Health and Wellbeing
How to Optimize Your Norepinephrine Levels for Better Physical and Mental Health
Noradrenaline is a neurotransmitter and hormone in the central and peripheral nervous system associated with a stress response to real or perceived threats.
Science and technology open a metaphorical window into our inner bodies and invisible minds, revealing valuable insights that can enhance our physical and emotional well-being, leading to greater life satisfaction and even potential longevity.
One of my writing goals is to introduce neurotransmitters and hormones affecting our physical and mental health, create awareness of their roles, and offer practical tips to optimize them with healthy lifestyle choices based on my research and personal experience in the field.
I have investigated the intricacies of biochemicals in our cognitive system since the mid-1980s. So far, I have introduced dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, acetylcholine, GABA, and adenosine, which play critical roles in the brain.
I also wrote about numerous hormones, such as insulin, glucagon, cortisol, melatonin, adiponectin, leptin, CCK, sex hormones, and growth hormones related to metabolic, endocrine, cellular, immune, and mental health.
In this post, without going into scientific or technical details, I introduce the key points of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter and a hormone that plays a vital role in various neurological, physiological, and psychological processes in the brain, other organs, and the mind.
This biochemical attracted the attention of scientists after Friedrich Stolz von Euler synthesized it in 1904. In between 1957 and 1974, Nobel Laurette American biochemist Julius Axelrod refined the research on norepinephrine and significantly contributed to the body of knowledge.
Now, in 2023, when you check the scientific literature, like from the National Library of Medicine, you will see around 130K medical reports about norepinephrine, just in English. Vast information is great for scientists, pharmacologists, and medical practitioners to create treatment methods or health improvement solutions.
However, digesting this information for the public can be overwhelming. It might even confuse people as these scientific resources are typically written in technical and convoluted language for highly educated people.
Therefore, I distill vital points in this short article, highlighting the critical points to present digestible and useable information for your daily lives. Interested readers might follow the links I provide and delve into details.
My focus in this article is the balance and optimization of norepinephrine via healthy lifestyle choices. But I also create awareness for health conditions at the end of this story.
In some cases, the brain might produce an excessive or deficient amount of norepinephrine due to stress, traumas, medical conditions, medications, and genetic mutations, which require medical input from professionals.
What is norepinephrine, and how is it produced?
Norepinephrine (noradrenaline) is a catecholamine neurotransmitter. It is also classified as a hormone that plays a vital role in various physiological processes in the endocrine and metabolic path, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose metabolism in various organs, including the heart, brain, lungs, pancreas, and liver.
More specifically, norepinephrine, when released into the bloodstream, can increase your heart rate, break down fat molecules, and increase glucose levels. In addition, it regulates attention, mood, stress, sleep, and wakefulness as a neurotransmitter.
Catecholamines are biochemical compounds with a specific structure that are produced and released by the adrenal glands and various brain regions. They are classified as a group of hormones. Other catecholamines are dopamine and epinephrine, which I will cover in another article. Dopamine and norepinephrine are closely related.
As documented in this paper, “norepinephrine is synthesized from the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine. Then this amino acid is converted to L-DOPA by an enzyme called tyrosine hydroxylase. Afterward, L-DOPA is converted to dopamine and subsequently to norepinephrine by enzymes DOPA decarboxylase and dopamine beta-hydroxylase.”
When produced, it is then stored in vesicles for release on demand, controlled by the brain. “The effects of norepinephrine and the related catecholamine, epinephrine, are mediated by the family of adrenoceptors.”
One of the most critical functions from a psychological perspective is its effect on the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis regulating the body’s response to stress.
In addition, norepinephrine plays a critical role in our biological rhythms, such as circadian. It is one of the critical neurotransmitters, waking us up in the morning, increasing our focus, and improving our attention when studying or working.
Norepinephrine has sympathetic and parasympathetic functions. More importantly, abnormal levels of catecholamines are associated with health conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, and psychiatric disorders.
Norepinephrine has some similarities with epinephrine, also called adrenaline. I will cover epinephrine in another article soon. They both play a role in stress response in the body.
Essential Functions and the Compelling Reasons to Optimize Norepinephrine
Like other neurotransmitters, too much or too little of this biochemical can be a problem for the body. Therefore, a balanced and optimized amount is critical for our physical and mental health.
Norepinephrine interacts and works synergistically with other biochemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, acetylcholine, melatonin, GABA, adenosine, cortisol, insulin, glucagon, and adiponectin.
As norepinephrine is linked to other neurotransmitters and balance and causes several biochemical reactions, balancing and optimizing norepinephrine can bring many physiological and psychological benefits. I summarize them in bullet points.
Increased energy and motivation
Improved attention, focus, memory, and learning
Better mood and reduced stress and anxiety
Improved sleep and wakefulness
Increased glucose metabolism and accelerated visceral fat loss
Improved physical performance, libido, and sexual function
Better cardiovascular health, skin health, and immune function
Improved bone density and respiratory function
After understanding the reasons for balancing and optimizing it, I’d like to provide practical tips to improve this vital neurotransmitter via healthy lifestyle choices. Then I briefly touch on medical conditions for awareness.
