Of course, there are things that happen in life that warrant enough stress to keep you up at night. There are things like worrying about your kids, exciting upcoming events, or a lot of unknown things about the future that might just keep your mind occupied all night. In these situations, this seems justified, and it very well might be. How many nights in a row do you have to lie awake, staring at the ceiling to begin to think that it’s no longer justified? There are many issues that can contribute to sleep issues. Liver dysfunction, blood sugar dysregulation, and neurotransmitter production issues can all cause sleep disturbances. In this article, we will be focusing in the neurotransmitter GABA, and why it causes your thoughts to keep you awake at night. If you’d like to read more about other causes of sleep issues, click here.
GABA: Your Calming Neurotransmitter
There are more than 40 known neurotransmitters in the human body. Neurons use these to communicate with one another. Depending on the neurotransmitter and the receptors that they communicate with, they function differently. They are all classified into 3 categories: excitatory, inhibitory, or both. GABA is known to be your body’s calming neurotransmitter due to its inhibitory nature. One of the most well-known and documented uses for GABA is its action in a part of the brain called the basal nuclei. The basal nuclei are responsible for taking information from motor areas of the brain and filtering them (or it inhibits unnecessary information) to form coordinated movements.
When there is low GABA, movements become very unpredictable and difficult to control. People who have epilepsy or get seizures frequently often have a GABA deficiency. These are extreme cases. Functionally low GABA is nowhere near the levels it would have to be to experience seizures or epilepsy.
Causes for Low GABA
In a situation of functionally low GABA, people often experience difficulty falling asleep. They feel as though their minds are racing and that they can’t quiet their brain. Anxiety is a common feeling as well. Functionally low GABA is typically due to a decrease in production of GABA due to a deficiency of vitamins or minerals needed to convert its precursor, glutamate, to GABA. Glutamate is exceptionally excitatory. Due to its excitatory nature, it makes sense that when there is decreased conversion that it would cause hyperactivity in the brain.
So, what causes this deficiency of cofactors to convert glutamate to GABA? It could be as simple as a magnesium, zinc, or B6 deficiency, which could easily be solved by supplementation. There could also be some sort of underlying immune or stress response causing an increased need for these nutrients that outpaces the normal intake. This tends to be the more likely scenario.
Too Much Glutamate
There is another situation where excess of vitamins B6 and B9 can cause an increase in the production of glutamate, which would lead to symptoms of a GABA deficiency. These patients can become somewhat manic if they are taking far too much of these vitamins. If this is due to B9 excess, B6 can help with clearance and conversion to GABA. Magnesium and potassium are nutrients that can help with clearance due to either B vitamin excess. This is a rare occurrence, but for those who take all sorts of supplements without the guidance of a professional, it’s just something to take note of.
Recommendations
Due to the many different reasons that a decrease in GABA production can arise, the extent of my recommendation is supplementing with zinc and magnesium. Either of these minerals are functionally deficient in a lot of people that I’ve treated. A high quality, easily absorbed supplement of either of these minerals is a great place to start. If that was the missing link, then you should start to sleep great! If it isn’t (which is likely), then I strongly encourage you to seek professional help. As with any condition, speaking with a healthcare professional before making any decisions is the best course of action. If you’d like to discuss your symptoms or any aspect of your health, book a free consultation with me here. To find more practitioners who practice the same technique as me, click here.