How to Increase GABA Naturally, Ranked by Evidence

How to Increase GABA Naturally, Ranked by Evidence

The best human evidence on how to increase GABA naturally comes from yoga. In a small MRS imaging study, one 60-minute session raised brain GABA levels 27% in experienced practitioners (Streeter 2007). Vigorous exercise also raised cortical GABA signals on MRS scans. Meditation, sleep and GABA-rich foods have weaker or conflicting data, and no study shows that eating GABA increases GABA in the brain.

Which Habits Raise Brain GABA?

Source: the PubMed studies listed under Sources; human studies unless marked.

Why Does Yoga Have the Strongest GABA Evidence?

A single yoga session raised brain GABA by 27% in experienced practitioners, while a matched reading session produced no change (Streeter 2007, n=19). That pilot was small and not randomized, but two follow-ups strengthened the case.

In a 12-week randomized trial, yoga three times a week produced greater mood and anxiety improvements than metabolically matched walking. Positive changes correlated with higher thalamic GABA on MRS (Streeter 2010). A third study focused on major depression: participants practiced Iyengar yoga combined with coherent breathing at five breaths per minute. Thalamic GABA rose in the twice-a-week group (n=15), but the increase was not detectable roughly 8 days after the last session. The authors tentatively suggested at least one weekly session to sustain the rise (Streeter 2020).

All three studies share a first author and are small, from 19 people in the 2007 pilot to 34 in the walking trial. Even so, they are the most direct human data linking a single habit to brain GABA measured by MRS.

Does Exercise Increase GABA?

Vigorous exercise raised both GABA and glutamate signals in visual cortex on MRS scans (Maddock 2016). The threshold was at least 80% of predicted maximum heart rate. This is an acute post-workout snapshot, not evidence that habitual exercise permanently raises resting GABA.

GABA and glutamate function as partners: GABA is synthesized from glutamate via the enzyme GAD. Exercise appears to push both neurotransmitters upward temporarily.

Does Meditation Raise GABA?

A meditation session increased a GABA-related brain signal, but the evidence is indirect. In 70 healthy adults, 35 experienced meditators showed a longer cortical silent period after 60 minutes of meditation versus 35 TV-watching controls (P = 0.02). That TMS marker is linked to GABA-B receptor inhibition, but short intracortical inhibition (tied to GABA-A) did not differ (Guglietti 2013). No MRS scan was taken, so calling this a "GABA increase" overstates the finding.

Does Sleep Affect GABA Levels?

Two MRS studies reached opposite conclusions. Winkelman (2008) found GABA nearly 30% lower in 16 people with insomnia versus 16 controls (PubMed). Morgan (2012) found occipital GABA 12% higher in 16 with insomnia versus 17 without, interpreting it as an adaptive response to chronic hyperarousal (PubMed). Both agreed that GABA correlated negatively with time awake after sleep onset. Neither showed that sleeping more raises GABA, but sleep is worth protecting for every other reason. A sleep-hygiene checklist is a practical place to start.

Do GABA-Rich Foods Increase Brain GABA?

Foods contain GABA, but no human study shows that eating them raises GABA in the brain. A 2018 review catalogued concentrations across plants: raw spinach was among the highest at 414 nmol/g dry weight, followed by potato, sweet potato, kale, broccoli, shiitake and chestnut. Sprouted beans and germinated brown rice accumulate more, and white tea led Chinese teas (Briguglio 2018). The review itself noted "there are no significant data on their bioavailability, neuronal/non neuronal effects, or clinical implications."

GABA has long been thought unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, though a 2015 review called the studies on that question "often contradictory" (Boonstra 2015). Whether GABA from food reaches the brain remains unproven.

Fermented Foods and Gut Bacteria

Gut bacteria make GABA. Strandwitz (2019) showed Bacteroides species produce large quantities, with GABA pathways actively expressed in healthy human stool. Fecal Bacteroides correlated negatively with depression-linked brain signatures in people with major depressive disorder (Strandwitz 2019). That is a correlation; two authors founded Holobiome, Inc. In mice, chronic L. rhamnosus changed GABA receptor expression and reduced anxiety behavior, but the effects vanished after vagus nerve transection (Bravo 2011, in mice). The gut-brain axis is real, but no human trial has shown that kimchi, yogurt or kefir raises brain GABA.

What Lowers GABA Signaling?

Alcohol acts on GABA-A receptors. In rats, repeated intermittent alcohol caused GABA-A receptor changes persisting at least 120 days, tied to withdrawal hyperexcitability (Olsen and Liang 2017, in rats). Stopping heavy drinking abruptly can be life-threatening (MedlinePlus). Alcohol is not a GABA strategy.

What About L-Theanine and GABA Pills?

