Is Your Brain Firing As It Should? – Neurotransmitters
By Jacob Scharf
Guest Writer for Wake up World
On our troubled planet it is obvious to each of us there are many aspects of our daily lives that are not all they could or should be. Life can be difficult at times! These less than ideal conditions we live amongst create stress and depressive states of ‘being’ in our lives, the symptoms of which can manifest in various ways, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
While many writers focus their advice primarily on the physical aspects of our health, offering great insight on how to lift our general health out of the doldrums with diet and suggestions on supplementation of certain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals etc., there is not the same wealth of information offered as to how we might lift our mental and emotional health out of the doldrums, other than with various spiritual practices such as meditation and yoga. Great advice for sure, but there is a lot more you can do if you are troubled by the stresses of modern life.
This series of articles will focus on how you may find relief from issues like stress and sleep disorders, using targeted ‘brain nutrition’ rather than having to resort to prescribed pharmaceutical medications (antidepressants, sleeping pills etc.) which, in addition to their penchant for forming ‘chemical drug dependence’ in the patient, often come with a host of unwelcome side effects that ultimately do more harm than good.
Part 1 – Natural Ways to Enhance Neurotransmitters
Anxiety and Sleep Disorders.
Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that transmit signals across a synapse (a structure that permits transit of an electrical or chemical signal) from one neuron (brain cell) to another ‘target’ neuron.
It is possible to have a deficiency in the raw materials that your brain needs to make neurotransmitters, in much the same way as a person may have a deficiency in a vitamin the body needs to assist with general health. These deficiencies can lead to states where neurotransmitters begin to ‘misfire‘, which can result in the various chronic states of mental and emotional health.
Many people are unaware that there are supplements available that will improve their neurotransmitter deficiencies and help correct the imbalance in their brain. And it may surprise you to learn that the supplements I will be discussing for optimal neurotransmitter health are a combination of natural hormones and simple amino acids, with specific functions relating to our brain chemistry.
When we encounter people who are in states of mental anguish, whether it be insomnia, acute anxiety or chronic depression, there is a general consensus within the scientific community that these individuals are experiencing a miscommunication between certain hormones and neurotransmitters in their brain. Presenting our brain with the raw ‘brain food’ it needs can help to optimize our brain’s performance and improve our mood. While taking pharmaceutical drugs may be viewed a little like sending in an armoured tank to rearrange the brain-scape, supplementing your diet with the raw materials your brain needs to rearrange itself is a more natural, subtle, and effective way to improve your mental and emotional health.
An introduction to the various supplements
As a student of Integrative Neuroscience, I witnessed a veritable epidemic of stress disorders amongst my fellow students during my finals week. Many were suffering anxiety that leads to sleep disruption – without sleep there was more anxiety and so it goes on. Sleep deprivation is not helpful when you need to think clearly, so no doubt many of us would benefit from feeding our brains what it needs to get us through these anxious times, with minimal sleep disruption and a sense of calm control – and two of these foods are serotonin and melatonin.
Serotonin
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps you relax, and the precursor for making serotonin in your body can be found in one of the 22 essential amino acids, called Tryptophan. In other words, tryptophan is the raw food for serotonin production. Food sources of tryptophan include poultry, meat, cheese, yogurt, fish and eggs. However supplementing may prove more beneficial in times of greatest need, and as we age. Tryptophan can be purchased as a stand-alone supplement. When taken correctly, tryptophan can greatly assist with states of stress and high-anxiety.
Tryptophan – Is Your Brain Firing As It Should? – Natural Ways to Enhance Stress-Reducing Neurotransmitters
There are two basic kinds of tryptophan available. L-tryptophan which is the natural amino acid and 5-HTP (5-Hydroxy-tryptophan) which is the immediate bio-chemical precursor of serotonin. When taking the l-tryptophan a larger dose will be needed (around 2-4 grams daily in divided doses, or as a single dose at night for sleep) than if you decide upon the 5-HTP kind (around 300-400mg), because 5-HTP directly crosses the blood-brain barrier rather than having to first be converted in 5-HTP from the original L-tryptophan molecule.
Several double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of 5-HTP in the treatment of depression. Either form will help with stress and sleep disorders. See more here: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2013/may2013_Better-Brain-Chemistry-with-Tryptophan_01.htm
Anxiety leads to sleep disruption, and without sleep there is more anxiety … and so it goes on. This article will focus on how you may find relief from issues like stress and sleep disorders using targeted ‘brain nutrition’, rather than having to resort to prescribed pharmaceutical medications that ultimately do more harm than good. By Guest Writer Jacob Scharf
Source: Is Your Brain Firing As It Should? Natural Solutions for Stress | Wake Up World