How B Vitamins Can Help Improve Your Nerve Health
The human nervous system is quite amazing! It does thousands of sensitive jobs that keep you moving, feeling, perceiving, and safe. Having healthy, functioning nerves makes a difference in how you feel each day–though it’s something we may not think about until there’s a problem. Let’s go behind the scenes and check out what the nervous system does, plus how to take great care of it with a powerful combo of three nerve-supportive vitamins.
What Are B Vitamins?
B Vitamins help your body make energy from the food you eat. They also play a role in red blood cell formation. Deficiency of some B Vitamins can be associated with a certain type of anemia. Each B vitamin has a different function in the human body, but because they often occur together in the same foods and are all water soluble (your body doesn’t store most of them), these nutrients are often grouped together as “the B vitamins.”
Many of us have heard about Vitamin B12 or Folate (B9). There are actually 8 B vitamins in total: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12. Three of these—B1, B6, and B12—are considered “neurotropic” B vitamins. That means they help to maintain the health of your nervous system. This is exactly why some of the best nerve supplements are packed with B1, B6, and B12.
Vitamins for Nervous System Support
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Thiamine is involved with glucose metabolism, the maintenance of nerve membrane function, and the synthesis of neurotransmitters. Most importantly, it helps convert carbohydrates into energy for nerve cells. You can think of Thiamine as fortifying your healthy nerves and fueling neuron activity.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
This active form of B6, also called PLP or P5P, helps break down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, and can help break down homocysteine (an amino acid that is harmful to the body in high amounts). It also supports healthy nerve-to-nerve transmission by creating neurotransmitters, the chemicals that allow nerves to communicate.
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
In addition to helping to form healthy red blood cells, vitamin B12 also helps develop brain and nerve cells. Specifically, it helps build and maintain the myelin sheath surrounding and protecting nerves.
What Is the Nervous System?
The nervous system is often called the “command center” of the body. It is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves that radiate out to every part of the body… kind of like an electrical grid radiating out to every street and home in a city. The nervous system’s role is to control, regulate, and communicate with systems of the body.
The nervous system is divided into the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system contains the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system includes the nerves and ganglia (collections of nerve cells).
From there, the peripheral nervous system divides into the somatic nervous system (SNS) and autonomic nervous system (ANS).
- The SNS controls sensory systems (relaying sounds, sights, and touch to the brain) and voluntary motor systems (like the decision to move your arm or make a facial expression).
- The ANS governs involuntary functions that your body does without having to think—like breathing or hormone secretion. The ANS contains both sympathetic (preparing for fight or flight) and parasympathetic (preparing to rest and digest) divisions.
What Does the Nervous System Do?
The nervous system has a lot of jobs! In a nutshell, the nervous system plays a role in everything you think, do, feel, and even remember.
There are three main functions of the nervous system: sensory, integrative, and motor.
- Sensory: Your nervous system detects things such as temperature, sound, and light from the external environment, and pressure, pH, and carbon dioxide from the world around you.
- Integrative: Sensory input is converted into nerve impulses that are transmitted to the brain. These impulses create what we feel as sensations or perceive as thoughts.
- Motor: The nervous system sends messages to muscles and glands that allow us to perform actions such as running, dancing, and singing.
What Are Common Problems in the Nervous System?
With so many tasks to take care of, things can sometimes go wrong within the nervous system. These can include long-term disorders that have a variety of symptoms.
The nervous system can also start to slow down and experience natural wear and tear through the normal process of aging.
Common Benefits of Vitamin B Supplements
B vitamins have so many roles to play in the body, and deficiencies in any of these vitamins can have significant health consequences. Deficiencies in B12, for example, can inhibit formation of myelin (the protective sheath that insulates nerve fibers).
As noted above, B vitamins help convert food into energy at the cellular level. They also help your body make red blood cells, build neurotransmitters, lower homocysteine, strengthen your immune system, sharpen your cognitive abilities, make DNA, protect nerve cells, and even lower the risk of heart disease.
How Vitamin B Can Impact Nerve Heath
Research shows that supplementation with the combination of vitamins B1, B6, and B12 specifically can help support the health of the peripheral nervous system.* We mentioned that the peripheral nervous system includes nerves that experience sensations and control movement. With recommended amounts of these 3 nutrients, you can support nerve health from head to toe.
It’s important when choosing nerve support supplements to look for those formulated for absorption. When looking to take B12 for building nerve insulation, for example, look for formulas that contain methylcobalamin, which is the methylated form of B12. This is the active form of B12 in the body.
New Chapter®’s Holistic Nerve Health formula delivers fine-tuned levels of high-quality Vitamins B1, B6, and B12 for holistic nerve support. Our 3-in-1 blend nourishes nerve function, enhances nerve communication, and builds nerve insulation.* We choose the vitamin types that work best with the body, and ferment them with beneficial bacteria and whole foods. In addition, our blend is enhanced with complementary organic botanicals including Turmeric, Ginger, and Lion’s Mane mushroom.
Other Natural Ways to Support Your Nervous System
As we have learned, nerve health supplements that deliver recommended amounts of key B Vitamins can effectively support nerve health. But there are other natural ways to support your nervous system.
As with so many areas of health, a healthy and varied diet, moderate and regular physical activity, sleeping well, and staying hydrated can go a long way in maintaining the health of your nervous system. To help activate the parasympathetic nervous system (and reduce anxiety), you can try incorporating meditation into your daily routine, taking a quiet walk in nature, practicing deep breathing or yoga, or getting a massage.
In addition, you can look for supplements that have related benefits. These may include Fish Oil to provide omega-3s for brain support, and Turmeric that helps to support a healthy inflammation response in the whole body, including the nervous system.*
The Bottom Line
The nervous system is such an integral part of who we are. It controls how we think and what we remember. It helps us move our bodies. It beats our heart. It allows us to feel. Your nervous system makes you YOU. One convenient way to support this system is through taking nerve supplements for benefits you can feel–like our very own Holistic Nerve Health blend that’s rich in the key Bs you need. Now that’s wellness, well done!
