Living in our modern world, it would seem almost impossible to have a balanced brain given the sensory overload you are exposed to daily. Countless things that can affect and alter your brain chemistry including rapid visual and auditory effects from television, computer games, movies, cell phones, radio and EMF waves, electronic monitors flickering faster than the eye can detect, fluorescent lighting, and a fast paced lifestyle. All of these things require the brain to constantly modulate these high levels of sensory bombardment.
Here are some things you can do to help offset the upset and have a balanced brain.
Avoid Sensory Overload
A balanced brain requires times of quiet and rest, along with a good nights sleep. Sensory overload from all the electronics that you are bombard with require your brain to constantly modulate. Our ancestors were never exposed to the EMFs, interactive cell phones, and electronic devices, and computer and TV screens that flicker so fast, our eyes can’t see the flickering.
Your brain must calm itself down from all these stimuli using its own precious supply of calming, inhibitory neurotransmitters such as serotonin and GABA. Overstimulation of the senses has a significant impact on neurotransmitters and neurotransmitter receptors. So consider the following:
- Avoid highly stimulating games or movies, especially before bed
- Reduce the amount of noise stimulation you’re exposed to. Examples are listening to loud music while exercising or while on the computer.
- Replace or avoid artificial and fluorescent lighting. Consider wearing blue blocking amber glasses a couple or hours before bedtime.
- Minimize the amount of time playing computer games, especially violent or highly stimulating games
- Do you spend much of your day staring at a computer monitor?
Minimize Stimulants
Caffeine is the most obvious stimulant that the majority of people ingest. Whether it comes from coffee, tea, soda or energy drinks, caffeine can actually change your brain’s chemistry and physical characteristics over time. That’s because caffeine is both water and fat soluble, and can easily cross your blood-brain barrier. As you put more and more caffeine into your body, your brain cells actually grow more receptors for a neurotransmitter called adenosine.
Adenosine causes feelings of tiredness, but because the structure of caffeine closely resembles adenosine – caffeine can easily fit into your brain cells’ receptors for adenosine. When the adenosine receptors get plugged up by caffeine, you no longer feel tired. And because your body’s response to having plugged adenosine receptors is to create more and more adenosine receptors – you eventually need more and more caffeine to block the feeling of tiredness. Over time, you build up a tolerance. So monitor the amount of caffeine you ingest if you want a balanced brain.
Avoid Exposure to Toxins
Whether it’s chemicals and fragrance in household cleaning products, body care products, or gasoline and exhaust fumes, toxins affect neurotransmitters, causing brain damage, brain fog, and fuzzy thinking. Here are some easy ways to minimize your exposure to common toxins.
- Use home air and water filters
- Use holistic dentistry
- Use organic fruits and vegetables when possible. Wash them in a vinegar solution when you get them home.
- Use natural cleaning products or non-toxic ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda
- Use natural personal care products to avoid parabens, dyes, fragrances, and other harmful chemicals
- Eat meats and dairy products that are as close to nature as possible. Spring/Summer time is a perfect time to visit your local farmer’s market.
Once you begin to make these changes, you’ll notice an affront to your neurotransmitters. For example, walking into a candle shop or the fragrance section of a store. You’ll be extremely sensitive and notice it almost immediately. Bottom line is that if it looks, tastes or smells synthetic, avoid it. Another good tip, if there are poison control warnings on the label, avoid it. And if you can’t eat it without dying a horrible death, don’t use it on your teeth, hair, skin or nails.
Maintain A Healthy Gut
There is a direct connection between your gut and your brain. It is called the gut-brain axis (GBA) and it links the emotional and cognitive centers of the brain with intestinal functions. The enteric nervous system in your gut uses more than thirty neurotransmitters, just like the brain. Not only that, your gut lining produces neurotransmitters and the billions of bacteria living in your gut also produce neurotransmitters. So if your gut lining is damaged or your gut flora is out of balance, then you are at serious risk for neurotransmitters deficiencies and imbalances. This is one of the many reasons why maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is so important. Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome means eating fresh, minimally processed foods along with feeding the probiotics (good bacteria) with the food they need, which are prebiotics. Food based prebiotics include raw chicory root. raw Jerusalem artichoke. raw dandelion greens. raw garlic. raw leeks. raw onion. cooked onions. and raw asparagus. You might consider a high quality supplement if your gut health is in doubt.
Feed Your Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are primarily comprised of amino acids, vitamin B, and minerals. You need to have an adequate supply of all of these building blocks to have a balanced brain. A well-balanced diet that includes a broad spectrum of real foods should provide the nutrients, including minerals, that you need. But if you’re frequently sweating or under high amounts of exercise or lifestyle stress, then you should also include a mineral-rich source of protein such as a goat-based protein powder since it is higher in minerals than cow protein. You might also consider a daily dose of either a trace liquid mineral supplement or use of a high quality mineral based salt – like Himalayan pink salt or Celtic .
To make sure you have a good supply of high-quality amino acids, look to grass-fed beef, wild salmon, eggs from pastured chickens, raw organic dairy, almonds and almond butter, quinoa, and spirulina or chlorella. If these are difficult or t0o expensive for you to obtain, you might consider supplementing with high quality blend of all eight essential amino acids. Optimally functioning neurotransmtters also require vitamins B6, B12, and folate. These are especially important in nerve metabolism. You can get these from a variety of food sources or through a high quality supplement.
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