9 Ways to Optimize Neurotransmitters for Better Brain Health (Part 2)

October 15, 2024

Neurotransmitter imbalances can manifest as chronic anxiety, deep-seated depression, persistent sleep disruptions, and cognitive struggles that hinder your focus and memory.

When these issues arise, they’re not just minor hiccups in your health and wellness—they can disrupt every aspect of your life.

Welcome back to Part 2 of my series on restoring and optimizing your neurotransmitters—the biochemical messengers that influence your mood, energy, focus, and overall well-being. In Part 1, you explored how neurotransmitters impact your well-being, identified your neurotransmitter dominance, and discovered practical steps to address imbalances, such as avoiding excessive antidepressants and stimulants and steering clear of environmental toxins.

These foundational strategies are just the start, though—there’s much more to uncover about maintaining neurotransmitter balance to help you enhance your focus, improve your mood, and experience better overall health.

In Part 2, you’ll get to dive into six *additional* strategies designed to fine-tune your neurotransmitter health. I’ll reveal cutting-edge techniques for optimizing your brain’s chemistry, including breakthrough supplements, dietary adjustments, and strategic lifestyle changes. If you’re grappling with persistent mood swings, brain fog, or unexplained fatigue, these insights are absolute game-changers. Additionally, this article will lay out actionable steps to tackle your issues head-on, providing a clear roadmap to enhanced balance and mental clarity. By integrating these advanced methods, you’ll be able to unlock new levels of well-being and mental sharpness.

Ready to dive in? 

Ben Greenfield’s Top Tips for Optimizing Your Neurotransmitters (Continued From Part 1)

4. Avoid Sensory Overload

Eighteen years ago, I walked out of the horror flick Saw, hands trembling with adrenaline, and swore under my breath that I would never watch another scary movie at night.

Since making that oath, my sleep has drastically improved, as have my daily focus and energy.

In the twenty-first century, most of us are bombarded with sensory information every day. We’re exposed to all the following:

• Loud sounds, like honking cars and ringing phones
• Rapid visual and auditory effects in games and movies
• The electronic flickering of monitors and screens
• Radio and EMF waves
• Fluorescent lighting
• Excessive working hours
• Violent entertainment like horror flicks

All this sensory exposure overloads your central nervous system and can lead to severe neurotransmitter imbalances. Your brain has to calm itself down from these stimuli with higher levels of calming neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA than it would normally require. You may be overloaded if you:

• Listen to loud music while exercising
• Have a steady diet of fast-moving, exciting, or violent movies and video games, especially before bed
• Spend much of your day staring at a computer monitor
• Constantly play music in the background
• Are exposed to artificial fluorescent lighting all day

Listed below are a few of my top strategies for avoiding sensory overload:

• Reduce sensory input: To rebalance your neurotransmitter levels, enjoy silence and stillness by turning down loud music during workouts, avoiding excessive screen time, and opting for activities like leisurely walks in the park, sitting on the porch with chamomile tea or biodynamic red wine, or practicing twenty minutes of mindful deep breathing and meditation.
• Manage technology use: If using technology at night, dim your screen, wear blue light-blocking glasses, and keep the volume low to protect your senses and improve sleep quality.
• Use GABA-supporting compounds: After exposure to intense stimuli, consider compounds like passion flower extract, which promotes healthy GABA activity and reduces anxiety; lemon extract and CBD for GABA-mediated antistress effects; and phenibut, which crosses the blood-brain barrier to support GABA function. A dose of melatonin (you can join Dr. Lieurance’s MitoZen Club to snag the kind I use) can also counteract melatonin suppression caused by bright lights at night.
• Consider melatonin for sleep: In brightly lit environments, such as Las Vegas, using a 100 to 300 mg melatonin suppository before bed can be an effective strategy to improve sleep.

5. Fix Your Gut

You have a second brain, and that second brain is not in your head. Think lower. Okay, fellas, not that low. Up a bit higher.

Yes, the second brain is in your gut.

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a net of neurons that controls your gut and operates semi-independently from your brain. It uses more than thirty neurotransmitters, just like the brain, and up to 95 percent of your body’s serotonin is actually produced in your gut. This makes sense when you consider that in the nine meters from your esophagus to your anus, there are more than 100 million neurons, more than in your spinal cord or your entire peripheral nervous system! Irritable bowel syndrome, which afflicts nearly every active individual now and then, arises partly from a serotonin imbalance in your gut. This is also why SSRI antidepressants, which alter the balance of serotonin in your body as well as your brain, can lead to serious gut issues.

