Your brain chemistry is going to have a determinative effect on how well you feel each day. Your brain has a ton of work to do. It controls all of the body’s self-regulating processes and functions while it’s simultaneously driving your thoughts and emotions. At the same time, it also has to steer your motor functions and interpret sensory input. It’s important that you give your brain the resources and support that it needs to work at its best.
1. Feed Your Brain
Protein is a key building block for all of your brain’s cellular activities. Your body doesn’t really store protein. Likewise, you don’t carry reserves of amino acids, so you need to make it a point to get these nutrients in the foods that you eat daily.
Pick meals and snacking options that are rich in protein. Lean meats, nuts, and flaxseed are some good protein-rich options. They include tryptophan, a multipurpose amino acid that is involved in the production and cellular maintenance of proteins, connective and neurotransmitters. Tryptophan is also good for your digestion because it contributes to enzyme function. People often associate this amino acid with Thanksgiving Day turkey with getting sleepy. It supports sleep because it helps your brain produce serotonin, a hormone that relaxes your mind.
2. Take a Health Supplement
A basic multivitamin may not have the optimal components to promote healthy cellular function in the brain. Enhancing your daily vitamin regimen with the Thrive Experience or an Omega-3 supplement may support cognition and focus.
Even when you do your best to make healthy food choices, it can still be difficult if not impossible to get enough of the nutrients that you need to optimize brain function and chemistry. Taking a supplement is a good way to ensure that you’re hitting your daily requirements.
3. Improve Gut Health With a Probiotic
When you’re evaluating supplements to address deficiencies in your dietary intake, consider the importance of including a probiotic in your vitamin and supplement routine. In order to process all of the beneficial content in the foods you eat or supplements that you take, your digestive system needs to work efficiently.
Problems with digestion tend to irritate the lining of your stomach and digestive tract. When the membranes of your digestive system are inflamed, it creates a surface that traps buildup, which could include an unhealthy balance of bacteria. Once too much unhealthy bacteria takes up residence on this lining, it creates a biofilm.
This buildup is tough to break down, and it will interfere with your body’s production of digestive enzymes. Taking a probiotic could support your gut health by strengthening the population of friendly bacteria in your gut’s microbiome. The good bacteria keep the bad bacteria’s numbers in check, so you will be less susceptible to biofilms or other buildup.
4. Meditate
Practicing meditation on a regular basis may help to support your brain chemistry. Integrating time to meditate into your daily routine may have a positive impact on Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid function. This important amino acid, GABA, moderates neurological activity by restricting nerve cells’ ability to transmit signals to one another.
To some extent, limiting communication between nerve cells is actually a good thing for your brain because it plays a role in inhibiting the transmission of pain signals and stimuli that produce a negative emotional response. GABA is known to produce a calming effect.
Another potential benefit of meditation is that it could help lower cortisol levels. This hormone is associated with inflammation, stress, and increased levels of anxiety.
5. Regulate Your Sleep Cycle
Sleep isn’t just about downtime for your brain. The brain needs that time to do repairs and maintain a healthy chemical balance. Try to go to bed at the same time every night so you can achieve a consistent sleep cycle and get essential rest.
Ultimately, healthy food choices and good habits can get your brain in better shape. Boosting your brain health can support all of your health and wellness goals.