Does The Brain Get Tired Of Thinking?

You might ask yourself: “When we put ourselves in mental effort, why do we end up feeling exhausted?.” This is a common question among people. Yes, your brain can easily get tired of Overthinking, Perfectionism, as well as Stress Hormones.

In this article, I will explain why we feel tired, especially when we constantly think that something that makes us too excited or not.

Overview

• The research found that the brain uses 20% of the body’s energy despite just 2% of body weight. A typical day of thinking burns 320 calories, as well as mental states and tasks, can affect brain energy consumption; without adequate energy, you might feel brain fatigue, fog, and physiological drain.
• Our brain depends on glucose as its main source of energy. However, don’t be think it only a source. Also, there is another better source called “Ketones(BHB),” which can be used by the brain cells, especially areas of the “Hippocampus” and “Prefrontal Cortex,.”
• Ketone can cross the blood-brain barrier and can be used better energy source by brain cells. That leads to more brain cell energy, improves BDNF production, and enhances GABA and overall inflammation, eventually, better Cognitive Health.
• According to research, too much glutamate leads to feeling as well, as the toxicity of excess glutamate may contribute to cognitive fatigue as well as makes us tired, overthinking, as well anxious thought by affecting GABA levels.

At the neurotransmitter level, GABA & Glutamate balance is necessary for health. GABA makes calm down, but Glutamate(Don’t confuse it with L-Glutamine) does not.

What Is The Effect Of Too Much Glutamate? 

Glutamate isn’t a bad guy, and even a sufficient glutamate level normally controls learning, memory, and synaptogenesis (forming new neural connections).

GABA’s precursor, glutamate, is used by more than half of all neurons and raises the brain’s overall level of excitement.

However, there are links between excessive glutamate toxicity and brain health. Their problems occur when excess glutamate leads to nerve cells becoming overexcited.

In this context, the substance glutamate is referred to as an excitotoxin.

• Our brain uses 20 percent of the oxygen and blood in our body. Anything affects our Oxygen level, which leads to acidity in the blood (because of smoking and air pollution) and eventually causes more and more glutamate production in the brain.
• Brain cell death or damage may result from excess glutamate in the wrong place, that’s detrimental to brain cells and oxygen levels.(Lack of oxygen leads to Brain Fog, and even cognitive impairment leads to cell death.)
• Glutamate toxicity symptoms are similar to ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), such as an inability to focus, which also cause additional fatigue experience.

Central system glutamate dysregulation has been linked to signs of anxiety, posttraumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), mania, depression, and psychosis, with the strongest evidence for glutamate’s function in schizophrenia. 

Anxiety and Stress were other symptoms when we had GABA deficiency as well as Glutamate Toxicity.

Suggestion: Anxiety 101: The Essential Guide to Lower Your Anxiety

The More Glutamate, The More Tired Your Brain

Some researchers showed that participants who performed the more challenging task accumulated more glutamate in this brain region by the end of the day than those who performed the easier task.

How To Balance Our Glutamate Level?

There are some Supplements and Approaches you can utilize to maximize your Glutamate & GABA balance. Here are some of the supplements for that:

• Taurine: Taurine can protect neurons against the excitotoxic effects of glutamate, thanks to its neuroprotective properties. According to this research, taurine may act as a neuromodulator for glutamate transmission. (source)
• NAC: NAC is a precursor to the amino acid l-cysteine. Studies showed that in drug-dependent & addicted mice, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) therapy restores glutamate (Glu) balance and prevents relapse.
• Agmatine: Agmatine is a neuromodulator. It blocks NMDA receptors, and agmatine creates a balance between GABA and glutamate by making GABA levels higher and glutamate levels much lower. 
• Magnesium: One of the key benefits of magnesium is that it increases our gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels and can also reduce the stimulatory effect of balancing glutamate level
• Decrease caffeine: Dopamine and glutamate are both released from the shell of the nucleus accumbens in response to caffeine consumption. However, overconsumption of caffeine can impair GABA levels, leading to stress and anxiety. (source)

Plus, avoid smoking all cost because it reduces oxygen utilized by cells, which makes the blood more acidic and eventually leads to building “glutamate,”

Anything with excessive acidity properties without balancing with alkaline foods, you might experience Brain fog, Cognitive troubles, and as well as Fatigue.

To prevent acidosis, make sure you are drinking enough water for your pH balance as well as eating Vegetables and Fruits.

My favorite free and alternative method for helping oxygenate your cells and alkaline your blood(short-term) is the Wim Hof Breathing Technique. Simple techniques not just help alkaline but also helps to voluntarily inhibit inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6.

Related: The Three Brain-Boosting Beverages To Help You Stay Focused

Some people report better feeling with supplements such as NAC, Taurine, L-theanine, and Vitamin B6 help to get calmer and more relaxed because of the natural balance of glutamate.

Other Reasons Why Overthinking Makes Us Feel Tired

When you engage in activities that burden your mind, the theory goes that your brain consumes glucose, a sugary chemical used as fuel.  As a result, your brain gets tired, glucose levels fall, and adenosine levels rise, preventing the neurotransmitter dopamine from being released.

You can understand why people prefer caffeine to feel better and enhance the nootropics effect because caffeine is an adenosine blocker. It functions by attaching itself to the same receptors that adenosine would typically bind to.

Sugar, compared to ketones, is not the best energy source for the brain because elevated blood sugars can suppress important brain proteins called “Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factors; BDNF. Over time, the brain itself can’t rejuvenate itself, which leads to depression, as well as brain atrophy or shrinkage.

