NeuroScience For Winning at Brain Health
Neuroscience is more than just your brain - it’s about how your brain interacts with the other systems in your body. It’s a complex beast to manage for sure.
NeuroScience, the company, takes a novel approach to design nutrient formulas for your brain health. Instead of purely focusing on vitamins, NeuroScience focuses on amino acid blends that provide precursors for neurotransmitters. So, that was a lot of science jargon. What does it mean?
Amino acids are the building blocks that makeup proteins in the body. Your body has a multitude of proteins that have their important jobs. Amino acids can break down food, make hormones, provide energy, build muscle, or sustain a normal digestive system (to name a few). Each amino acid is like a letter - when multiple letters are combined, you get different proteins (or words in this analogy). What NeuroScience focuses on with these amino acids are the neurotransmitters that are produced as a result of combining amino acids. Neurotransmitters are messengers that carry chemical signals from one cell or nerve to another. Neurotransmitters control your sleep, mood, and concentration.
Balance D
The first nutrient formula I will be discussing is Balance D. I recommend it for those who are feeling a lack of interest or “flat.” Balance D is designed to provide daytime mood support. This is accomplished through the nutrients acting as a precursor to dopamine production in your brain.
What is dopamine?
Dopamine is a chemical released by your brain that is commonly known as the “feel good” hormone. Dopamine can increase as you get healthy amounts of sleep, exercise, spend time in the sun, and listen to music. Low levels of dopamine can be linked to depression and feeling moody/unmotivated. Did you know that dopamine is also important for craving control? Dopamine released from the ventral tegmental area (bottom part of the brain) to the nucleus accumbans (closer to the center of the brain) is the primary avenue where cravings are modulated.
What do Candy Crush and dopamine have to do with each other? Candy Crush is known as a highly addictive game. Why? Because it is so easy, yet so rewarding. Every time you crush a line of candy your brain makes and releases a dopamine hit or dopamine rush. This allows you instantaneous and relatively effortless rushes of “feel good” neurotransmitters. Sounds great right? But if a video game is the only activity that you participate in to make and release dopamine, you will be deprived of exercise, sleep, sun, and personal relationships.
So, how do ingredients like Vitamin C and Vitamin B6 help you move out of feeling “flat”? Vitamins B6 and C are important for the synthesis of catecholamine (this is the class of neurotransmitters that includes dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine). With the addition of N-acetyl-L-tyrosine and Mucuna seed extract as precursors for the amino acid, Balance D can support the synthesis of dopamine.
I recommend 1-2 capsules one to two times daily.
Kavinace OS
Next is Kavinace OS. Thousands of Americans deal with sleeplessness or low sleep quality. You’ve probably either seen or tried melatonin supplements before - but have you looked into what melatonin is exactly? Or what other ingredients in a formula could help assist your goal of reducing sleeplessness?
Here’s what NeuroScience has come up with.
L-theanine
This is an amino acid that acts as a glutamate receptor antagonist. In simple terms, L-theanine binds to receptors in the brain that would otherwise be affected by glutamate. When this happens, the brain feels a calming and relaxing effect.
Astaxanthin
This has been studied with zinc for its effectiveness in promoting healthy sleep.
Magnesium
As magnesium bis-glycinate chelate, this is a cofactor for serotonin production. Cofactors generally supply chemical groups or properties that cannot be found in other places. The links between magnesium and depression are being studied currently, with research saying that there is a link between magnesium deficiency and depression.
Zinc
Along with working with Astaxanthin, Zinc is also an essential cofactor for superoxide dismutase (SOD). SOD is an antioxidant enzyme that works to provide a defense to cells against reactive oxygen species (peroxides, superoxide, etc). These are harmful because they can encourage DNA damage. Oxidative stress can result in fatigue and weakness (and can be caused by pollution and unhealthy lifestyle choices).
Melatonin
This is the big one, the one you see everywhere. Melatonin is an important hormone in the sleep-wake cycle.
I recommend two capsules at bedtime. NeuroScience does not recommend exceeding the suggested use of two capsules.
FAQ
What is the solution to sleeplessness?
If there were an easy answer to this question, it would already be published everywhere. There are so many factors such as genetics, lifestyle choices, diet, and blue light exposure choices that contribute to great and poor quality sleep.
Is insomnia the same as sleeplessness?
The word insomnia comes from the Latin “Somnus” which means to sleep. Putting the prefix “in” in front of the word, means to negate or do the opposite. So insomnia means: the opposite of sleep, or not sleeping. The word sleeplessness also means the opposite of sleep, or without sleep.
What is insomnia?
Insomnia is the condition in which you have difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. It can be short-term or chronic.
How can I get to sleep quickly?
There are so many remedies I suggest when I have a client who is struggling to fall asleep. Here is a brief summary:
- Limit blue light. If you are new to this concept, check out this blog or read an article by Harvard Health.
- Get morning sunlight to stabilize your circadian rhythms.
- Stop eating 3 hours before bed. This is also great for digestion and healthy weight.
- Take magnesium bisglycinate
- Take melatonin at least 30 minutes before bed.
- Take powdered glycine at bedtime. Don’t worry it is slightly sweet and easy to take.
- Yoga Nidra or guided meditation for sleep is proven to improve sleep latency.
How can I increase my motivation naturally?
Most of us turn to stimulants when we lack motivation. Whether it is sugar, caffeine, or stronger drugs, they all have their downsides. If you want to increase motivation long-term, work on your dopamine levels with Balance D or other strategies. It will likely take 2-5 changes to see a difference. There isn’t one magic bullet to improve your motivation.
How can I trick my brain into motivation?
Many people with ADHD employ various strategies to change their mindset or thinking patterns to create motivation. While you may not be diagnosed with ADHD, your modern-day life and habits may cause your brain to be distracted.
How do I fix low motivation?
Tony Robbins has great principles for implementing motivation into your daily life.
Interested in this and want more? Check out these readings on productivity, motivation, and sleep…
Click here for a look into changes in productivity and motivations post-COVID
Click here for a study into perceived productivity while working from home
Our healthcare workers have been a vulnerable group through the pandemic. Here is an analysis of the mental and physical toll of this group.
Not that many of us get the needed eight hours of sleep per night - here’s an article published by the American Psychological Association on what those eight hours could give us.
Concluding Thoughts
In this post-COVID age, some of us may find ourselves dealing with major life changes that have impacted our motivation, sleep, or both! While these are difficult to deal with, uncomfortable to talk about, and can impact nearly every aspect of your life, they can be addressed through lifestyle changes or working with a healthcare professional. If you are interested in learning more about how these two products by NeuroScience can impact your life positively, Schedule a consult with me, Carly Neubert BA, NC.
