Nervous System Optimization
If you're a hard-charging optimal performer, have suffered trauma or intense stress in your lifetime or even in your past, there is a good chance that your nervous system may be overtaxed. This happened to me. The good news is there are many ways to resolve this and protect yourself in the future. In this short series, I will walk you through how to reboot your nervous system and provide protection from future burnout.
Balance is key. Daily, we have activities that stress us (sympathetic) and activities that relax us (parasympathetic). More often than not, we are in a stressed state, so we need to bring more balance to our lives through intentional practices. This can also be related to brain wave states. When you wake up and check emails or social media, you switch on the Beta brain waves, the brain is aroused and intensely engaged in mental activities, and odds are, you stay there for most of the day. It's important to shift our brain and stressed states into more relaxed states like Alpha and Theta to balance the nervous system.
Let's identify sympathetic vs. parasympathetic activities.
Sympathetic - Work stress, toxic relationships, stimulants, intense exercise, cold exposure, heat exposure.
(Keep in mind that some of the sympathetic activities can also be good for you, like cold and heat exposure and, of course, exercise. These positive stressors are called hormetic stressors and increase your body's resilience over time, but you also want to be conscious of the number of stressors on your body at once. For example, if you're not sleeping well and have long, stressful hours at work, you may want to dial back the intensity of your workouts and opt for something more restorative like Yoga)
Parasympathetic - Going on a walk, relaxing forms of breathwork, meditation, high-quality sleep, stress-reducing supplements, reading a non-arousing book, snuggles with a partner.
A good measurement of overall stress on the body is HRV or heart rate variability. This is a measurement of stress on your body. It is measured by the variance between heartbeats. The more stressed you are, the lower your HRV will be. The more relaxed and recovered you are, the higher it will be.
Another critical component to understand when it comes to your nervous system is neurotransmitters. Let's go over parasympathetic and sympathetic neurotransmitters.
Parasympathetic Neurotransmitters
Endorphins - our body's natural pain killer. After a hard workout, your body is flooded with endorphins. Sometimes called a runner's high, which can also occur after strength training—ways to boost endorphins: Regular exercise, sex, raw dark chocolate, spicy foods, Yoga, and meditation.
Serotonin - Also referred to as the happiness molecule can make you feel more relaxed. Most serotonin is housed in the gut, so ensuring you have good gut health is essential. Ways to boost serotonin - get plenty of vitamin D and sunlight, get proper sleep, optimize your gut health, exercise regularly, and ensure you are consuming a nutrient-rich diet. Here are some foods that assist in producing serotonin: eggs, salmon, turkey, nuts, and seeds. Tryptophan and omega-3 fatty acids are needed to produce serotonin.
Oxytocin - Oxytocin is sometimes referred to as the love molecule. After sex, oxytocin is released, and when entering a new or in loving relationship, oxytocin levels are elevated. This is why personal connection is so important. Hugs are also important to overall happiness.
GABA - is an amino acid that also functions as a neurotransmitter that is considered the brain's primary calming neurotransmitter. It is essential for brain metabolism, decreases neuronal activity, and inhibits nerve cells from excess firing. GABA is produced in your brain from glutamate, an amino acid. You can boost GABA through foods high in glutamate like grass-fed meats, bone broth, fish, eggs, and mushrooms, just to name a few. You can also take a GABA supplement or herbs that support GABA production like ashwagandha, lemon balm, valerian, and passionflower.
Anandamide - The bliss molocule. Our bodies create anandamide on-demand, to be used when needed to maintain homeostasis. Anandamide does this by helping to regulate inflammation and neuron signaling. Exercise, CBD, and raw dark chocolate can also boost this molecule.
Sympathetic Neurotransmitters
Adrenaline and Noradrenaline are two hormones and neurotransmitters responsible for activating your fight or flight. These give you the facilities to address pressing situations like increased heart rate, shifting more blood to the muscles, dilating the pupils, and more. In primal times this was activated when needing to escape a threat like a bear or a lion. They are now activated much too often due to work, social media, and general life stressors. To reduce adrenaline, practice slow breathwork, yoga, and meditation.
Dopamine - The motivation molecule and reward system. This is activated when your brain wants more of something. You are then driven to go get that thing by dopamine. Social media and never-ending work hours are draining our dopamine stores. We are attached to phones that give us dopamine hits, you could say, but with an increase in dopamine, the brain always looks to restore balance, so you will then have a decrease after. It is better to "drip" dopamine through limited phone use instead of being addicted to it. I also recommend taking some days off completely if you can. This will help boost reserves.
Top Tips To Optimize Your Nervous System
Daily Habits
Meditation
Go on a walk-in nature
Grounding
Tap a nap
Playing with pets
Being a silly goose, as I say (letting loose and having fun)
Consider Ashwagandha, L-Theanine, or high-quality CBD
Read a relaxing book before bed
Relaxing breathwork 2-3x per day
Weekly habits or when you feel overwhelmed
Take a day off for relaxation
Get a massage
Bodywork like Reiki, Craniosacral Therapy
Float in a sensory deprivation tank. You float in water saturated with Magnesium and eliminate all sound and light.
Acupuncture
Relaxing Massage
See a chiro - being well aligned takes stress off your nervous system
Strengthen your vagus nerve with a device like the sensate
NAD+ IV
Magnesium Protocol
Magnesium (optimal levels are crucial for managing stress)
Bioptimizers has a 90-day nervous system rebuilding process. If you're really feeling burnt out, It consists of: Week 1 - 500 MG of Magnesium breakthrough 3x a day Week 2-6 Increase to 1,000 mg 3x a day Week 7-12 1,500 mg 3x a day. (Must be full-spectrum Magnesium)
Save on this protocol or any BiOptimizers’s supplements with code KAYLAB. Their mag is my favorite and I take it daily. It is full spectrum.