Neurotransmitters are produced in your gut lining and by the billions of bacteria in your gut. So if your gut lining is damaged or your gut flora is out of balance, then you are at serious risk for neurotransmitter deficiencies and imbalances. This may also be why probiotics, fiber that increases small-chain fatty acids that heal the gut lining and suppress inflammation, and the consumption of a wide variety of fermented foods can be highly effective natural remedies for depression.

Based on your newfound knowledge of the brain-gut axis, a good first step in addressing neurotransmitter imbalances is a gut reboot, which involves:

• Four to eight weeks of a squeaky-clean nutrition protocol—two of my favorites are the Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diet and the low-FODMAP diet)
• Generous amounts of glutamine, colostrum, bone broth or collagen, a wide variety of fermented foods, and a well-formulated probiotic
• The inclusion of polyphenol-rich compounds such as blueberries, plums, cherries, black currants, black olives, dark chocolate, black tea, coffee, black walnuts, and even done-for-you “red powder” supplements
• Akkermansia, a unique probiotic that also assists with blood sugar control, can be useful as well.

6. Replace Your Building Blocks

Amino acids work so well to stave off central nervous system fatigue because they are the primary building blocks— along with vitamin B and minerals—of neurotransmitters.

First, examine your diet to ensure you are consuming adequate protein. I recommend a minimum of 0.55g per pound of body weight per day or, for muscle maintenance or gain and joint or gut repair, ideally closer to 0.8g per pound, especially if you’re above the age of forty.

Some of the best-quality amino acid sources are:

Many people who struggle with sleep or motivation issues tied to neurotransmitter problems can also benefit from 10 to 20g each day of essential amino acids, which combine nine essential amino acids to supply all the necessary neurotransmitter precursors.

EAAs and BCAAs

Not all amino acids are created equal.

Branched-chain amino acid supplements (BCAAs) contain only three of the nine essential amino acids (EAAs) that the body can’t make itself: leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

People take BCAAs hoping to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, fight fatigue, and increase focus during workouts. Unfortunately, these claims about the benefits of BCAAs are primarily based on old studies done on rats. But newer studies have shown that BCAAs have no significant effect on muscle growth and may instead cause a spike in blood glucose or insulin, along with an imbalance of the more important EAAs. The latest, extremely comprehensive paper on EAAs, by the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), demonstrably shows that EAAs stimulate muscle protein synthesis more than any other protein source and can assist with muscle maintenance and growth even in the absence of weight training!!

In contrast, supplements that contain the correct balance of all nine EAAs—which are more expensive than BCAAs but far more efficacious—have been shown to improve the retention of lean muscle, increase metabolic rate, and optimize brain and liver function, with no deleterious side effects and a very low-calorie load.

Sure, you could simply eat a steak or suck down a whey protein shake to get all your EAAs, but the protein from food must first be digested and then broken down into amino acids, so food-derived amino acids not only come with far more calories than EAA capsules or powders but also take longer to be absorbed. It’s also difficult to consume and digest an appreciable amount of protein from real food immediately before or during exercise—say, a workout or race.

A recent paper by the International Society of Sports Nutrition on the effects of EAA supplementation on performance highlighted the important role of EAAs in stimulating muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and turnover. MPS stimulation by EAAs occurs with as little as 1.5g per day and becomes especially significant at around 20g per day. Even when fasting, in a calorie deficit, or in a scenario when food-derived protein sources aren’t available, EAAs allow for easy muscle maintenance and muscle building. My preferred brand of EAA supplements is Kion (GetKion.com), which is the closest to the actual amino acid composition of human muscle, without any nasty fillers or sweeteners.

For the nervous system to synthesize and circulate the neurotransmitters formed by amino acids, you also need to have an adequate intake of B-complex vitamins. Vitamins B6, B12, and folate (vitamin B9) are especially important. Food sources of vitamin B6 include bell peppers, turnip greens, and spinach. Folate is found in broccoli, beets, turnip and mustard greens, romaine lettuce, lentils, calf’s liver, asparagus, parsley, and spinach. B12 sources include calf’s liver and snapper. For vitamin B supplementation, look into full-spectrum vitamin B blends that use only the highly bioavailable form of vitamin B called 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) while avoiding that all-too-common, inflammatory synthetic folic acid as much as you can (you’ll find this is not as easy as it seems, since a ton of cereals, grains, energy drinks, and other processed foods are now “fortified” with synthetic folic acid).

