So, perhaps tea isn’t your jam.
Or maybe you just need a daytime mind quieter you can still function with. This was the issue I faced, at least, when I was looking for ways to combat the daytime craziness that was my brain during PTA school. Kava was awesome. Holy Basil was awesome. But both needed to be reserved for decompression time. I couldn’t study or listen to a lecture with system full of either. I needed a daytime remedy as well as a bedtime one; because going through school with undiagnosed bipolar II was a harrowing experience. A good deal of the time, I isolated – my episodes rendering me unable to interact, much less partake in a study group of any kind. The entirety of those two years was a struggle. There was a struggle to combat my own mind. There was the struggle to stay awake when the depressive episodes hit. My whole journey to earn my degree was hard won. But something that helped make it easier (aside from copious support from loved ones) was a supplement I discovered along the way:
Suntheanine.
This stuff’s interesting because it’s a natural sedative – but it doesn’t induce sleep.
If you’re going to bed anyway, it can help permit for sleep. However, what it does is level out the brain’s serotonin and dopamine levels. It’s a favorite among bipolar bears like myself because it works both ends of the spectrum. It helps relieve anxiety, yes. But it also lowers cortisol – mitigating mania as well. I remember popping one of these on my way to 8:00 A.M. lecture, when I was speeding on the EZ pass, coursing with cortisol and stressed about the test I was absolutely not ready for. (The one I take is a delicious fruity chewable – not some horse suppository sized Leviathan you hafta gag down.) By the time I arrived to school, though, I was mentally ready.
I was ready to face the day. More tranquil.
And what I wasn’t – was sleepy.
(Not me absolutely slaying the “Oxford Debates” after my magic tablets…)
It was a nice balance.
This stuff still left me awake enough to endure the monotonous morning lecture of “Dr. K.” (who got fired one year too late – right after I graduated – for being an all around terrible person. And perhaps for being a terrible instructor who couldn’t teach her way out of a piece of Kleenex.) The sight of her alone was enough to spike your cortisol. But, equipped with my Sun-theanine, I was ready to deal with all her BS. I was calm enough to process information. Relaxed enough to read exam questions thoroughly. You get the idea. So, what made it different than its night-time cousins I had in my tea cup? Simply put – it’s the amino acid found in green tea leaves. (The same stuff I used to stay awake without getting the coffee jitters.) It’s still an OTC option I champion as a go-to for anyone seeking a quick fix. I just haven’t needed it since starting my all encompassing supplement I can’t shut up about.
Okay, so we’ve covered a couple of non-pharmaceutical options.
But what if you’re not into “taking stuff”?
What if you want even more natural options?
Let’s revisit one we read about as a mood booster – which can also help with bipolar symptoms...