Hands up if you’ve walked into a room, and stood there looking blank, while you tried to remember why you went in there in the first place? It turns out that these episodes are more common than we all think, and it’s even got a name; a new study has found that millions of Brits regularly suffer from ‘brain-fade’.

Researchers found out that nine out of 10 of us frequently have moments when our minds go blank and we walk into rooms and totally forget what we went in there for, or absent-mindedly put the cereal in the fridge or the milk in the cupboard.

Other scenarios include forgetting where we parked our car, searching for spectacles which were on top of our head or sending a text message to the person we were talking about, rather than the intended recipient.

The poll of 2,000 Brits revealed the average adult suffers brain-fade moments an average of six times a week.

Before you start concluding that brain fade is a sign of a serious problem or health issue, results from the survey, carried out by Rescue Plus, found that more than seven in ten reckon they are more likely to have a ‘brain-fade’ moment when they are tired, while six in 10 think it comes after a busy day.

So, it looks like that simply being tired is a leading cause of brain fade and a recent study has backed up this theory, identifying that decreased cognitive performance is more likely to happen in the afternoon, with a marked decline for every hour that passes during the day.

How can you reverse brain fade? Caffeine and carbohydrates were singled out as being good ways of restoring alertness. But let’s face it, most of us knew that already.

A spokesman for Rescue Plus said: “The growing mindfulness trend is ideal for taking some time out and refocusing our thoughts, but with the fast pace of everyday living, brain fade moments are often unavoidable, particularly as we’re so busy thinking about how to manage our lives better and also do the best for friends and family.”

Perhaps the most telling stat in the survey is the one that showed four in 10 blamed technology for ‘brain-fade’ as we use our brains less, relying on gadgets to help get us through the day. Do you recognise this behaviour?

What is ‘Brain Fade’ and how do we deal with it? 42995698 - south african or african american black woman teacher or student posing with an "i don't know" gesture on a chalk blackboard background inside
Image Credit: www.123rf.com.

Here are the top 20 ‘brain-fade’ moments

1. Walked into a room and completely forgotten why you went in there
2. Forgot someone’s name
3. Written or typed a word I have heard someone nearby say rather than the word I’m thinking of
4. Forgot where I’ve parked the car
5. Gone looking for your glasses which are on top of your head
6. Put the milk back in the cupboard and the cereal in the fridge
7. Looked for your phone when it’s in your hand
8. Driven towards work automatically when you wanted to go in the other direction
9. Gotten into the wrong side of the car – such as getting into the driver’s seat when you’re the passenger
10. Sent a text or instant message to the person I’m talking about rather than the person I meant to send it to
11. Locked myself out of my house
12. Peeled vegetables/fruit but then put all the peelings into the bin with the fruit/veg you wanted to use
13. Got in the shower with an item of clothing or accessories still on
14. Walked out of a shop without paying for items
15. Sprayed deodorant on your hair and hairspray under your arms
16. Put your glasses on forgetting you already have your contacts in
17. Using a work key card to try and get into your front door
18. Used your credit/bank card to try and get you into a hotel room/your work security etc
19. Cracked an egg into the bin rather than a bowl
20. Filling car up with wrong fuel

Total
5
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