Tips For Helping A Bipolar Brain!
- mp50081
- Feb 1, 2021
- 4 min read
What is a Bipolar Brain?
Let’s explore the bipolar brain.
Bipolar Disorder is a mental disorder marked by mood episodes. These range from manic highs to depressive lows.
The exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown. Factors such as genetics and environment play a role.
Another important factor that may play a role in bipolar disorder is brain structure. There are differences in the bipolar brain that cause mood episodes.
Mood episodes lead to poor sleep. They also lead to anxiety and depression, poor focus and finally not being able to think clearly.
What are some tips for helping a bipolar brain?
Let’s Explore What Makes It Different
What makes a bipolar brain different?
A bipolar brain has a problem with certain brain circuits. Also, there’s a problem with brain chemicals called neurotransmitters not working right.
What Are Brain Circuits?
A circuit is a set of linked parts that work together for a specific function.
A brain circuit is a set of linked neurons.
Neurons are nerve cells in your brain and nervous system. They use electrical pulses and chemical signals to send information to different parts of your brain.
The chemical signals used by neurons are called neurotransmitters.
Problems In The Bipolar Brain
The problems with the bipolar brain are largely due to chemical imbalances. These chemicals are neurotransmitters and they include serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline.
What Is Serotonin?
Serotonin is a key chemical that balances your mood, feelings of well being and happiness.
It allows neurons and other parts of your nervous system to communicate with each other. Serotonin also helps with sleeping, appetite and motor skills.
Lack of serotonin causes feelings of sadness, hopelessness and anger. Also, it leads to fatigue and thoughts of suicide.
What Is Dopamine?
Dopamine is a brain chemical that plays a role in how we feel pleasure.
The brain releases dopamine when you eat food that you crave or while you have sex. This leads to feelings of pleasure as well as satisfaction as part of your reward system.
Bipolar Disorder leads to dopamine imbalance. This may be the reason for overeating and hyper sexuality when you’re feeling manic. Also may explain low motivation when you’re feeling depressed.
What Is Noradrenaline?
Noradrenaline is a big word that’s pronounced “naw.ruh.dreh.nuh.luhn”.
It’s a chemical that produces your body’s “fight of flight” response. It’s your body’s automatic reaction to something perceived as stressful as well as frightening.
The bipolar brain has problems that lead to an overactive fight or flight response. As a result anxiety is a common bipolar symptom.
Here’s a related post, “How To Be High Functioning Bipolar”.
Tips For Helping A Bipolar Brain!
What are some tips for helping a bipolar brain?
Bipolar Disorder is a life long disorder. But if it’s managed the right way you can live a “normal” life.
The most important thing to do is to work with your doctor. It’s not only medication that helps, but also other things as well.
Here are some tips:
Exercise
What’s not to say about exercise?
It helps to keep weight off, boosts energy and also puts the spark back in your sex life.
Exercise also makes brain health better. As a result new connections are made between brain circuits and neurons. This leads to better memory as well as better mood.
There’s a link between exercise and improved bipolar symptoms. It releases the brain chemicals dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. As a result depression gets better.
Changing Diet
Changing your diet helps with being healthy. It not only helps you lose weight, but also keeps you from getting sick.
Eating a healthy diet is good for brain health. For example it helps to eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and fish.
It also helps to avoid processed foods. For example refined sugar, processed meats, alcoholic beverages and fake sweeteners are in processed foods.
Here’s a related post, “B Vitamins For A Better Mind”.
Meditation
Meditation is the practice of focusing on a certain wandering thought. It’s a thought that’s causing you to feel anxious as well as stressed.
There are many forms of meditation including mindfulness meditation and also guided meditation.
Practicing meditation can help you manage bipolar disorder. As a result you disconnect from thoughts that could trigger a mood episode.
Take Some Probiotics
Did you know that the second largest number of nerves in your body is in your gut?
It turns out that 95% of your body’s serotonin is made by gut bacteria. Also, half of your body’s dopamine comes from your gut as well. This not only affects your GI tract, but also your mood.
Taking probiotics helps boost as well as manage serotonin and dopamine. This may help to boost your mood as well as help manage bipolar symptoms.
Products that have the probiotics “Lactobacillus” as well as “Bifidobacterium” appear to help the most. Also, probiotics are found in foods such as yogurt.
Omega-3s
Omega-3s are great for brain health. In fact they are a major building block of the brain.
Benefits of omega-3s include better memory and mood. They help with protecting against brain decline. Also, they help improve brain circuitry by making connections between neurons better.
Foods such as fatty fish have omega-3s and don’t forget about nuts and flex seeds.
You can get omega-3s from food as well as supplements.
Multivitamins
Taking a multivitamin has many benefits.
They help to fill nutritional gaps. There are many under consumed nutrients such as vitamin E and vitamin K. Multivitamins also help restore your body’s supply of very important B vitamins.
The vitamins and minerals found in a daily vitamin help with reducing anxiety as well as stress.
Before you start taking any supplement talk to your doctor first!!
What Do You Do To Help Your Brain?
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