Getting startled is natural and important, but when it happens too easily or with too exaggerated a response, this could indicate a problem. Here's how to solve it.
30 yrs ago diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse. The criteria for the diagnosis after a Holter moniter test was: female, tall, slim, long fingers, hyperstartle reflex. I take between 6-7 grams of glycine a day divided bwtn meals. I think it helps me with my response time to coworkers coming up behind me- I sit with my back to the main room- I’m more chill now.
Yes I have genetic SNPs that make me have low glycine and Betaine. I’ve always had a strong startle and was always diagnosed with hyperactive reflexes. Ever since I was little if the doctor hits my knee with the little hammer it’s always a strong response. Taking methylated vitamins caused severe reaction almost like my brain was being fried. I was trying to get my nutrition from my diet but I finally gave up since it seems I do need to supplement niacin and N6 which aligns with your article. My serine was also low on a organic acids test, in addition to glycine and Betaine. I do wonder too about lysine. When I took glycine by itself I became agitated. Does taking glycine by itself lower lysine? My lysine was low too on the organic acids. I found symptoms of insomnia etc got better following a diet that said to have a higher lysine to Arginine ratio at each meal. I wonder how the lysine ties in with glycine. Collagen has more arginine than glycine and it seems to throw me off. Anyway this article does describe me.
Thanks, Heidi. Actually I haven't had a single drink in over 20 years, and I've been eating a really healthy diet -- not vegetarian but mostly plants, all home-cooked, organic, pasture raised, wild caught, etc -- for over 10 years, plus taking a few top-of-the-line brand supplements like Garden of Life brand B-complex capsules and sub-lingual B-12, plus D3, K2, etc. I don't eat a lot of any single thing, but on any given day I typically have at least a little bit of over 30 different ingredients (including herbs and spices) on my plate. I first discovered Chris Masterjohn many years ago on westonaprice.org way back before he even got his PhD, and have been "harnessing the power of nutrients" for myself ever since. I'm now 74 years old and not taking a single Big Pharma product, not so much as a stinking baby aspirin, my blood pressure stays around 115/70, my BMI stays around 19, I get plenty of exercise, and I'm healthier today than most 50 year olds. I figure that at the age of 74 today, in just a few years my life will be about half over.
Actually it was specifically Source Naturals brand GABA Calm that I tried when I discovered glycine, which is one of its 4 ingredients and only 50 mg of it which is tiny compared to the 1.5 grams of it that really does the trick for me. I don't know the underlying cause of my tendency to be glycine deficient, probably genetic, but I doubt it's because of some other nutrient deficiency since I have no other symptoms of any kind.
What a wonderful article. I used to have gelatina almost every day and I stopped. That’s when that strange response started. It happens if I’m asleep and someone touches me even if they’re not trying to wake me up. Like to take off my glasses if I feel asleep somewhere. I gasp for air like I’m suffocating and feel like I’m having a heart attack. But I’ve also been struggling with hyperammonemia since the C came around so I had to switch from high protein to high carb to balance the symptoms of hyperammonemia. I will give your recommendations a try and report back 🫡 thank you!
I had an overactive startle reaction when I was at the lowest point of a health crisis in 2014-2016. Loud noises felt like they penetrated my whole being and make my heart jump and my body react. I tried glycine at the time (only 3 g at bedtime) and I didn't notice a change.
What did help was supporting my adrenals. I took Thorne's adrenal cortex extract first thing in the morning (for awhile it was 3 or 4 pills) and within 25 minutes my heart rate would normalize and I wouldn't feel so strung out. I'd take 1-3 right after lunch, since it was believed the effects wore off in 6 hours. I would even take it after dinner sometimes, even though it's supposedly energizing. It actually helped me to regulate my heart rate and calm down the reactions to foods that would show up in the middle of the night. Now I take a pill before hiking as a workaround to get energy because I'm very fit but I can tell I'm not producing energy correctly. I believe I have an energy metabolism issue. Now, if I can just get in to see Chris.... 😁
About 10 years ago I was experimenting with various supplements and stumbled across one that contained GABA, tyrosine, taurine and glycine that seemed to help me feel a bit more relaxed. I then tried taking each of them separately and got no noticeable effect from the GABA, tyrosine or taurine, but when I tried dumping a gram of glycine under my tongue it was like, "Oh my God!" My entire life I had suffered from both an exaggerated startle response and pretty much never-ending physical tension (with nothing psychological like anxiety accompanying it). Twenty years before I discovered glycine I had found that drinking alcohol helped, presumably (I recently learned) because it increases the synaptic sensitivity to whatever glycine was available to serve as a neurotransmitter in the parasympathetic nervous system. But after a blood test my doctor warned me that all the alcohol I was drinking every night after getting home from work was doing a job on my liver, so I stopped that and just learned to put up with the constant tension. I wonder sometimes whether some number of alcoholics might be using alcohol primarily as a self-prescribed medication to treat the symptoms of glycine deficiency the way I did.