Which One Is Better: Mentally Tired vs. Physically Tired?

Two of them are not the best things. However, mentally tired is a more serious thing than the physically tired.

As a human, we primarily use our brains to survive environmental dangers.

We can’t compare the best power-lifters power to the Gorillas and power output. Muscles are important for Mitochondrial Functions and Longevity for us. But, as you are reading this article, you are planning, “Oh, Muscles are important, so I should make it strong,” Those decisions come from your prefrontal cortex.

Nevertheless, two of them are important

• Neurotransmitter deficiency might lead to mentally feeding tired and lack of motivation, but you might still be good at the physical energy level, or your muscle can still be strong as hell.
• Some people tend to have high and strong physically, but it doesn’t mean they are the prefrontal cortex, cerebrum, and other creative side. “The frontal lobe is primarily responsible for thinking, planning, memory, and judgment. The parietal lobe is primarily responsible for bodily sensations and touch.”
• According to recent studies, Einstein’s brain was not particularly large compared to other people’s, but it was 15% broader in the critical regions that govern mathematical cognition and grey matter. He has a good amount of mental power but not superior physical power.

Cortisol Makes Brain Fog And Makes Felt Tired

The excessive stress hormone called: “cortisol” can lead to excessive thinking by stimulating the Adrenal Gland.

There are research shows that chronic exposure to high amounts of cortisol may cause damage to the hippocampus, suppress BDNF, lead to Dementia, and impair the cognitive abilities of the elderly.

Why does Cortisol Affect Our Brain?

Another reason that high cortisol levels are one of the most important factors related to the development of dementia by surprising sleep hormone as well as a neuroprotective hormone called “melatonin” production. (as well as insomnia)

Did you know that Melatonin efficiently protects neuronal cells from Amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) (linked to Alzheimer’s) mediated toxicity via antioxidant and anti-amyloid properties?

Yes. Melatonin is actually vital for cleansing toxic unfolded protein accumulation as well as glutamate toxicity in the brain.

That also leads to a protective layer on the “overthinking” caused by a chemical imbalance, as well as glutamate toxicity and BDNF production.

Sleep deprivation makes us more anxious and causing drains our brain energy by leading to overthinking.

Excess Cortisol Can Disturb Serotonin And The Gut

• Not just Melatonin but also the “Happiness Hormone” called Serotonin (5HT) in the brain is known to be affected by long-term cortisol, causing overthinking and anxiety.
• Stress is not just for the brain but detrimental to gut health, which messes up digestion and the gut-brain axis, which leads to low cognition and increases the risk of Alzheimer’s. Now, science refers to the gut as the “second brain.”

How Can Lower Stress Simple Strategies?

You won’t need to spend too much money on optimizing stress adaptation skills. Here are the same strategies for that:

• Deep Sleep: Melatonin is the key hormone that helps to stabilize inflammation and reduce chronic stress, as well as overthinking.
• Adaptogens: Your body is an adaptation machine, yet, certain adaptogens can help to reduce cortisol and support the healthy adrenal gland. 
• Wim Hof Breathing: Wim Hof Deep breathing lower inflammation by suppression (IL-6) and increase the ability to handle stress.
• Taoist Chi-Self Massage: Taoists have always had the appearance and the ability to function of someone at least twenty years younger than their exact age, and this has been true from ancient times back to the modern day. Taoist Chi-self massage good for stress reduction
• Meditation Such As Inner-smile: The physiological effects of smiling include a decrease in the levels of the stress chemicals adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. Smiling triggers the release of hormones that help regulate blood pressure, enhance breathing, speed up the healing process, maintain a stable mood, decrease pain perception, and relax muscles.

Grounding is another another-free method for helping lowering cortisol levels and improve the ability to stress. 

Related: Free Alternative For Optimizing Mitochondria, And Longevity

Sleep Deprivation Is The Main Things

A deep sleep state will help enhance better cognition, lowering stress, better focus, and anxiety and depression-like behavior thanks to increasing dopamine and other brain chemicals.

For a cognitive function to be effective, sleep is necessary. Losing even a few hours of sleep can have a negative impact on a number of cognitive functions, including learning, memory, attention, language, reasoning, decision-making, and even testosterone level in men! (which is another reason why you might feel tired and depressed)

Everyone can experience sleep deprivation if you can use Quercetin. In animal studies in which the subjects were deprived of sleep, the potency of quercetin’s antioxidant properties was likely one factor that contributed to the compound’s ability to improve mood-related behaviors. Researchers discovered that quercetin could reduce the animals’ anxiety brought on by lack of sleep.

The researchers hypothesized, and the data showed, that quercetin ameliorated the effects of sleep deprivation on memory performance, depression-like behavior and against the loss of prefrontal cortex neurons

Try Meditation to Optimize Your Brain Health

You can change your brain in just eight weeks of meditation and routine mindfulness meditation practice increases activity in many brain areas responsible for complex information processing, deep thinking, self-awareness, and attention and emotion regulation.

Researchers found that if different people focus on one type of network in the brain during meditation, the right-side activity will increase, and activity in left-side networks will decrease. 

One year later, they found that significantly changed their brains’ shape. The research found an eight-week mindfulness program to increase the thickness of these brain regions, which would positively impact their emotional regulation, learning, and memory. (source)

Also, according to the study, participation in Mindfulness-based stress reduction appears to be associated with changes in gray matter concentration in brain regions involved in learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing, and perspective taking.