7. Lube Your Nerves

Ever since I sat slack-jawed in the audience at a health conference and listened to author Nora Gedgaudas present evidence that cholesterol levels lower than 200 are associated with lower IQ, I have gone out of my way to shun a phobia of dietary fats.

After all, cholesterol plays a role in forming and maintaining cell membranes and structures; increasing membrane fluidity; helping cells adjust to changes in temperature; making a number of critical hormones, including cortisol, testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen; forming bile, a fluid that plays a vital role in the processing and digestion of fats; making vitamin D; and importantly, insulating or “lubing” nerve cells.

On the flip side, cholesterol can be a contributory factor to heart disease if certain risks are present, such as high ApoB (a protein that helps carry cholesterol throughout the body, ideally below 100 mg/dl), familial hypercholesterolemia (genetically elevated cholesterol), high levels of proinflammatory cytokines, a triglyceride-to-HDL ratio above 2 (also referred to as your “atherogenic index”), a high calcium scan score, or elevated unstable plaque as shown on a CT angiography score such as a CLEERLY scan. But in general, I do not recommend you make a mad, blind dash to reduce cholesterol without taking into account these other factors. 

Because a diet rich in healthy animal foods like meat, dairy, and eggs is associated with higher cholesterol levels, vegans and vegetarians are more likely to have lower cholesterol—and the side effects that come with it.

So I warn vegans and vegetarians to be cautious with a strictly plant-based diet, especially one that is low in dietary fats and cholesterols. In a wide body of research, vegetarians have been shown to have elevated rates of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and other cognitive malfunctions.

Though plant-based eaters are often unaware of the potential dark side of this diet, significant evidence suggests a link between going meatless or low-fat (a prevailing characteristic of a plant-based diet) and an elevated risk of mental disorders. Many vegetarians and vegans feel stellar on a plant-based diet for months or even years. But eventually, they tend to experience nagging aches and pains due to amino acid deficiencies and cognitive decline due to fat and vitamin B12 deficiencies, which can cause dementia, depression, and other mental disorders. Sure, if you’re hypercautious and very thorough in addressing dietary deficiencies, you’ll be at lower risk of these issues, but that will require plenty of food combining, slow-prep cooking methods, fermentation, soaking, sprouting, supplementation, and taking great care to consume adequate amino acids and fatty acids. 

Creatine and Memory

Creatine is an important compound that’s found mostly in meat, so it’s largely missing from plant-based diets. David Benton, a psychology professor who specializes in diet and behavior, studied the memory of omnivores and vegetarians both before and after they consumed a placebo or creatine supplement. Before taking the pills, the omnivores and vegetarians had similar performance on a memory test. Then each group was divided into two smaller groups, one taking a placebo, and the other taking creatine.

A week later, all four groups took another memory test. The omnivores’ results didn’t change from the previous week, whether they took a placebo or creatine. The vegetarians who took the placebo also performed the same as the week before. However, the vegetarians who took creatine not only improved from the week before but also outstripped all of the other groups in terms of cognitive performance.

Interestingly, this suggests that vegetarians could potentially have better memories than omnivores—most likely due to their high intake of antioxidant-rich plants and relatively low intake of overcooked or processed meat—but the same diet that gives them these advantages also gives them the disadvantage of a creatine deficit. It also suggests that creatine intake, either via supplementation, adequate meat (particularly beef) intake, or both, can address some of those deficits. While 5g per day is the recommended creatine intake for muscle strength and power, 10g and up to 20g per day is recommended for cognitive performance, memory, sleep deprivation, and other nervous system–related goals. 

How to Supercharge Your Brain & Protect (and Nourish) Your Nerve Health

When it comes to fats, another very good way to enhance the speed with which your brain communicates with the rest of your body is to care for the health of your nerves themselves.

Your nerves are wrapped in insulating myelin sheaths, sleeves of fatty tissue that protect your nerve cells and assist with the transmission of messages between your brain and the rest of your body.

A diet for a healthy nervous system should be rich in nutrients that support the formation of these sheaths. After all, it doesn’t matter how many neurotransmitters you make if the action potentials they propagate can’t be adequately transmitted because you have broken down, degraded myelin sheaths. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are important for the formation of myelin sheaths, so a neurotransmitter-supporting diet should include a high intake of omega-3s.