Since I discovered glycine I have been taking about 1.5 grams of it under the tongue every night just before going to bed. I sleep better and both the physical tension and exaggerated startle response have completely disappeared. I also make my own bone broth, primarily from chicken's feet, and drink a cup of that every day with a scoop of collagen powder added. It sure does work for me!
I've had a life-long issue with an exaggerated startle response. Ie; It's risky to sneak up behind me to scare me. Even knowing the phone will ring will make me jump/react. Sudden movements by anyone/anything will make me jump/react. Anxious to experiment with the 'glycine' suggestion as a potential remedy. It's physically exhausting to have this reaction.
Glycine in its amino acid for causes me paresthesia, sting and burning in my hands. Doesn't happen with bone broth, but I'd need to be drinking it by the litre to reach 20g. Any thoughts on work arounds?
We respond well to glycine. We started taking magnesium glycinate but figured out it was the glycine that was beneficial. Glycine helps our energy levels and sleep, but has not helped muscle stiffness and pain. Thank you for the dose suggestion, we may try a higher dose.
Hoping we can find supplements that help because diazepam etc is a non-starter for us lol.
Great timing on this post though as we just started glycine a few months ago, and are trying to figure out what might help stiff and painful muscles that do not recover/relax by themselves.
I was startling a lot, but I do have PTSD from 29 years of domestic violence. I did not know that's what caused it. Very enlightening. I don't startle as much now since it's been 9 years since my divorce from my narcissistic personality disorder husband. But I still have nightmares of him attacking me and take Prazosin for it. Wondering if there is a more natural approach for that.
I do find dimethylglycine helpful as a powder Chris, and use about 5 grams in a large beverage that I drink slowly over the day. It makes me feel cheerful, less anxious and irritable which might include jumpiness/startle.
Otherwise cannabinoids are researched/trialed for an overactive or shortened PPI response in autism I think - if you jump even when you know a noise is coming it might be endocannabinoid deficiency. CBD drops today, help with tomorrows sensitivity to noises in my experience with my mother who has Alzheimer's.
30 yrs ago diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse. The criteria for the diagnosis after a Holter moniter test was: female, tall, slim, long fingers, hyperstartle reflex. I take between 6-7 grams of glycine a day divided bwtn meals. I think it helps me with my response time to coworkers coming up behind me- I sit with my back to the main room- I’m more chill now.
Yes I have genetic SNPs that make me have low glycine and Betaine. I’ve always had a strong startle and was always diagnosed with hyperactive reflexes. Ever since I was little if the doctor hits my knee with the little hammer it’s always a strong response. Taking methylated vitamins caused severe reaction almost like my brain was being fried. I was trying to get my nutrition from my diet but I finally gave up since it seems I do need to supplement niacin and N6 which aligns with your article. My serine was also low on a organic acids test, in addition to glycine and Betaine. I do wonder too about lysine. When I took glycine by itself I became agitated. Does taking glycine by itself lower lysine? My lysine was low too on the organic acids. I found symptoms of insomnia etc got better following a diet that said to have a higher lysine to Arginine ratio at each meal. I wonder how the lysine ties in with glycine. Collagen has more arginine than glycine and it seems to throw me off. Anyway this article does describe me.
