What if the brain health is not good? What’s the main reason behind it? How the brain even transmits the message? For all such questions, answer is the chemicals in brain.
Glutamate.
When it’s released?
Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter present in the brain that transmits a message and coordinates nerve cells of the brain. This brain chemical is either present naturally in the body or is supplied through the diet.
It’s present in glial cells of the brain that produce glutamate by recycling glutamine. Glutamate is an amino acid, the building block of proteins. It’s produced and stored in muscle tissues.
The increased amount of this chemical than the need causes diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease.
Functions of Glutamate.
- It plays many major roles in the accurate working of the brain. Like, it Increases the brain’s efficiency in learning things and leads to memory enhancement.
- It’s a chemical messenger in the body that signals pain or suffering.
- When there’s decreased glucose level, it’s the secondary source of energy. So it keeps the body active around the clock.
- Glutamine determines sleep and awake timings. And proper sleep is important for a healthy life.
How to Increase Glutamate?
- The amount of the brain chemical named glutamate can be increased using dietary supplements and many other sources like canned foods and processed meat.
- Another source is taking certain vegetables like tomato and foods like mushrooms, seaweed, and cheese having a considerable amount of glutamate.
- MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a food additive found in soy sauce, cheese, and the flavors added to food.
- A surplus of glutamate is not too good for a healthy and working brain. It can cause the death of the brain cells and ultimately the human being due to this reason. It causes schizophrenia, stress, depression, anxiety attacks, OCD, mood swings, and many more such psychiatric hazards.
- Severe effects include Headache, increased BP, and obesity.
Symptoms of Decreased Hormone.
- Neither excess nor deficiency of glutamate is good for the health. When glutamate is less than the need of the body and proper functioning of the brain, then the person is unable to work properly due to the reduced concentration on something really important to him. Due to the lack of this focus and attention, the efficiency of the brain is affected.
- The lower levels of glutamine result in declined energy levels and feeling low all the time as it’s a source of energy like glucose as well.
- Glutamine also decides the sleep-wake cycle, and if there’s no proper amount of it in the body, it’ll result in Insomnia.
Supplements.
For now, there’s no such thing as glutamate supplements or any prescription related to glutamate for increasing its level in the body. To do so, the only thing you can do is have a lifestyle (exercise regularly) that helps aid the increased levels and use foods rich in glutamate.
Serotonin.
When it’s released?
It’s also a brain chemical that connects the nerve cells present generally in CNS. And, despite that found in the digestive system and blood cells as well.
Serotonin is composed of amino acids and is found inside the body, and a small amount is provided by foods like nuts, meat, and cheese.
A required amount of serotonin makes a person happier, more focused, and emotionally and mentally stable person.
Functions of Serotonin.
Functions performed by this chemical are:
- Being a part of the digestive system the chemical or hormone is involved in the hunger process. Increased serotonin means sped-up digestion of food that leads to more appetite and removing wastes from the body.
- It’s present in blood and platelets of the blood. So it’s helpful in blood clotting.
- Serotonin is essentially important in making melatonin which maintains the sleep mechanism.
- The chemical adds to the density of the bones. But the increased level of this hormone in the body leads to the weakening of bones.
- Serotonin with dopamine plays an integral role in sexual health. The mood of a person, is also governed by the release of such chemicals.
How to Increase Serotonin?
- By taking foods that have high levels of serotonin or by taking exercise and keeping yourself calm.
- Sunlight is another source of serotonin. Daily exposure to the sun is very essential for several processes like serotonin activation and production, vitamin D production, and many more.
- Foods that have excess serotonin and may help to raise the concentration of serotonin in the body are eggs, seeds, pineapples, nuts, oils, and peanuts. Certain herbs also aid in growing the level of serotonin.
Symptoms of Decreased Chemical.
The level of serotonin may be lessened due to two reasons. Either it’s not being produced, in enough amount, or it’s not taken by the body cells properly. The symptoms of having a lower amount of serotonin include the followings:
- Worst mental state
- Suicidal thoughts
- Depression
- Disturbed sleep system
- Schizophrenia
- Phobias
- ODC
- Digestive issues
- Stress disorders
- Traumas
- Nausea is caused when serotonin is released in a larger amount than needed in the digestive system.