Flax seeds, walnuts, kale, collard greens, and winter squash contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, but the amount absorbed from them can be relatively low because they convert poorly from the omega-3 fatty acid ALA to more beneficial EPA and DHA. Sources of more readily available omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, sardines, cloves, grass-fed beef, halibut, shrimp, cod, tuna, and algae or algal oil.

In addition, anthropological evidence shows that long before humans discovered cashew cheese and tofu, animal flesh and organ meats could provide not only many of the omega-3s necessary to support myelin sheath health but also the calorie-dense foods necessary to fuel the energy-hungry human cerebellum. Many anthropologists believe that without the ability to use cooking to make raw meat more digestible, humans would never have matured beyond the mental capacity of herbivores like gorillas. Today, stronger brains are still powered by many of the nutrients commonly found in animal proteins, including B vitamins, zinc, iron, and tryptophan, which is found almost exclusively in poultry.

That’s not to say that a plant-based diet can’t be neurotransmitter-friendly.

Vegans and vegetarians can obtain myelin sheath–promoting nutrients and oils by consuming soaked, sprouted, and fermented seeds, nuts, legumes, and grains; vegan-friendly algae-based DHA supplements like chlorella, spirulina, and marine phytoplankton; and foods containing the monounsaturated fat oleic acid (which can comprise up to 30 percent of the myelin sheath!), such as olive oil, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, and avocados.

With each meal, include at least one source of oleic acid, such as olives, olive oil, or avocados, and at least one source of DHA, such as cold-water fish, fish oil, algae, or DHA-enriched eggs. My personal strategy is to keep a bottle of extremely high-quality extra-virgin olive oil on hand in the kitchen at all times and to travel with a fish oil high in DHA.

Plasmalogens are also protective of the myelin, which is highly susceptible to oxidative stress. Much like glutathione and catalase, plasmalogens help neutralize the reactive oxygen species that are produced during ATP production. Myelin is rich in plasmalogens, which are made in the peroxisomes inside our cells, but our levels decline rapidly as we age, leading to a breakdown in the myelin and increasing the chances of acquiring a degenerative condition. While you can’t supplement plasmalogens directly, as they are destroyed by the stomach acid, you can supplement with plasmalogen precursors. 

8. Know Your Genes

When I interviewed Dr. Ben Lynch on my podcast about his book Dirty Genes and his genetic testing service, StrateGene, he explained to me that there’s an important list of so-called dirty genes—gene variants that directly affect not only neurotransmitters but also several other important metabolic functions. The most notable of these gene variants are:

• MTHFR, which supports methylation, a crucial process involved in more than two hundred of your body’s vital functions
• GST/GPX, two gene variants responsible for regulating your body’s energy levels as well as your glutathione levels, thus impacting your natural antioxidant responses
• COMT, which affects the metabolism of dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, thus regulating your mood, energy levels, and ability to calm down, sleep, and focus
• DAO, which affects your body’s response to histamines from food and bacteria, thus affecting your vulnerability to food allergies and intolerances
• MAOA, which affects your relationship to dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, thus governing your mood, energy, sugar cravings, and ability to sleep
• NOS3, which affects your circulation and nitric oxide levels and helps determine your cardiovascular health and vulnerability to heart attacks, circulatory issues, and stroke
• PEMT, which affects your cell walls, brain, and liver, impacting a range of health issues, such as gallstones, fatty liver disease, gut problems, and attention and focus deficits

You can test for these genes by taking an inexpensive salivary DNA test through a company such as StrateGene, SelfDecode, or The DNA Company. Once you are armed with the knowledge of which dirty genes you possess, you can go about fixing them.

For example, if you discover you possess the MTHFR gene pattern that directly affects methylation, you can supplement with 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) while avoiding folate or folic acid. If you discover you have impaired DAO genes, you can use a natural antihistamine prior to drinking wine or eating fermented foods or canned fish. Or, if you discover that you have impaired nitric oxide pathways, you can prioritize lifestyle strategies such as infrared sauna, breathwork, and citrus fruit and dark chocolate intake.

9. Focus on Antioxidants

Antioxidants can play a critical role in stabilizing cognition and reducing overall brain inflammation.

For example, multiple studies show the importance of one particular antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), for reducing the neuronal damage and degeneration associated with excess levels of excitatory neurotransmitters like glutamate (such as from the MSG megadose in that box of Chinese takeout food you polished off last night).

