Did you know that in the animal kingdom, humans are the only ones who will purposely deprive themselves of sleep?
You’ve probably heard quips such as:
“Sleep is for quitters”
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead”
“Sleep is for lazy people”
But the secret is out…people who say these things are very very wrong (and will likely die sooner than those who get more sleep!)
The whole world is getting more anxious by the day. According to recent statistics, up 33.7% of people will be affected by an anxiety disorder during their lifetime [2] and there are currently 264 million people impacted globally [3].
In 2019, the percentage of patients taking anti-anxiety medication was around 10% in females over 45, and around 5% in males, according to Statista.com. And since the pandemic, these rates have skyrocketed. Currently there are 50 million Americans taking mental health medications. This was an increase in 20% in just one year, from 2020 to 2021 according to the CDC.
In today’s article, we will take a look at the different neurotransmitters are involved in the anxiety response.
Yes indeed. They are PONs + pyschoplastogens! Let us explain....
The use of classical psychedelic substances for therapeutic purposes has surged in recent years. Although in its infancy, research has also alluded to the potential benefits of ‘microdosing’ psychedelics for health and wellness, namely by lowering depression, anxiety, and stress as well as enhancing cognitive performance [2].
Today’s article poses the following questions: is it possible for psychedelics to be nootropics? If so, how? And could the neural plasticity-altering effects of these well-known drugs be harnessed to enhance brain function (i.e are they pyschoplastogens)?
But first...what are nootropics again?
Whether in the boardroom, bedroom, on the athletic pitch, hiking Everest, fluffing (google it), or trying to finish an ultramarathon, can we all agree that performance kind of of a big deal?!
Let's talk Performance Optimization Nootropics (PONs)!
In today’s article, we are going to explore the well-known, indispensable, and now kind of infamous neurotransmitter dopamine. As with gamma-aminobutyric acid (or GABA) and serotonin, dopamine can’t cross the blood-brain barrier.
