GABA: Your Brain's Own Anti-Anxiety Medication
Feel Calm Without The Side Effects of Anxiety Drugs.
Jul 9, 2008
Everyone feel's anxious, irritable, unfocused or stressed at some point during their day, their week, their month or perhaps all the time. A GABA deficiency in your brain might be the culprit. GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, directly influences your personality and ability to handle stress. As the primary calming, or "peacemaker" chemcial, GABA induces relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety, and increases alertness. One of the four key neurotransmitters, GABA also keeps all the other neurotransmitters in check.
People with a GABA deficiency often experience:
- Anxiety symptoms
- Irritability
- Headaches
- Hypertension
- Palpitations
- Seizures
- Lower sex drive
- Disorders of the heart
How to naturally increase GABA:
In our non-stop world, our brains have become over-stressed and under-nourished. As a result, it's become relatively common for people with chronic stress, anxiety or anxiety disorders to take prescription medications such as Valium, Xanax or Ativan. Although these benzodiazepine drugs do in fact stimulate GABA receptors, like many prescription medications, they can produce unwanted side effects.
The safest way to naturally boost your mood, and balance your brain chemistry is to eat foods that stimulate the production of deficient neurotransmitters. And in the case of GABA, that means eating more complex carbohydrates. Complex carbs increase glutamine, an amino acid and precursor, (precedes the creation of) GABA. Introduce and inter-mingle GABA-friendly foods into your diet and avoid eating large amounts of food with simple sugars, white flours and wheat products (besides whole grains).
Foods That Increase GABA:
According to Dr. Braverman, the following foods are high in glutamic acid/glutamate (forms glutamine, precursor to GABA).
- Almonds, tree nuts
- Bananas
- Beef Liver
- Broccoli
- Brown Rice
- Halibut
- Lentils
- Oats, whole grain
- Oranges, citrus fruits
- Rice bran
- Spinach
- Walnuts
- Whole wheat, whole grains.
Supplement with L-theanine to reduce anxiety:
If these foods seems unappetizing or you aren't able to eat enough of them each day to boost your GABA levels, consider supplementing with L-theanine. A naturally occurring amino acid found in green tea, L-theanine is involved in the formation of GABA. With few, if any side effects, L-theanine calms nerves without drowsiness and increases mental clarity.
How does GABA work to lower anxiety?
GABA controls your brain’s rhythmic theta waves so you can feel more balanced, both physically and mentally. Dr. Ray Sahelian, author of Mind Boosters notes, “GABA is the most important and widespread inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Excitation in the brain must be balanced with inhibition. Too much excitation can lead to restlessness, irritability, insomnia, and even seizures. GABA is able to induce relaxation, analgesia, and sleep."
Dr. Eric Braverman, an authority on brain chemistry and author of The Edge Effect: Achieve Total Health and Longevity With The Balanced Brain Advantage, explains, "GABA is also involved in the production of endorphins, brain chemicals that create a feeling of well-being known as ‘runners high.’ Endorphins are produced in the brain during physical movement, such as stretching or even sexual intercourse.” As endorphins are released, you begin to feel a sense of calm, often referred to as the Endorphin Effect.
Although a certain level of stress, anxiety, and “busy brain” is unavoidable in today's world, too much and you run the risk of lowering your immune system (your ability to fight off illness) and diminishing your quality of life. Consider these natural alternatives to taking anti-depressant and anxiety medications. If you're suffering from mild or severe anxiety, ask your doctor to test your neurotransmitter levels (urine) and hormone levels (saliva is more accurate than blood), to determine if you have an imbalance.
*Be sure to talk to your doctor before stopping any medication or taking new supplements.
