Best Nootropics For Brain Health

by Evelyn Montgomery Apr 06, 20213 comments

What Are Nootropics?

Have you come across the term Nootropics but you’re not sure what they are and whether you need them?

They are a buzz word in the world of health optimising and biohacking.

I’m a huge believer that boosting your brain health is one of the most powerful ways that you can affect your mental and physical wellbeing.

And that’s where nootropics come in.

Nootropics are brain-boosters: nutrients that enhance brain health, support brain function and improve mental ability.

Nootropics work in many ways to produce a range of health benefits across memory, focus, attention, motivation, relaxation, mood, alertness, stress resistance and more.

Some people use them to decrease brain fog and increase mental clarity. They are also used to support healthy cognitive ageing.

Nootropics help with:

Memory - performance-enhancing nootropics that support working memory, storage, recall, learning, knowledge retention and more.

Attention - various aspects of attention, focus and concentration that are enhanced by nootropics can give users an edge in productivity.

Learning - students of academia and lifelong learners can benefit from nootropics' various enhancements for cognitive learning processes like memory formation, storage and recall.

Mood - nootropics that help with relaxation, confidence, mood balance, motivation, sociability, anxiety, happiness and more can optimise cognitive function and improve life performance.

Creativity - brain wave-tuning nootropics can foster relaxed, free-flowing thinking that is conducive to creative thinking, mindfulness and quiet contemplation.

Physical - Although they are brain supplements, nootropics help to improve motivation, intensify training, and promote focus in the gym.

Stress Resistance - Nootropics have well-documented anti-stress benefits that can improve the experience of everyone suffering with burn out,  sleep problems, panic attacks and overwhelm.

Nootropics come in the form of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. But anything that helps brain performance - including Omega oils and Probiotics can also be thought of as Nootropics.

Some of the nootropic ingredients in 360ME: best nootropic stack for fatigue, anxiety and depression.

Carnitine:

Boosts memory, mental alertness, fluid thought, and is a strong antioxidant.

Choline:

Assists in boosting memory and recall, cognitive abilities, helps concentration and even used to treat brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

CoQ10:

Improves athletic performance, works as an antioxidant, and battles fatigue and depression.

5-HTP:

Converts to serotonin and can help improve mood, control behaviour and appetite, and help you sleep.

Research shows 5-HTP can help in impulse control, and balance out moods resulting in less anxiety and even reduce panic attacks.

L-Glutamine:

Helps with improve focus, energy, cognition and retention when learning.

It also helps detox toxins and free radicals from your brain.

And by increasing GABA levels, L-Glutamine can relieve anxiety, has a calming effect, reduces stress and helps with better sleep.

Glycine:

Restores serotonin levels which helps improve sleep. And the ability to fall asleep faster.

L-Theanine:

Is used for relaxation, good sleep, anxiety, learning, mood, and focus.

Since it easily crosses the blood-brain barrier, L-Theanine works quickly to increase dopamine and serotonin. The “feel good” chemicals in your brain.

Magnesium:

The lack of adequate levels of magnesium in your body can result in brain fog, anxiety, brain fog and depression.

It helps improve memory and cognition.

Tyrosine:

Affects alertness, memory, and mood. It has an impact on libido, memory, focus, goal-oriented concentration, a mood elevator and anti-depressant.

Studies have found tyrosine to be useful for cold, fatigue, prolonged work, stress, sleep deprivation, and those suffering with hypothyroidism.

Phenylalanine:

Assists in producing the amino acid tyrosine in your brain.

It helps fight chronic pain, improves mood and boosts energy. It also helps in relief from anxiety, improves focus and boosts motivation.

Methionine:

Helps the process of cell division and repair, and the generation of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, melatonin and more.

It’s used to boost mood, relieve depression, improve energy levels, and reduce symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Tryptophan:

Is the precursor to serotonin and melatonin. Low levels of serotonin in the brain are often due to an inadequate supply of Tryptophan.

It is used to treat anxiety, ADHD, depression, insomnia, memory loss, pain and eating disorders.

Zinc:

Is required for optimal brain health, memory formation and cognition. It is also vital for DNA repair.

Deficiency is common even in Western society because we often don’t get enough from food. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, you are particularly susceptible.

Zinc levels are low in those with depression. And the lower the zinc level, the more severe the depression.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine):

Is required for energy and needed for the synthesis of DNA.

Vitamin B1 is water soluble and is stored in your body for only 14 days. If you don’t get enough B1 you’ll experience irritability, confusion and memory problems.

Vitamin B3 (Nicotinamide):

Also supports over 200 other chemical reactions in your body including cellular energy production.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) needs the amino acid Tryptophan to be utilised.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid):

Is needed for the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

It can boost focus, memory, learning, and reduce brain fog.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxal 5-Phosphate):

Is required to absorb Vitamin B12 and to make red blood cells and cells for your immune system.

Symptoms of low Vitamin B6 are associated with irritability, depression, nervousness, difficulty concentrating and memory loss.

Vitamin B8 (Inositol):

Boosts serotonin levels which results in feelings of calm, heightened mental energy, and easy thought flow.

Vitamin B9 (Folate/ L-5-MTHF):

As a nootropic helps your brain make dopamine, epinephrine, serotonin and more.

Folate is involved in gene expression, amino acid synthesis, and myelin synthesis and repair.

Many people confuse folate with folic acid. They are NOT the same.

Vitamin B9 (Folate) is critical for the fully optimized brain.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin):

Deficiency is experienced as brain fog, poor memory, fatigue, lack of energy, muscle weakness, mood swings, depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.

To get an adequate supply of Vitamin B12 as a vegan and as you get older is really only available through supplementation.

Higher quality comes as methylcobalamin.

Vitamin D3:

It is critical for the synthesis of GABA and dopamine in your brain.

It is involved in gene expression, neuralplasticity and DNA protection. It helps with memory formation and alleviating depression.

Probiotics:

Probiotic bacteria actually live in the gut microbiome and have science-backed benefits for brain health.

Species of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus exert a positive influence on brain health including alleviating anxiety, memory, and cognitive symptoms and improves our stress resilience.

They have an important role in alleviating negative emotions, improving cognitive function, and also relieving psychological stress.

I’m a huge believer in the importance brain health and the cascade of benefits that has throughout your body.

Having a healthy brain really can change your life.

That's why I have blended all these ingredients in the 360ME range by M+E.

All the products have MoodNutritionPlus® in them which is a unique combination of 4 nootropics: Carnitine, Tryptophan, Glutamine and Tyrosine.

Each one has added nootropics and methylated B vitamins and is designed to boost your brain in different ways:

MOOD ME to boost your overall brain health with added DLPA, Glycine and methylated B vitamins

HAPPY ME to lift your mood and help you sleep with added 5HTP, DLPA and Methionine

CALM ME to ease anxiety, calm your mind and help with burn out and sleep with an added blend of 3 types of Magnesium and extra Theanine 

ENERGY ME to help with tiredness and to give your processing extra speed with added CoQ10, Choline and Inositol

All the products are designed for vegans and have no added fillers, bulking agents or chemicals either.

They are backed by research and science - if you would like to know more, read more here

Let’s take care of your brain health together.

Evelyn

(Psychologist + founder)

 

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