Gut Health 101: Why Your Stomach Might Be Behind Your Brain Fog and Fatigue
Struggling with brain fog or constant fatigue? Your gut could be the missing link. Discover how poor gut health affects energy, focus, and mental clarity. Find out what to do to get back in control naturally.
Is Your Gut Sabotaging Your Energy and Focus?
You wake up tired. Midday, your brain checks out. Coffee helps, but not much.
If that's your norm, it might not be burnout. Or age. Or stress.
It could be your gut.
👉 Take our 3-minute Gut Health Quiz to find out what your symptoms are really trying to tell you.
What Does Gut Health Have to Do With Fatigue?
A lot more than most people realise.
Your gut is home to over 100 trillion microbes that control everything from digestion to dopamine production.
When this system is out of balance (aka dysbiosis), your body goes into survival mode:
Energy Plummets
As nutrients aren't absorbed properly
Brain Fog Kicks In
Thanks to inflammatory signals crossing the blood-brain barrier
Mood Crashes
As serotonin drops
Gut health doesn't just affect digestion. It affects your clarity, drive, and ability to perform.
That's why fixing gut health can often improve how you feel faster than any supplement.
How Gut Health Affects Energy and Brain Function
When your gut is off balance, even slightly, you can experience major disruptions in your energy, mood, sleep, and mental performance.
Here's what science now shows:
Leaky Gut = Systemic Inflammation
Toxins escape the digestive tract and spark inflammation throughout the body, including the brain.
Microbiome Imbalance = Low Brain Chemicals
90% of serotonin and 50% of dopamine are made in the gut. When microbes are imbalanced, mood, motivation, and focus indirectly suffer.
Poor Nutrient Absorption = Low Cellular Energy
Even healthy food can't help if your body isn't absorbing nutrients.
Stress = Digestive Shutdown
Chronic stress slows digestion, weakens the gut lining, and disrupts your nervous system.
Symptoms Most Doctors Miss
Many people get told their labs are "normal", but still feel awful.
If this sounds like you, pay attention to these red flags:
2 or more of these? You likely have a gut issue.
Take the quiz now to see where you stand.
What Could Be Causing Gut Issues in the First Place?
Even just a few of these can throw your system off. And once inflammation kicks in, it's easy to feel stuck.
What You Can Do: A Simple Process to Start
You don't need fancy tests or expensive treatments to get started. These steps are safe, simple, and effective:
✅ Step 1: Pay Attention
- • Track how you feel after meals
- • Notice patterns in your energy and focus
- • Try removing common triggers like gluten, dairy, and processed sugar for 2–3 weeks
This isn't about being perfect. It's about getting curious.
✅ Step 2: Support Your Gut With Basics
- • Drink more water (add a pinch of salt if you're low energy)
- • Eat slowly and without distractions
- • Get 2–3 cups of veggies per day
- • Move your body gently every day, walks count
✅ Step 3: Clean Up the Inputs
- • Cut back on alcohol and processed snacks
- • Reduce screen time before bed
- • Create a wind-down routine (even 10 minutes helps)
✅ Step 4: Check the Fundamentals
- • Ask your GP for iron, B12, and CRP blood tests
- • Use a symptom tracker to notice improvements
- • Prioritise 7–9 hours of quality sleep
What Kind of Support Actually Works?
At NXTLVL Health, we don't do cookie-cutter. We run high-level, lab-informed protocols personalised to your biology. You'll be guided every step with:
Clear plans
Real human support
No guesswork, no overwhelm
Whether you're a working parent, student, shift worker, or business owner—your biology matters. And when you fix the gut, you reclaim your life.
Speak with a practitioner who can help you decide your next step—without pressure or complexity.
About Mitchell Potts
Mitchell is a top naturopath in Brisbane who helps people feel better using natural ways. He knows a lot about gut health, food problems, and how to help your body heal itself. Mitchell uses special tests and natural treatments to find out what is really making you feel unwell. He has helped many people in Brisbane get healthy and feel great again.
Learn more about Mitchell →Final Word
Brain fog, low energy, and mood dips don't mean you're broken. They're signals.
And when your gut heals, everything else starts to work better.
If you're ready to feel clearer, lighter, and more like yourself again:
Because the best version of you starts in the gut.
Yours in Health,
Mitchell.