Pleasure, Arousal, Stress, & Food Does Sleep Have a Chance?
Don't think for a moment that the human brain is simple. It would certainly be nice if there was one on switch for awake and one off switch for sleep. As I have already explained you have a sleep department and a wakefulness department residing within your hypothalamus gland. The new science shows that you also have an arousal thermostat in your hypothalamus gland that has a huge impact on your sleep. It is not residing in your wakefulness department, but operating alongside.
If this arousal thermostat is set too high then your nerves will be too stimulated, as if in a fight or flight state, and sleep will be difficult. It has now ...
directly nourish the hypothalamus gland and has been shown to modulate the influence of stress on the hypothalamus gland, helping to turn down the excess cortisol processing. This response is consistent with the goal of turning down the "arousal thermostat" setting, which is taking input from stress-processing nerves.*
exercise. Helps clear up brain fog and boost mood. Pantethine is directly metabolized to cysteamine, a natural compound that protects nerves and helps nerves make the important BDNF that not only boosts mood but is highly protective of nerves.*
cells. It has also been shown to help maintain brain plasticity, directly enhancing cognitive function. DHA has been shown to boost levels of BDNF, a result that was enhanced by exercise. Dose is 2-4 capsules per day.*
improve stress tolerance. By having a better supply of these compounds in nerves then the nerves are more stable and less likely to require a stimulus to make them feel better. ALC has been shown to protect nerves from excitotoxic stress that are low in BDNF. Dose is from 2-6 capsules per day.*