As long as there's a balance among the neurotransmitters in the brain, everything's fine. But woe betide you if that balance is disturbed: mood swings, concentration problems, lack of motivation, and fatigue are just some of the problems that can completely throw you off track.
To prevent this from happening, you will learn everything you need to know about neurotransmitters, their functions, and which ones are most important for your mental and physical performance.
Table of contents
1. What are neurotransmitters?
In short: Neurotransmitters are messenger substances that mediate between nerve cells. The brain's approximately 100 billion nerve cells must communicate with each other quickly and effectively.
This works partly through electrical impulses and partly through neurotransmitters and receptors . Neurotransmitters are produced in the brain. By docking onto a receptor, they can transmit their message.
Nerve cells, also called neurons, are connected to each other via synapses. These contact points are where information is transmitted to the cells.
Thoughts , feelings , movements —nothing would function without neurotransmitters. It's no wonder that an imbalance here has massive consequences, both cognitively and motorically.
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2. What do neurotransmitters do?
Are you useless without your morning cup of coffee? Do you sometimes feel a bit moody even though you're actually feeling fine? Are you not sleeping well? Or do you feel like you're losing control of certain situations?
Then you may already be experiencing an imbalance between neurotransmitters. Because no matter how inconspicuous these messenger substances may seem to you, they have an often underestimated power over your performance .
Motivation , desire , mood , energy , sleep , cravings – all of these are controlled by neurotransmitters in the brain. They influence your mental performance, your ability to learn, your memory, and even the way you deal with stress.
Take-Home Message #1: These tiny neurotransmitters have a huge impact on your performance. An imbalance has massive repercussions for emotions and brain performance.
3. What are the causes of neurotransmitter imbalance?
Hectic pace, stress, overexertion – today's lifestyle is n't exactly a wellness cure for our nerve cells . They constantly have to be active, accomplish various tasks simultaneously, and are constantly on edge – leaving far too little time for relaxation .
And before you know it, the first signs of imbalance become apparent. Add to that an unhealthy diet , lack of sleep , and possibly alcohol and nicotine , as well as environmental toxins that we can barely escape. It's hardly surprising that the flow of information in the synapses suffers as a result.
The balance of neurotransmitters varies from person to person. There's no standard you can follow.
But if you notice changes in yourself, in your personality, in your mood or a tendency towards addiction (several cups of coffee, the craving for a cigarette or a compulsive shopping spree are enough), you should think about your neurotransmitter balance .
Because somewhere there could be a weak point in the transmission of information from synapse to nerve cell that can be remedied.
Take-Home Message #2: Today’s lifestyle is one of the main reasons for neurotransmitter imbalance.
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4. These are the four most important neurotransmitters
Around 100 neurotransmitters are known to date, but there are probably several thousand. Based on their chemical structure, they can be divided into groups: amino acids , peptides , and monoamines . They can also be classified according to their function.
A distinction can be made between "stimulating" and "inhibiting," although some neurotransmitters can even be both . Among this multitude, there are some that you've probably heard of before. Adrenaline and noradrenaline, for example, have a stimulating effect.
But these four are especially important for neural communication: acetylcholine , serotonin , dopamine , and GABA . They control our memory , our ability to concentrate , and our mood .
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Serotonin: Anyone who enjoys chocolate is probably familiar with the happy hormone serotonin. Serotonin boosts a good mood. Serotonin is not only responsible for our mood during the day, but also for our sleep at night. How are these things connected?
In the evening, serotonin is converted into melatonin , the human sleep hormone. This makes you feel tired and eventually fall asleep. Symptoms of a serotonin deficiency include: carbohydrate cravings , low self-esteem , digestive problems, anxiety , reduced libido, and difficulty falling asleep .
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Dopamine: Without motivation, you won't make progress in life. Dopamine is responsible for this. It is formed from, among other things, the essential amino acid phenylalanine. It gives you focus for your challenges and boosts your ambition.
A study on laboratory mice shows how important the drive provided by dopamine is: Under dopamine deficiency, the test animals starved to death, even though food was readily available [1].
The neurotransmitter also provides the reward effect when you achieve your goals. Symptoms of a dopamine deficiency include: lack of motivation, listlessness, self-destructive behavior, apathy, and joylessness.
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GABA: While the other three neurotransmitters make you more active, GABA is the opposite pole, so to speak. GABA stands for gamma-aminobutyric acid. It ensures that you can relax and your synapses aren't constantly straining to their maximum capacity.
Signs of a deficiency include excessive stress, irritability, difficulty falling asleep because your mind cannot calm down, and shortness of breath.
Take-Home Message #3: Among the approximately 100 neurotransmitters known to date, four are particularly important: acetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. They are related to your mental abilities and provide the necessary relaxation.
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5. How to bring your neurotransmitters back into balance
It's difficult to determine whether your neurotransmitters are imbalanced through testing , as it doesn't provide definitive results . However, you can take the following steps and implement the following tips:
1. Nutrition
A healthy and balanced diet is the foundation for optimizing body and mind. However, if a serotonin deficiency becomes apparent, foods containing L-tryptophan are important.
L-tryptophan is an amino acid that forms the precursor to the happiness hormone serotonin . Meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products contain particularly high levels of tryptophan.
To boost dopamine, you can eat avocados , green leafy vegetables , apples , nuts , seeds , oatmeal , and dark chocolate . Good news for all coffee lovers: Coffee and green tea also boost dopamine—but they should be consumed in moderation.
You can compensate for an acetylcholine deficiency with healthy fats . Fatty fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and high-fat dairy products are rich in choline, the precursor to acetylcholine.
GABA, on the other hand, increases when you include bananas , broccoli , citrus fruits , lentils, brown rice, fish, nuts, oatmeal, spinach, probiotic yogurt, kefir or sauerkraut in your diet.
2. Supplements
Of course, you can also boost your brain performance with supplements. 5-HTP is the precursor to serotonin , but it shouldn't be taken long-term .
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3. Lifestyle change
Regular exercise , sufficient sleep , fresh air , and sunshine promote the release of serotonin and dopamine . Anyone who sits in an office all day, running from one meeting to the next, should urgently seek balance.
Meditation and similar relaxation methods are highly recommended for this purpose. The positive effect on dopamine production was demonstrated in a study in which a significant increase in the neurotransmitter was demonstrated in subjects during meditation [3].
Another good way to train dopamine release is to constantly set new goals that you want to achieve . It's best to start with small things that you focus your energy on. This way, you'll reach your goals faster and reap the dopamine benefits.
However, relaxation should not be neglected: a study has proven the special effect of yoga on the production of GABA .
Just one hour of yoga can increase the value by up to 27% - a good reason to practice this relaxation method regularly [4].
Take-Home Message #4: Through a balanced diet, special supplements, and lifestyle changes, you can bring your neurotransmitters back into balance.
6. Conclusion
Neurotransmitters are messenger substances, such as amino acids, peptides, and monoamines, that mediate communication between your nerve cells. You can influence neurotransmitter production both positively and negatively through your diet, exercise, and daily behavior.
7. Sources
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/science/27angier.html
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4061873/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11958969/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3111147/
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