Less arthritis pain means usually means less brain fog, so asking for help with chores or taking breaks between tasks can ease all your symptoms. The key is to write *everything* down when it comes to grocery lists, meeting times, and To-Do list items. “Sticky notes and reminders in your phone can be important,” says Dr. Set reminders for yourselfĪ little planning goes a long way in fighting arthritis brain fog. The cognitive effects of inflammatory arthritis are challenging, but with the right strategies, you can cut through the brain fog and help sharpen your thinking. “The looks people can give you are awful,” says RA patient Vicki from San Antonio, Texas. You can’t find the words you’re looking for.Īs if that weren’t frustrating enough, the reactions from other people can make it even worse. What Brain Fog in Inflammatory Arthritis Feels LikeĪs your arthritis flares up, you can have trouble concentrating. “Inflammation levels may be high, and that may contribute to pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance - and that might contribute to the fog,” says Dr. Especially when your arthritis is extra active, it can cause a domino effect that affects your whole body. On top of all that, the chronic pain of these diseases makes your entire nervous system extra sensitive, says John Davis III, MD, a rheumatologist with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. When immune flares release cytokines, they send signals in your brain that get in the way of its normal functioning - and you feel that as arthritis brain fog. Normally people with RA and PsA feel that inflammation assault in their joints, where your body’s cells attack your own tissue, but the constant inflammation can affect other parts of the body too.Įxperts haven’t pinned down the exact link between arthritis and cognition problems, but they suspect that proteins released by the immune system called cytokines might be a factor, says Ashira Blazer, MD, a rheumatologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City. With autoimmune diseases like these, your immune system starts attacking your own body.
Stiffness, swelling, and pain may be the hallmark symptoms of inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, but many people with RA, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and other types of inflammatory arthritis don’t expect to encounter the forgetfulness and trouble thinking that often accompany these diseases.
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