There is a connection between exercise and brain activity. It’s not only common for depressed people to be inactive, I’m pretty sure its universal. Depression decreases brain activity and exercise increases brain activity. The correlation between the two begs the question of which came first in many cases.
The Importance of Exercise:
This step is terribly important. Exercise. There is a connection between exercise and brain activity. It’s not only common for depressed people to be inactive, I’m pretty sure its universal. Depression decreases brain activity and exercise increases brain activity. The correlation between the two begs the question of which came first in many cases. I know that I’ve gone through long periods during and leading up to my deepest periods of depression where my activity level had dropped to almost nothing. During stretches of insomnia & depression I would spend 14 hours in bed trying to sleep and the remainder of the 24-hour period sitting at my computer desk in a fog. Before you say “I know but.” I have to tell you that I understand. It’s a bit simplistic to just say get some exercise. It’s a big ask when you’re not feeling well. So here’s the deal. Incremental progression. I’m asking you to keep a log of your exercise and increase it over time. Start today by going out for a 20-minute walk in your neighborhood. Put on your pajama bottoms & a hoody and just go. Wear dark glasses so the neighbors don’t recognize you and just do it! If you’re already VERY physically active, then you be the judge as to whether you need to make an increase. But for the rest of you, 20-minutes minimum daily. If you’re pushed for time as you progress, walk faster. To be clear though this is not a cardio workout; It’s a brain workout. Your body is made to move and it must do so in order to be healthy. If you can get your kids or a friend to come along with you that would be ideal. A hiking or jogging partner would help too. I want you to increase your activity pretty quickly the first two weeks, but after that, should you choose to go to the gym, or start running, or doing CrossFit, etc. I want you to take it slow and keep track of your progress. I know many people that start going to the gym or running that decide to make BIG changes and end up injured or worn out and just stop. It’s better to make linear progress rather than big dramatic increases followed by a painful injury that keeps you from getting your body moving for brain health. Don’t forget our goal! A happy and productive life! Exercise is a logical step to achieving that goal. This part of the equation was incredibly helpful in reducing my symptoms. A friend invited me to start hiking with him on a regular basis. It may seem a bit counter intuitive, but the effort of pushing myself up a mountain slowed my thoughts and cleared my mind. And at a time when I was going nearly a week at a time without sleep I was physically tired and got some sleep. I’m not suggesting that you need to take five hour hikes for the exercise to make a difference. Just get out and move your body, it will help.
Nutrition & Supplementing for Brain Health:
Exercise always goes hand in hand with nutrition and that just makes sense. But I’m not going to ask you to go on a strict diet. We’re making practical changes in order to achieve our goal. What I really want to touch on are the things you need to add to your dinner plate to feed your brain. Brain and physical health are keystones of good mental health. In order for us to have a healthy brain, we need to give it the right nutrients to do its job. Think of this part as giving a mason a load of bricks, water, and some mortar mix. The higher the quality materials you supply to the mason, the higher the quality of his product. Your body produces brain chemicals that your brain then uses to make new connections and support the health of your current synaptic connections. Your body uses the nutrients that you feed it to keep things working correctly. So what do you need to add to your diet to support brain health? I suggest adding a few of each group of the following:
- Dark leafy Greens, walnuts, & chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are all high in folic acid. Folic acid is a building block of the brain chemical serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter most often associated with depression due to its part in balancing mood. So foods high in folic acid are on the menu.
- Coconut oil & Avocados. Are both high in Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT). MCT’s have been found to help with memory & cognitive function. Coconut oil & avocado are the best source of MCTs so I’d put a little coconut oil in your morning coffee and avocado on your salad.
- Fish oil and flax seed are high in Omega 3 fatty acid, a vital nutrient for maintaining normal neuron function and protecting the brain from damaging inflammation. Fish oils can contain pollutants that collect at that level of the food chain, so ground flax seed is a great alternative. Just sprinkle some on your yogurt or salad and store the bag in the fridge to keep it fresh.
This seems like a good time to bring up fats. Cholesterol has been given a negative reputation for years, but cholesterol is vital to synapse development. So I’m not asking you to go on a high fat (ketogenic) diet, but I am asking you to drop that ultralow fat diet from 1982. Fat does not metabolize in the body as body fat, so some “good” fats in your diet makes sense to support brain health.
Some foods do not work well for some people. I have troubles with wheat. Not gluten necessarily, but anything made from wheat. I don’t know if it’s an allergy or not, but wheat causes havoc for me. One of its effects is inflammation in the gastro intestinal system. The other for me is a general sense of sluggishness & brain fog. I’m mentioning my wheat issue so that you’ll be aware to pay attention to the foods you eat. Keep notes on foods that make you feel sluggish or unwell. Stay away from those foods. Your overall health and well-being can be greatly affected by the foods you eat, or don’t eat. I’ll write more on this subject in the future.
Supplementing your diet:
I’ve put together a list of the things I take and have gotten excellent results from, and a link to high quality brands I’ve used and suggest as well. It’s important to use high quality products. There’s no point in buying cheap brands at the grocery store that are not effective. That’s just throwing money away.
- Multivitamin
- Omega 3 from Fish Oil or from Ground Flax Seed
- Vitamin D3
- Folic Acid (Folate)
- Niacin
- Iodine/Thyroid support
- Protein Powder: I supplement with protein to maximize my exercise. Building more muscle for the effort increases metabolism. An increased metabolism will help you to manage your weight and increase your energy levels. If you’re not a body builder ½ to 1 gram per pound of body weight per day works fine.
Those are the basics for me. I’ll write more on my full regime at some future date.
A word of caution about two common supplements:
I want to touch on a very important point about supplements and depression. While I do support taking supplements that you are well educated on and understand exactly how they work in the body. Taking certain supplements that are on the market and often recommended for a “homeopathic” treatment of depression can be dangerous. More so if you’re taking anti-depressants. Supplements like SAM-e & 5HTP could prove fatal if taken together or using either one with an anti-depressant. Both SAM-e & 5HTP increase serotonin levels in the brain. When you manipulate serotonin in a uncontrolled manner there is a real possibility of over doing it. If your body has far too much serotonin it can cause serotonin syndrome which may be fatal. In Europe SAM-e is a prescription drug and is used to treat depression on par with any other prescription anti-depressant, but here in the United States you can buy it off the shelf in your local health food store. I’m sure that many people have taken them safely, but I just wouldn’t take that risk.
Here’s why. Before I started seeing a doctor for help I was trying to treat my depression by myself. I had searched far and wide looking for something that would help. A book I came across suggested SAM-e & 5HTP. There was no mention that it could be dangerous to take them together. I believe I’d taken them for a month or more before things took a dramatic turn. At first I felt better, but as the serotonin levels raised in my brain my behavior became erratic. I was in a full blown manic episode and totally unaware. I’d decided I was in love with a cute little barista I knew and I was losing weight at an incredible rate. My brain and mouth were moving a mile a minute and I’m sure I seemed very happy to the people around me. But as soon as I was alone I was nearing suicide. I was heartbroken over my love life and lost in anxiety. I had a massive anxiety attack one evening and had to call a friend to deliver me to the emergency room. The doctor didn’t know what SAM-e & HTP were. She’d never come across them before. She left the room and did a little internet research. When she returned she explained that I was basically taking large doses of serotonin. If things had gone on any longer I would have either committed suicide or died of serotonin syndrome. I have had many times were I felt things were so bad that I didn’t want to go on living, but this was different. It was a much closer brush with death. I got help in the nick of time. I don’t want this happening to anyone else.