NAC is also recognized as a crucial nutrient for treating neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. As an antioxidant, NAC neutralizes many free radicals before they cause damage in neural cells, and by inhibiting excess excitatory activity of glutamate receptors in the brain, it can also be very effective at treating addiction to everything from nicotine to cocaine to meth to gambling.

It also works quite well for addiction because it affects dopamine reward pathways in the brain.

Any addictive substance or behavior activates these pathways, which eventually creates a dopamine imbalance. Along with decreasing glutamate, NAC balances these reward pathways, which can reduce or eliminate cravings.

Other important antioxidants for the brain are alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), which protects the memory-friendly neurotransmitter acetylcholine and dampens brain oxidation and inflammation; glutathione, which protects the brain and improves methylation while preventing dementia; and vitamins A, C, and E, which are all associated with reducing Alzheimer’s risk.

You can also use certain plant extracts to increase your body’s natural production of antioxidants, which include glutathione, catalase, and superoxide dismutase, all of which decline as we age. When taken in higher doses in a supplement, these extracts put stress on your cells, which respond by upregulating the Nrf2 transcription pathway (the master regulator of the antioxidant response) and increasing antioxidant production.

While there are literally thousands of plant extracts that can be utilized, the two I like best are curcumin and milk thistle, as they have many other health benefits, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, and improving gut and liver health.

Two other antioxidants—luteolin and diosmin—have been shown to reduce levels of beta-amyloid, which is strongly associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Lemons are rich in diosmin, and luteolin is abundant in green peppers and tomatoes. Studies have also shown that flavonoids called anthocyanins—particularly those found in red berries—also play a key role in brain health and Alzheimer’s prevention.

Reviewing the Key Strategies for Optimizing Neurotransmitter Function and Mental Well-Being

From understanding the role of sensory overload in disrupting neurotransmitter function to exploring the profound impact of gut health on neurotransmitter production, it’s clear that maintaining balance requires a multi-faceted approach.

By identifying and addressing these key areas, you can begin to restore balance and regain control over your mood, energy levels, and cognitive performance.

To recap Part Two of this article series (and if you missed Part One, you can find it here), here’s how you can restore the balance of your neurotransmitters:

• Avoid sensory overload: Constant exposure to stimuli can overstimulate your nervous system, leading to increased stress and anxiety. Simple practices like deep breathing, reducing screen time, and supporting GABA activity can help restore balance and calm your nerves.
• Optimize gut health: A healthy gut is crucial for neurotransmitter production, as a significant portion of these chemicals are produced in the digestive system. Supporting your gut with clean nutrition, probiotics, and polyphenol-rich foods can significantly enhance your mental well-being.
• Ensure sufficient amino acid intake: Neurotransmitters are built from amino acids, so consuming enough high-quality protein is vital for mental and emotional health. If necessary, supplementing with essential amino acids can further support neurotransmitter synthesis and overall brain function.
• Balance healthy fats: Healthy fats and cholesterol are essential for proper nerve function and neurotransmitter production. Whether following a plant-based or omnivorous diet, it’s important to monitor fat intake to prevent cognitive decline and mood disorders.
• Supplement with creatine (especially for vegetarians): Creatine supplementation can support memory and cognitive performance, especially in those following a plant-based diet. It addresses potential deficits that may arise from lower natural creatine intake in vegetarian diets.
• Know your genes: Genetic variants can significantly impact neurotransmitter function and overall metabolic health. Testing for variants such as MTHFR, GST/GPX, COMT, DAO, MAOA, NOS3, and PEMT can provide insights into your genetic predispositions. For instance, if you have the MTHFR variant, supplementing with 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and avoiding folic acid may be beneficial. Similarly, if you have impaired DAO genes, using natural antihistamines before consuming histamine-rich foods can help.
• Focus on antioxidants: Antioxidants play a critical role in stabilizing cognition and reducing brain inflammation. Key antioxidants like N-acetylcysteine (NAC), alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), glutathione, and vitamins A, C, and E can protect the brain and support neurotransmitter function. Additionally, plant extracts such as curcumin and milk thistle, and antioxidants like luteolin and diosmin, can further aid in reducing oxidative stress and supporting overall brain health.

By combining these strategies with an understanding of your genetic predispositions, you can more effectively work toward restoring and maintaining a balanced neurotransmitter system and overall health.

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Additionally, if you have any questions, comments, or feedback, you can drop me a line in the comments below, and I’ll be sure to respond!