggy-brained, while others say their thoughts seem to stop completely, leaving them muddled by the time they leave work.

When they visit a hospital, they're told there's nothing specifically wrong, and their check-ups are normal, yet they live with a feeling of 'not being themselves' all day long.

The expression "my head feels foggy" can mean:

• it might simply mean being tired,
• it could imply a feeling of lethargy or powerlessness,
• or it might hide the fear of losing one's train of thought.

Some individuals miss work opportunities due to this fogginess, stammer, or find it difficult to maintain conversations. Yet, most people still say:

“It’s probably just because I’m a bit tired.”

But is that really the case?

What if this foggy sensation is a sign that something isn't flowing properly somewhere in your body?

The Sensation of Fogginess – The World of 'Dujung' (Head Heaviness) and 'Duhun' (Dizziness)

When we say "my head feels foggy," the sensation isn't singular. It can range from feeling like thoughts have stopped, to a cloudy, murky feeling inside the head, or even a floating sensation without a center. The nuance conveyed differs from person to person.

In Korean medicine, these states have been described as ‘Dujung (頭重)’, or ‘Duhun (頭暈)’. These are issues on an entirely different level from headaches.

If headaches are a piercing pain, Dujung is a sensation of weight, as if something is pressing down on the head, while Duhun is closer to a dizzying or floating sensation, a loss of balance. These sensations mostly appear when the flow of Qi (氣, vital energy) cannot smoothly ascend to the head, or when Qi that has ascended cannot properly descend.

Brain Fog: A New Name – The Modern Return of an Old Symptom

In recent years, the term ‘Brain Fog’ has become familiar. As more people report symptoms of a foggy brain, difficulty concentrating, and blurred memory following COVID-19, this term has come to be used almost like a diagnosis.

However, the concept of brain fog isn't a suddenly emerging symptom; rather, it's a sensation that has long existed among people but remained unnamed.

Sensations that were once vaguely dismissed with phrases like "It's just accumulated fatigue" or "You're just sensitive" are now being spotlighted as a syndrome.

Brain fog isn't just about problems with the brain.

It comprehensively encompasses the foggy sensation that arises in various situations: the fogginess after indigestion, the thick-headed feeling the day after a poor night's sleep, or even the mind going blank after sudden stress.

The Body's Overall Flow and Rhythm are Disrupted

In Korean medicine, these have long been categorized and explained as ‘Qi deficiency (氣虛)’, ‘Phlegm-Dampness (痰濁)’, ‘Kidney deficiency (腎虛)’, among others. We experience fogginess when clear Qi in the body cannot ascend to the brain, when turbid Qi lingers around the head, or when a body that has lost its vitality loses the strength to maintain thought.

The Name Brain Fog Is Not Just a Buzzword

It also marks an important turning point in that it gives meaning and language to this sensation. This feeling, which we once overlooked, is no longer trivial.

When Qi Does Not Flow – Middle Jiao Qi Deficiency and Phlegm-Dampness

The most typical Korean medical interpretation of the sensation of fogginess is the weakness and stagnation of Middle Qi (中氣), and the upward retention of Phlegm (痰) or Turbid Qi (濁氣). The most representative case is when digestive function declines.

After eating, one might feel foggy-brained, struggle with concentration, and in severe cases, experience sleepiness like post-meal drowsiness. This isn't merely 'using a lot of energy for digestion.'

Upward Rising Heat – Liver Qi Stagnation and Upward Flushing Heat

The foggy sensation doesn't always imply just a blurred and sluggish feeling. Sometimes, one might experience a contradictory state where the mind is sensitive and reacts acutely to stimuli, yet the head feels distinctly foggy.

Blood Circulation and Brain Nourishment – Foggy Brain Due to Qi and Blood Deficiency

A feeling of being unable to think all day, sitting down to work but being completely unable to concentrate, and lacking motivation even when trying to do something... Many people dismiss this as "just being tired," but from a Korean medical perspective, this is often a pattern that appears when Qi and Blood are deficient, and thus cannot properly nourish the head.

Sleep Quality and Fogginess – If the Night Breaks Down, the Day Collapses

Waking up in the morning but feeling like your mind isn't awake. Going to work but feeling like your body is still in bed, your head foggy, unable to concentrate on anything, and constantly yawning... This state is often linked to issues with sleep quality.

Hyperventilation and Sympathetic Nervous System Overactivity – A Foggy Yet Sensitive State

“My head feels foggy, but at the same time, I’m somewhat sensitive.” In such a state, a subtle imbalance in oxygen and blood flow to the brain creates a dual condition where “thoughts become blurred, and emotions become sharp.”

The Turning Point Created by the Name Brain Fog

The expression "my head feels foggy" has existed for a long time, but it's relatively recent that this symptom has been given a single name. This came about with the adoption of the term Brain Fog into public discourse.

Clinic Information

• Consultation Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
• Lunch Break: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

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Baengnokdam Korean Medicine Clinic, 3F Songdo Dream City, 81 Convensia-daero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon

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