Animal studies suggest L-theanine raises brain GABA (Nathan 2006, animal data). One human trial (200 mg/day, 4 weeks, n=30, placebo-controlled crossover) found improved depression, anxiety and sleep scores, but GABA was not measured, and two authors were employees of Taiyo Kagaku, the L-theanine maker (Hidese 2019). Roon pouches contain 60 mg of L-theanine, under a third of that trial's 200 mg daily dose, and no study has measured brain GABA after either amount. For oral GABA supplements, a systematic review of 14 placebo-controlled trials found limited evidence for stress and very limited evidence for sleep (Hepsomali 2020). For more on supplements, see the GABA supplement guide and the L-theanine vs GABA comparison.

When Should You See a Doctor Instead?

Ongoing anxiety, insomnia or persistent low mood are clinical problems, not GABA deficiencies to self-treat. Do not stop prescribed sleep or anxiety medicines, such as benzodiazepines or Z-drugs, on your own. If you drink heavily and want to quit, consult a clinician first: alcohol withdrawal can become life-threatening (MedlinePlus). Clear vigorous exercise with a doctor if you have a heart condition. Supplements, including L-theanine, can interact with medications.

Related from Roon

• Supplements to Increase GABA
• Does GABA Cross the Blood-Brain Barrier?
• L-Theanine vs GABA: How They Work

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a yoga-related GABA increase last?

In the Streeter 2020 study, the GABA rise appeared when the last yoga session was about 4 days prior but was not detectable at roughly 8 days. The authors tentatively recommended at least one session per week to maintain elevated levels.

Does walking raise GABA the way yoga does?

The Streeter 2010 trial found smaller mood and anxiety gains in the walking group than the yoga group over 12 weeks. The positive correlation between mood improvement and thalamic GABA was seen in the yoga group, not the walkers. Walking has broad health benefits; raising brain GABA on MRS is not yet among them.

Is low GABA the cause of anxiety?

Streeter (2010) notes that GABA-ergic activity is reduced in mood and anxiety disorders, and the yoga studies show correlations between GABA and mood scores. But correlation does not prove causation. If anxiety is affecting daily life, talk to a clinician.

Can you measure your own GABA level?

The studies here used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), a specialized imaging technique in research settings.

Calm Habits, Steadier Afternoons

The habits above (yoga, exercise, sleep) tend toward evening routines that build over weeks. Daytime focus is a different puzzle. Roon is a zero-nicotine caffeine pouch, not a GABA supplement and not a sleep aid. Each pouch pairs 80 mg caffeine with 60 mg L-theanine and 25 mg methylliberine (Dynamine). In a randomized, double-blind crossover PK study (n=12), methylliberine co-administered with caffeine cut oral clearance from 41.9 to 17.1 L/hr and extended caffeine's half-life from 7.2 to 15 hours without raising the peak (study). That trial used 100 mg methylliberine with 150 mg caffeine, about 4x the methylliberine and 1.9x the caffeine in one pouch, so the mechanism points the same direction for Roon but the exact numbers do not transfer. A 15-hour half-life describes how slowly caffeine clears, not how long you feel it; a Roon pouch is designed for a 6 to 8 hour stretch of daytime focus.

To protect the GABA-friendly evening habits above, keep caffeine away from bedtime: allow 8 hours or more between your last pouch and lights out. Roon is from $9.16 per tin on the 12-tin subscription, as little as $0.61 per pouch. See Roon here.

Sources

• Streeter 2007, J Altern Complement Med 13(4):419-26. PubMed
• Streeter 2010, J Altern Complement Med 16(11):1145-52. PubMed
• Streeter 2020, J Altern Complement Med 26(3):190-197. PubMed
• Maddock 2016, J Neurosci 36(8):2449-57. PubMed
• Guglietti 2013, Brain Stimul 6(3):397-402. PubMed
• Winkelman 2008, Sleep 31(11):1499-506. PubMed
• Morgan 2012, Sleep 35(6):807-14. PubMed
• Briguglio 2018, Nutrients 10(5):591. PubMed
• Boonstra 2015, Front Psychol 6:1520. PubMed
• Hepsomali 2020, Front Neurosci 14:923. PubMed
• Strandwitz 2019, Nat Microbiol 4(3):396-403. PubMed
• Bravo 2011, PNAS 108(38):16050-5. PubMed
• Olsen and Liang 2017, Mol Brain 10(1):45. PubMed
• Nathan 2006, J Herb Pharmacother 6(2):21-30. PubMed
• Hidese 2019, Nutrients 11(10):2362. PubMed
• MedlinePlus: Alcohol withdrawal
• Caffeine and Methylliberine: A Human Pharmacokinetic Interaction Study (Journal of Exercise and Nutrition)

Written by Roon Team