This morning, I woke up feeling like I shouldn’t bother getting out of bed. My brain felt mushy, my motivation level was somewhere south of nowhere, my eyes were heavy, and, well, you get it. Then I read a post by a wonderful physician friend of mine, Dr. Angela LaSalle.
When I was consulting all over the country, Angela hired me, but what I learned from her was more valuable than anything she got from me. She had figured out how to offer wellness and prevention programs in a health system that was not a suburb of New York City, Los Angeles, or Naples, Florida. In other words, she found legitimate ways to offer programs that I had only been able to make available in affluent areas or through government grants.
Throughout our lives, we have been told that if we just tried harder, thought more clearly, or were more energetic, we could get it done. After a decade in teaching, three in healthcare, and just being alive, it’s become clear to me that a lot of how we feel has less to do with attitude than it does with practical chemistry. It depends more on what we eat, how we move, and how we take care of ourselves.
According to Dr. LaSalle, our brains run on key chemical messengers. When they’re in balance, life feels more manageable, even good. When they’re off, everything can feel harder than it should.
For example, when serotonin levels are good, we feel steady and calm. When they are low, we experience irritability, anxiety, and even trouble sleeping. Our bodies make serotonin from nutrients like tryptophan, found in foods such as turkey, eggs, nuts, and whole grains. Add in a dose of sunlight and some exercise, and your body uses those building blocks more effectively. It is not magic. It is biology.
How about dopamine? The social media bros know all about this one. Dopamine is what gives you those feelings of satisfaction when you finish something or move toward a goal. When dopamine levels are low, we can feel unmotivated or stuck. Protein-rich foods provide the amino acids your brain uses to make dopamine. So do small wins. (Social media likes.) Checking something off your list does actually help positively change your brain chemistry.
GABA is the brain’s brake pedal. It helps calm things down when your system’s overstimulated. Low GABA activity makes us feel anxious, restless, or unable to turn off our thoughts. Deep breathing and even a simple walk can help increase GABA activity. Fermented products and tea may support calming pathways too, even if the GABA in them doesn’t directly cross into the brain.
We’ve all heard that kids can’t focus when they’re hungry. Adults aren’t much different. Norepinephrine is what gives us our alertness and focus. It’s what helps us pay attention and deal with challenges. When our norepinephrine levels are low, we feel foggy or disengaged. When they’re too high, we feel wired or stressed. One of the best ways to regulate this system is exercise.
Memory and learning? That’s acetylcholine. On those days when your brain just doesn’t click, foods like eggs, fish, and leafy greens provide the nutrients your body uses to make it. And for goodness sake, try to stay mentally active. Our brains respond to use.
The brain’s primary learning and memory chemical is glutamate. Too much glutamate can leave you feeling overstimulated or mentally exhausted. That’s why we need sleep, hydration, and a balanced diet to help keep things steady.
Now, here’s the part Angela understood best. These brain functions are influenced day by day, choice by choice. A walk in the morning. A decent breakfast. Enough protein. Some sunlight. Maybe a supplement or two. These small habits and decisions all add up. They can shift your chemistry in positive ways.
What I’ve learned is this: feeling better is about feeding and supporting the system that thinks. When you understand that, you can stop blaming yourself when you have a bad day. And you start asking what your brain needs today.
That’s a question worth answering.
F. Nicholas (Nick) Jacobs, FACHE is a member of the executive committee of the Board of Regents for Southern California University of the Health Sciences. He has served as an officer of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, was a founding officer of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, and served on the boards of Planetree International and the Integrative Health Policy Consortium.
Mr. Jacobs has consulted for Integrative Medical Centers at the Atlantic Health System, Hackensack University Medical Center, Parkview Health System, Cedars Sinai, the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care, and Highlands Hospital in Pennsylvania.
He has served as President of Windber Medical Center and in senior leadership roles for Mercy Medical Center and the Conemaugh Health System. He was President and co-founder of the Windber Research Institute, a genetic research institute and bio-repository. He also founded the Clinical and Translational Genome Research Institute, a Pharmacogenomics research institute now affiliated with Southern California University.
Nick is a consultant for the United States Department of Defense Clinical Breast Care Project and was responsible for creating the Conemaugh Health Foundation, Mercy Healthcare Foundation, and the Laurel Highlands Educational Foundation.
He holds Masters Degrees in Education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and in Public Management-Health Systems Management from Carnegie Mellon University, has completed a certification in Health Systems Management from Harvard University, and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has written two books and is a regular contributor to several publications.
Finally, Nick has spoken at conferences for the Highmark, Cigna, the American Hospital Association, American College of Healthcare Executives, National Cancer Institute, Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, World Health Organization, World Congress on Cardiology, and the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy
A former professional trumpet player and teacher, Nick is the father of two children, has six grandchildren, and lives in Windber and Pittsburgh, PA.
