I’m a connoisseur of nutritional supplements meant to enhance mental health. Mood elevating compounds, natural stimulants, “smart vitamins” – I’ve tried them all. However, I do have a favorite, whose mood elevating properties are too often overlooked. It’s coenzyme q10, also known as CoQ10 or vitamin Q.
Why is coenzyme q10 such an effective all-around mental health enhancer? For one thing, it gives you an increase in real energy. When we’re feeling down and depressed, we’re often acutely aware of how low our energy levels are. Natural stimulants like green tea, guarana, and ginseng can certainly help us feel more energized, but they produce a distinct effect of acting upon us, not from within us. For the length of time they’re circulating in our systems, we’ll most likely feel them pushing us to be more alert, and quicker in our movements, speech, and thought.
Taking a coenzyme q10 supplement provides an altogether different kind of energy boost. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like the energy is coming from within yourself. Metaphysical as that sounds, it actually makes scientific sense, as one of CoQ10′s main functions is to increase energy at the cellular level. It doesn’t simulate the effects of more energy – it actually helps you produce more energy. When I take CoQ10, I feel greatly energized in a way that feels completely natural and calm – no jitters, no increased heartbeat, no sweating or anything remotely like that. What I do feel is more alert, more physically able, and more interested in what’s going on around me. It feels a lot like the energy you get from a good night’s sleep. That feeling goes a long way towards combating the lethargy, brain fog, and general lack of enthusiasm for life many of us associate with feeling down or depressed.
Another way coenzyme q10 helps improve mood is its effect on blood sugar. Frequent spikes and drops in blood sugar can have a devastating effect on mood, taking us from happy highs to plummeting lows seemingly without warning. A number of clinical trials have shown that CoQ10 can have a positive influence on blood sugar levels, encouraging them to remain stable. Of course, eating a healthy diet is a crucial part of the blood sugar equation, and you can’t eat whatever strikes your fancy and expect CoQ10 to act as a get out of nutritional jail free card. However, if your blood sugar levels do tend to be naturally temperamental, CoQ10 may give you an edge in controlling them and any accompanying mood swings.
We tend to think of mood as strictly contingent upon our mental state, which is not altogether true. If we’re in generally good health and our bodies feel fit and able, we’re more likely to feel positive and happy. Coenzyme Q10 promotes good health in a wide variety of ways, including repairing damaged tissue, lowering blood pressure, and controlling cholesterol and blood sugar levels – and those are no small factors in good health. The better you feel, the better your mood is likely to be, and I consider this an oft-overlooked factor as we strive to live as happily as possible.
For these reasons, if I could only choose one pro-mood supplement, it would be CoQ10. If you’ve been feeling down, depressed, or just not as enthused about life as you’d like to be, it may help you out. I’m not a doctor or medical professional, just someone who’s had positive experiences with this supplement. You should check with your doctor before beginning any new nutritional supplement.