Natural ways of optimizing Norepinephrine
In this section, I summarize the lifestyle factors that might contribute to balancing and optimizing norepinephrine naturally under seven short subsections.
1 — Get adequate and restorative sleep.
Start with adequate and restorative sleep nightly, as sleep is critical for balancing all neurotransmitters and hormones.
Sleep deprivation can overstimulate the sympathetic nervous system and elevate cortisol levels, leading to the depletion of norepinephrine levels.
2 — Get adequate sunlight.
Sunlight exposure in the morning can reset the body’s internal clock and regulate the release of norepinephrine throughout the day.
Thus, look outside the window by exposing your face to the sun first thing in the morning for a few minutes without directly looking at the sun.
Get enough bright light during the day to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system in the earlier hours.
3 — Move, work out, or dance.
Move the body regularly with chores, in the garden, or outside. Movement can increase the sensitivity of the norepinephrine receptors and stimulate the release from the sympathetic nervous system.
Choose a personalized workout regimen, both cardio and resistance, in the right amount for your fitness level, and practice it regularly by gradually increasing the load and intensity.
If you can, try short-burst exercising like high-intensity interval training (HIIT). In addition, incorporate music into your exercise regimen and try dancing. Exercise can lower cortisol in the long run and prevent the inhibition of norepinephrine release.
4 — Manage stress.
Manage your stress by resting and recovering timely from your workouts. Consider mindfulness practices, especially meditation.
Chronic stress, by over-activating the sympathetic nervous system and elevating cortisol levels, can overconsume norepinephrine and can lead to its depletion.
5 — Accomplish small goals daily.
Achieve small goals throughout the day.
Like dopamine, small physical and mental achievements can also contribute to optimizing neurotransmitters.
Let’s keep in mind that norepinephrine is converted from dopamine.
6 — Expose cold water or air, and try dry saunas.
Expose your body to cold via cold showers, ice baths, or going out in cold weather if you don’t have underlying health conditions.
As excess cold and heat induce significant acute stress on the body, you need to use them gradually and with support from qualified healthcare professionals if you have underlying health conditions.
Cold exposure can dense norepinephrine receptors and stimulate the sympathetic nervous system to produce more norepinephrine. A one-minute cold shower might be challenging in the mornings, but it can give hours of pleasant moments afterward.
In addition, dry saunas can also raise norepinephrine, as indicated in this paper. It might be one of the reasons people feel great after sauna sessions.
7 — Eat whole foods and pay attention to bioavailable proteins.
Get your nutrients and calories from whole foods and lower digestive stress. Digestive stress can overstimulate the sympathetic nervous system and lower norepinephrine levels.
In addition, eat bioavailable proteins, including amino acids like tyrosine and phenylalanine, as they are norepinephrine precursors.
Both animal and plant-based foods include these precursor amino acids. Phenylalanine is essential as the body cannot produce it, but it is not considered an essential amino acid as it can synthesize tyrosine from phenylalanine.
Health Conditions Caused by Imbalance of Norepinephrine
I write this section only for awareness purposes so that if you notice symptoms, you seek help and get your condition treated by qualified healthcare professionals.
Thus, if you have underlying health conditions related to imbalances of these neurotransmitters and these lifestyle factors do not balance and optimize your norepinephrine levels, there are also numerous medications.
These medications and combined treatments can lower or increase the amount of this neurotransmitter based on your needs to treat your condition. The ultimate goal is to balance and optimize them for better health.
As these medications require a prescription from qualified healthcare professionals, if you have symptoms as listed below, you will need to start with your family physician, who might refer you to an endocrinologist, cardiologist, or psychiatrist who can treat abnormalities of norepinephrine levels.
Some conditions require lowering, and some increase the amount of norepinephrine. Common health conditions are hypotension, hypertension, metabolic disorders, allergic reactions, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Excessive or deficient levels of norepinephrine can show different signs and noticeable symptoms. Overall, imbalances can lead to physical and mental health disorders.
Excessive amounts might show symptoms like high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, insomnia, agitation, headaches, stress, anxiety, and addiction.
While a quick surge of norepinephrine from drugs or physical exercise can cause euphoric feelings in some people, it can also lead to panic attacks, raised blood pressure, and hyperactivity in others.
Deficiency might show symptoms like low blood pressure, fatigue, sleepiness, weight gain, attention deficit, depression, and other mood disorders.
Summary and Takeaways
Balancing and optimizing neurotransmitters and hormones can be achieved via healthy lifestyle choices and can improve our physical and mental health.
Optimizing norepinephrine levels might improve your energy, motivation, attention, focus, memory, learning, mood, sleep, libido, respiratory function, immune function, bone density, and cardiovascular and skin health.
Balanced and optimized norepinephrine levels can improve glucose metabolism and fat mobilization, leading to healthy weight management and better body composition.
In addition, you can lower stress, anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders that can improve mental health and overall well-being.
However, in some cases, the brain might produce an excessive or deficient amount of norepinephrine due to stress, traumas, medical conditions, medications, and genetic mutations.
Therefore, getting checked and obtaining timely support from qualified healthcare professionals is vital. These professionals can provide medication or therapies to treat underlying conditions.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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