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The Science of Calm: How to Restore Serenity

When we think of stress, we think of times when it’s been hard to keep our cool. But did you know that our stress response is determined by levels of calming vs. excited brain chemicals? This article explores what happens when excited signals outweigh the calming signals, and how to restore the balance for a more relaxed state of mind.

Your Excited and Calming Brain Chemicals

Two chemicals in the brain are responsible for ramping up and dialing down your body’s stress response. Their names are glutamate and GABA*. Glutamate is the excitatory neurotransmitter that gets things moving, while GABA is the calming force, keeping everything relaxed. 

When these two are balanced, we feel alert and relaxed. However, when chronic stress disrupts this balance, it can lead to more glutamate and less GABA activity. This means our calming brain chemicals aren’t as active, which means that glutamate activity goes ‘unchecked’.¹,² 

As a result, glutamate ramps up the nervous system, firing off lots of signals that increase our perception of stress throughout the brain. This can trigger feelings of anxiousness and worry due to altered levels of glutamate and GABA.

How Do These Brain Chemicals Impact My Body?

Your nervous system is designed to respond immediately to your environment. When glutamate and GABA are balanced, we can be equal parts calm and alert in how we respond to stress.

However, when the balance tips in favour of glutamate activity, it can amplify the perceived level of stress. When this happens, unopposed glutamate floods our ‘stress control’ brain centers, which immediately switch on our ‘alarm response’. This goes to activate a chain reaction of stress hormones to prepare the body to fight or flee.¹,² 

But don't worry; the good news is that by increasing GABA activity, we can help our brain settle down under stress. Let’s explore the ways you can balance GABA in the brain to soothe your body's stress response.

Woman feeling calm and relaxed at home

How To Restore Serenity in The Face of Stress

To support GABA activity, several nutrients can enhance GABA production to help you feel calm. While plant compounds can also activate GABA signals when your capacity for calm is running low. We’ve outlined six ingredients to support your GABA levels to restore the balance of calming brain chemicals below.

3 Calming Nutrients: Magnesium, Vitamin B6, and Taurine

Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps curb the release of stress hormones by blocking the ability of glutamate to flood the brain. Magnesium can also support a healthy mood when combined with vitamin B6.³,⁴ When paired with taurine, these nutrients support the balance of GABA to restore a sense of calm.⁵

These calming nutrients found within MetaRelax, a nutritional formula to support a healthy stress response, is a great place to start if you are new to using natural medicines.

3 Soothing Plant Extracts: Zizyphus, Magnolia Bark, and Passionflower

Traditionally used in China, Zizyphus and Magnolia Bark enhance levels of calming GABA, which helps to balance excess glutamate levels from powering up the stress response.⁶ While striking South American herbal medicine, Passionflower has also been shown to support GABA balance.⁷This combination found within NeuroCalm™ is an easy solution to calm nervous tension to take the edge off feeling tense. 

The Science of Calm in a Nutshell

Managing stress in our brains is a balancing act when life throws us challenges. Next time you feel overwhelmed by stress, take a deep breath and remember that you have the power to support your brain's balance with natural tools.

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of natural medicine for you and your family, click here to get in touch with a local Health Care Practitioner.

Footnotes

*Known scientifically as gamma-aminobutyric acid

References

  1. Calabrese F, Rossetti AC, Racagni G, Gass P, Riva MA, Molteni R. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor: a bridge between inflammation and neuroplasticity. Front Cell Neurosci. 2014 Dec 22;8:430. doi:10.3389/fncel.2014.00430
  2. Roozendaal B, McEwen BS, Chattarji S. Stress, memory and the amygdala. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2009 Jun;10(6):423-33. doi:10.1038/nrn2651
  3. Shindo Y, Yamanaka R, Hotta K, Oka K. Inhibition of Mg2+ extrusion attenuates glutamate excitotoxicity in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Nutrients. 2020 Sep 10;12(9):2768. doi:10.3390/nu12092768
  4. Pouteau E, Kabir-Ahmadi M, Noah L, et al. Superiority of magnesium and vitamin B6 over magnesium alone on severe stress in healthy adults with low magnesemia: A randomized, single-blind clinical trial. PLoS One. 2018 Dec 18;13(12):e0208454. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0208454
  5. Head KA, Kelly GS. Nutrients and botanicals for treatment of stress: adrenal fatigue, neurotransmitter imbalance, anxiety, and restless sleep. Altern Med Rev. 2009 Jun;14(2):114-40. PMID: 19594222.
  6. Koetter U, Barrett M, Lacher S, Abdelrahman A, Dolnick D. Interactions of Magnolia and Ziziphus extracts with selected central nervous system receptors. J Ethnopharmacol. 2009 Jul 30;124(3):421-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2009.05.040.
  7. Grundmann O, Wähling C, Staiger C, et al. Anxiolytic effects of a passion flower (Passiflora incarnata L.) extract in the elevated plus maze in mice. 2009;64(1):63-64.
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