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How safe are brain boosters?
If you are someone who always has a lot to do, you are constantly multitasking, you work from sunrise until sunset, in the middle of all of your busyness you will surely require a boost in your energy and your thinking levels.
As a result, you might rely on a lot of energy drinks and brain boosters. As much as all this is beneficial for you, how much danger are you putting yourself in with all these supplements?
Brain boosters, also known as cognitive enhancers or nootropics are defined as drugs used to enhance memory, mental alertness, concentration, energy levels, and wakefulness, according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.
According to the Health publication, nootropics enhance blood, glucose, and oxygen supply, protect the brain from damage, stimulate brain protein production, positively impact stress response, and “increase available amounts of certain neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine or dopamine.”
As suggested by health publications, these are the possible side effects of brain boosters:
Foggy brain: Brain fog is a mental state characterized by a lack of energy, clarity, and focus, often due to brain fatigue, according to Mind Lab Pro. This publication claims that nootropics can cause metabolic imbalances, leading to impaired thinking. “Some nootropics may improve acetylcholine activity but often do so at a rate that disrupts the brain’s natural cholinergic capacity. This demonstrates why many nootropic users stack acetylcholine-boosting choline donors, such as citicoline, by default – supplementing the increase in metabolic activity with increased metabolic fuel.”
Digestion issues: The publication above also states that “Disturbed digestion may contribute to impaired cognition, and vice versa,” since the gut is covered with nerves and neurotransmitter receptors, creating the enteric nervous system, which functions as a kind of “second brain” in the gut.
Insomnia: Database for Brain Effectiveness & Memory claims that certain nootropics, like caffeine and racetams, cause insomnia because of their stimulant effects, which have the potential to disrupt the body’s normal circadian rhythm.
Anxiety: The publication further mentions that cognitive enhancers like stimulants can cause anxiety and jitteriness due to increased levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, linked to the body’s “fight or flight” response.
Also see: A list of immune boosters to get you through the winter
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