Headaches can feel as if your head has suddenly been hit with a golf ball. There has been quite a bit of research into the answer to the question, “What are brain zaps?” This answer describes them as short and strange phenomena that tend to create a certain amount of discomfort for the individual. The discomfort ranges from mild to severe and is usually of sudden onset. Although medically irrelevant comforting sensations do impact one’s quality of life, and so it lasts, theoretically, for the majority of people and these cases require further research.
What Are Brain Zaps?
Brain zaps are usually described as tiny shocks or anxious buzzes within the head. People tend to feel some form of a crackling din, or a dramatic shift, as if a charge of electricity is dividing through the brain. They tend to occur with a mere fraction of a second; however, the level of power felt is usually disorienting.
Due to the unexplored phenomena, a majority of people tend to feel brain zaps alone. Finding the source of the buzz, however, can assure and reduce that anxious feeling.
The Missing Zaps
Although there is no sufficient answer as to why brain zaps happen, there are cases and research that show the balance of brain zaps is shifting chemically— the neurotransmitters, specifically threonine, are confirmed to play a central role. This shift is actually documented as a Nervous system firing, so it is the electrical sensations that are being felt.
Withdrawal from antidepressants is perhaps the most common association. Any medication that alters the levels of serotonin in the system can irreversibly change chemistry in the brain. Romans report that the brain struggles to readjust when the medication is taken away cold turkey, and that it’s then that the zaps emerge.
Symptoms Associated With Brain Zaps
Alongside the “juice”, there are other symptoms that have been reported more often than the electrical jolt:
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- The sensation of sudden, disorienting confusion
- Tinnitus or buzzing in the ears
- Flashes or scintillations in the visual field
- Out of the strain, feelings of anxiety or panic
Symptoms are of the zaps, and the brain is universal and alarming to most individuals, even with the distinct personal elemental variations.
The Role Of Antidepressant Withdrawal
Most of the cases of the so-called zaps are attributed to the withdrawal from antidepressants, especially the newer classes of drugs such as SSRIs and SNRIs. These are the ‘feel-good’ chemical boosters in our heads. When it is taken away uninterrupted, depleting serotonin is dangerous and can readily cause imbalance.
Disruption of neocortical communication and the sudden deprivation of serotonin signaling with the rest of the body are why zaps are most likely felt. The common practice of ‘slowing down’ and tapering off other medications is more advisable. The physician should always be logging the dosages to help.
Is Medication Necessary for This Condition?
The answer is yes; brain zaps could happen to someone who has never taken an antidepressant. In such circumstances, other elements may be to blame:
- Acute stress
- Inadequate sleep
- Excessive stimulant consumption
- Overactive nervous system
Though zaps are uncommon, other factors demonstrate these episodes are not confined to alterations in medication.
How the Nervous System Is Involved
The nervous system sends messages using electricity. Serotonin and dopamine, along with other neurotransmitters, signal how strongly energised and how quickly the body should react to them. When a lance is lost, the reaction signals are always exponentially exaggerated, resulting in the odd sensation of a zap.
Some scientists theorise that brain zaps are the body’s way of saying something is slightly misfiring in one or more of the electrical junctions of the neural circuits, which is why brain zaps tend to happen during times of brain chemistry changes.
Effect of Brain Zaps on Mental
The feeling of brain zaps is one thing, but the reaction by most to these zaps is often worse. Many people experience the sensation of mental exhaustion, fear of the zaps, worrying about brain zaps, worrying about the health of the brain, and mental fatigue over even mundane tasks.
It is often much more frightening not knowing than it is actually to experience it. Psychological research helps in understanding psychological sensations and helps in eliminating unnecessary misconceptions.
Common Misconceptions
Due to the lack of solid research, there are many misconceptions that go unchecked. Some of these misconceptions include the idea of “brain zaps” causing irreversible damage to the brain or that they are, in fact, the beginning of a seizure. Such claims are wholly unsubstantiated.
It is important to note that while “brain zaps” cause discomfort, there is no serious implication. Also, there is absolutely no comparison to “brain zaps and seizures” since the latter includes the loss of awareness and considerable disorganization of neural activity.
Strategies to Deal with ‘Brain Zaps’
It is possible to reduce the intensity and the number of brain zaps within a time frame.
Gradually Work with the Doctor to Change the Medication
Brain zaps often accompany antidepressant discontinuation. A
A safe technique to avoid these is gradual tapering under the supervision of a doctor. A doctor can adjust the prescription such that the brain is allowed to adapt slowly.
Reduce Sleep Disturbance and Anxiety
Stress and fatigue can increase sensitivity to neural activity. Sleep and relaxation training can help to ease the strain on the nervous system.
Take care of yourself.
Proper hydration, diet, as well as exercise help to improve brain zaps. Also, lessening the intake of caffeine and alcohol can help decrease zaps.
Use Grounding Techniques
When dealing with zaps, concentrating on deep breathing, counting slowly, or noticing one’s surroundings can alleviate panic and restore calm.
Steps You Should Take
While most of the time the causes of brain zaps resolve with time, most especially when caused by withdrawal from medicine, there are instances when they become medically pertinent, such as when these zaps are caused by:
- Occurring multiple times throughout the day without a clear trigger
- Accompanied by intense withdrawal symptoms
- Accompanied by fainting, seizures, or loss of vision
In these cases, you must rule out other neurological conditions by consulting a professional.
Why Does the Zap
How long the brain zap lasts depends on the triggers. After a person withdraws from antidepressants, the brain can continue to zap for weeks, or even months. Stress and fatigue, on the other hand, cause what are brain zaps and may improve as these conditions are alleviated.
Taking the necessary steps to improve one’s lifestyle may result in positive changes. The best of these is most often in the best interests of the person, and as such, patience is key. The nervous system will always appreciate the time taken to rebalance, especially to heal.
How Does it Affect the Mental State?
It is a well-known fact that brain zaps indicate the emotional components left unaddressed. From a more profound view, these pointers serve as a reminder of the importance of seamless integration of different elements in mental health care, be it medication or even the minor components such as lifestyle changes or therapeutic approaches.
Failure to address these issues can result in a setback in the desired outcomes. Creating precise targets for changes to the medication is critical. Discharging a “brain zap” is to forget to put a towel on for a while, and that is not a nice feeling at all. It does add to the abundance of questions and fulfills the definition of a nice zap. The zap is explanation enough. All there is to it is that the zap is not of that amplitude that it causes some agitation and pain.
Steps Toward Relief
The steps, few and deliberate, will go a long way in easing the burden, be it physical or emotional, that comes with a brain zap.
Final Thoughts
Once the clues are pieced together, the gap will be in the execution.
It gets revolutionary enough that all we have to do is go further to be able to add new pages to the book.
At Addiction Free Recovery, we realise how tough managing feelings like these can be. This is why we provide the best support possible to help people manage their mental health and recover.
