After noticing GABA being mentioned in a few videos by author, thinker, and chronic fatigue survivor Howard Bloom, I decided to give it a try. What I’ve noticed is:
- Improved sleep quality (deep sleep, and I remember my dreams),
- Faster workout recovery,
- Feeling less amped up.
I’ve even started to see more color and depth in the world, and have had some intense experiences where the entire area I’m in appears to me as a scene in a film. Rather than focus narrowly on some aspect of existence, I’m experiencing more of it all at once, and people are even saying I’m taking better pictures.
The truth is that I have always run hot – literally. My body temp is always high, and I can’t sleep at night without a fan blowing on me in a cold room. (Since my wife doesn’t like the room cold, I use a Chili Pad mattress topper for my side of the bed.)
When you look around at people in high stress, deadline-driven professions, you see a lot of stressed out people who have heart attacks too soon. You don’t see many optimistic and upbeat filmmakers and journalists, do you? Everyone looks sick, and this is due to an overexcited central nervous system.
For me, de-stressing is a key to life, and I regularly go to saunas to detox and do Wim Hof breathing. GABA is the latest powerful addition to my life-long-while-raising-hell mindset.
- Disclaimer: This is what I do personally. This isn’t advice. Check with your doctor. Read Gorilla Mindset.
Gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is sold as over-the-counter supplement that reduces neuronal excitability. GABA is used by people in high-stress professions to reduce stress. Some people take 500 milligrams throughout the day to mellow out and be more social. I tried this and didn’t notice any results, and had given up on GABA other than as a sleep aid.
Then late one night I watching videos by one of my favorite authors, Howard Bloom. Bloom said he began using high doses of GABA to fight chronic fatigue and for anti-aging purposes.
Bloom is one the most insightful thinkers in America today, and he’s mostly under the radar. When Howard talks, I listen.
I picked up a bottle of GABA and upped my dose. Any reputable supplement company will have GABA, and I generally buy Jarrow and NOW Foods branded supplements.
The first time I took a single dose of 2 grams, I hit the bed hard. It felt like someone tranquilized me, in a good way. I started taking an additional 2 grams on top of the 500 milligram dose that’s in Gorilla Dream.
After a couple of weeks of using 3-5 grams of GABA daily, I noticed my body recovered faster from workouts. This was unexpected as I hadn’t done any research into GABA before trying higher doses. There’s some research indicating that GABA may increase levels of human growth hormone. See, “Growth hormone isoform responses to GABA ingestion at rest and after exercise.”
- It could also be that GABA leads to deeper sleep, thus improving recovery in a mechanism differently from an HGH boost. I’m not interested in a bunch of Internet experts arguing in the comments over this stuff.
I’ve also been more mindful and present.
GABA is not Gabapentin, which Howard Bloom uses and credits with saving a friend’s life.
GABA is an over-the-counter supplement. Gabapentin is a drug. Watch Howard Bloom explain why Gabapentin and GABA work.
You’ve heard of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, But the most miraculous brain elevator of them all may be something no one has ever mentioned tp you. It’s called GABA.
Watch Reverse Your Aging with Howard Bloom.
If you know someone with deep depression or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, please look into Gabapentin.
(Which, again, is different from GABA.)
A lot of people who read my stuff reached out to me once they saw I had been using GABA, as they use Gabapentin in their own lives.
Again, this isn’t medical advice from me or any of the doctors I talked to. And I don’t use Gabapentin, so this isn’t even my first-hand experience. (I’m only sharing what others have told me.)
It breaks my heart when I read about people like Avicii committing suicide. How can we reach people who have a reason to live, when their own brain chemistry is lying to them?
If someone is so low that he or she is willing to die, why not try something else first?
How many suicidal people even know about Gabapentin? How many doctors know people are using it off label to treat depression and anxiety and feelings of low self worth?
Did I notice any side effects from GABA?
My breathing slows down about 30 minutes after taking 3 grams, and my skin would tingle. It feels like a mild niacin flush. Drowsiness hits me hard, and I only take GABA at night. Many sleep aids have a small amount of GABA (around 100 milligrams), which isn’t enough to have an effect on sleepfulness. 250-500 milligrams is better.
What’s the bottom line of GABA?
For me, 500 milligrams is a relaxing sleep aid. Most over the counter sleep aids skimp on the GABA, which is sleazy to do as GABA is an inexpensive ingredient.
Others use GABA throughout the day to become more social and relaxed. That approach doesn’t work for me, and any dose of GABA taken during the day makes me drowsy.
I prefer to take more than 500 milligrams, and take 2-3 additional grams of GABA (Now Foods brand) along with my Gorilla Dream before bed.
GABA has been a game-changer for me, and I suggest others do their own research to decide for themselves if GABA is right for them.