Experiencing low or fluctuating mood? Support your nervous system

The nervous system makes us who we are, enabling us to sense, think, feel, remember, and move. When our nervous system isn’t working well, it can affect our social and emotional wellbeing, as well as our day-to-day performance at work or school. 

Situational factors, past experiences, learned helplessness, dark nights, and a lack of sound nutrition to support our neurotransmitters and nerve cell structure, might predispose us to low mood.   

Are you prone to low mood or mood swings or not feeling motivated or sociable, perhaps coupled with low energy? Do you often feel you need to drink coffee to increase your energy levels and stay focused, or do you feel the urge to have a chocolate bar mid-morning? Or maybe you’ve been craving salty or spicy foods more lately?

You might need support for your mood. 

So, how can we optimise our nervous function, to help us manage our mental health and wellbeing and be productive and creative? How can vitamins, plant extracts and other nutrients in supplements help? Check out the following supplement options and lifestyle tips to support your mind.

Here are some useful tips to help you support your nervous system

Methylation is a key process which helps with the production of these two neurotransmitters. This process requires two key nutrients – folate and vitamin B12. However, if we are deficient in these nutrients, or if we have an MTHFR related genetic variant, then this can lower the levels of serotonin and dopamine. Furthermore, other genetic factors, such as fast-acting Catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) or Monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzymes can predispose us to breaking down these neurotransmitters at a faster rate, which means they will be available for a shorter time. Apart from these biological reasons, other factors like imbalanced work-life activity, reduced real world social interaction, information overload and overstimulation from our ‘device-orientated’ existence, oxidative stress, artificial light exposure, reduced exposure to a diverse biological environment, and a fracturing of traditional cultural cohesion, can disrupt our mood and motivation.

How can we optimise our nervous function, to help us manage our mood and be productive and creative? How can vitamins, plant extracts and other nutrients in supplements help? Check out the following supplement options and lifestyle tips to support your mood. 

• Is it normal to be sad? Sometimes, low mood is a signal to us to look after ourselves, slow down, and perhaps review things.
• Try to ‘reframe’ your thinking, appreciating the small positive things in life possibly in a ‘gratitude journal’.
• Maintain an active social life – get out with friends at least once a week and laugh together. 
• Keep your mind active - reading, drawing, playing board games or doing jigsaws are easy ways to stimulate your mind while also helping the body relax.
• Check your vitamin D levels and get out in daylight for at least 20 minutes per day.
• Take short walks to reconnect with nature, and try some gentle Yoga, Pilates or a meditation class to help to calm the stress response.
• Create a sleep routine with a regular sleeping pattern (e.g. 10pm-7am each night) and reduce your evening exposure to electronical devices emitting blue light. A healthy sleep-wake cycle has a significant effect on daytime energy, mood, blood glucose and appetite regulation.

• Include plenty of foods that contain B vitamins and magnesium, especially green leafy vegetables, nuts, pulses and seafood.
• Eat adequate protein levels to stabilise your energy and provide amino acids to make some of the vital neurotransmitters:
• Tryptophan (a pre-cursor to serotonin): organic turkey, eggs and cheese, tofu, salmon, nuts and seeds.
• Tyrosine (a pre-cursor to dopamine): organic tofu, chicken, turkey, fish, nuts and seeds, avocados and bananas.
• Increase your intake of healthy fats. Including foods such as avocado, nuts and seeds, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines and anchovies. Healthy fats are needed for cell membranes sensitivity and conductivity of neurotransmitters, and for energy.
• Reduce or eliminate added sugars, sugary drinks, snacks, and processed foods. Try to eat regularly and before 6pm in the evening, to improve your blood sugar regulation

In addition to a healthy diet and lifestyle, you may want to look at some supplements to further support your joints.

Prefer a Liquid? 

The direct approach – some people use 5-HTP from the griffonia plant, as it can be converted to serotonin.  

There are lots of factors that can influence our mood but supporting our body with the right nutrients and adjusting our lifestyle habits can provide long-lasting benefits.