Thanks, Heidi. Actually I haven't had a single drink in over 20 years, and I've been eating a really healthy diet -- not vegetarian but mostly plants, all home-cooked, organic, pasture raised, wild caught, etc -- for over 10 years, plus taking a few top-of-the-line brand supplements like Garden of Life brand B-complex capsules and sub-lingual B-12, plus D3, K2, etc. I don't eat a lot of any single thing, but on any given day I typically have at least a little bit of over 30 different ingredients (including herbs and spices) on my plate. I first discovered Chris Masterjohn many years ago on westonaprice.org way back before he even got his PhD, and have been "harnessing the power of nutrients" for myself ever since. I'm now 74 years old and not taking a single Big Pharma product, not so much as a stinking baby aspirin, my blood pressure stays around 115/70, my BMI stays around 19, I get plenty of exercise, and I'm healthier today than most 50 year olds. I figure that at the age of 74 today, in just a few years my life will be about half over.
Actually it was specifically Source Naturals brand GABA Calm that I tried when I discovered glycine, which is one of its 4 ingredients and only 50 mg of it which is tiny compared to the 1.5 grams of it that really does the trick for me. I don't know the underlying cause of my tendency to be glycine deficient, probably genetic, but I doubt it's because of some other nutrient deficiency since I have no other symptoms of any kind.
What a wonderful article. I used to have gelatina almost every day and I stopped. That’s when that strange response started. It happens if I’m asleep and someone touches me even if they’re not trying to wake me up. Like to take off my glasses if I feel asleep somewhere. I gasp for air like I’m suffocating and feel like I’m having a heart attack. But I’ve also been struggling with hyperammonemia since the C came around so I had to switch from high protein to high carb to balance the symptoms of hyperammonemia. I will give your recommendations a try and report back 🫡 thank you!
I respond horribly to glycine...hoping B6 will help. Thank you!
Great post!
I had an overactive startle reaction when I was at the lowest point of a health crisis in 2014-2016. Loud noises felt like they penetrated my whole being and make my heart jump and my body react. I tried glycine at the time (only 3 g at bedtime) and I didn't notice a change.
What did help was supporting my adrenals. I took Thorne's adrenal cortex extract first thing in the morning (for awhile it was 3 or 4 pills) and within 25 minutes my heart rate would normalize and I wouldn't feel so strung out. I'd take 1-3 right after lunch, since it was believed the effects wore off in 6 hours. I would even take it after dinner sometimes, even though it's supposedly energizing. It actually helped me to regulate my heart rate and calm down the reactions to foods that would show up in the middle of the night. Now I take a pill before hiking as a workaround to get energy because I'm very fit but I can tell I'm not producing energy correctly. I believe I have an energy metabolism issue. Now, if I can just get in to see Chris.... 😁
About 10 years ago I was experimenting with various supplements and stumbled across one that contained GABA, tyrosine, taurine and glycine that seemed to help me feel a bit more relaxed. I then tried taking each of them separately and got no noticeable effect from the GABA, tyrosine or taurine, but when I tried dumping a gram of glycine under my tongue it was like, "Oh my God!" My entire life I had suffered from both an exaggerated startle response and pretty much never-ending physical tension (with nothing psychological like anxiety accompanying it). Twenty years before I discovered glycine I had found that drinking alcohol helped, presumably (I recently learned) because it increases the synaptic sensitivity to whatever glycine was available to serve as a neurotransmitter in the parasympathetic nervous system. But after a blood test my doctor warned me that all the alcohol I was drinking every night after getting home from work was doing a job on my liver, so I stopped that and just learned to put up with the constant tension. I wonder sometimes whether some number of alcoholics might be using alcohol primarily as a self-prescribed medication to treat the symptoms of glycine deficiency the way I did.
Since I discovered glycine I have been taking about 1.5 grams of it under the tongue every night just before going to bed. I sleep better and both the physical tension and exaggerated startle response have completely disappeared. I also make my own bone broth, primarily from chicken's feet, and drink a cup of that every day with a scoop of collagen powder added. It sure does work for me!
Does anyone know what treats the opposite problem, i.e. inability to startle?
I've had a life-long issue with an exaggerated startle response. Ie; It's risky to sneak up behind me to scare me. Even knowing the phone will ring will make me jump/react. Sudden movements by anyone/anything will make me jump/react. Anxious to experiment with the 'glycine' suggestion as a potential remedy. It's physically exhausting to have this reaction.
Glycine in its amino acid for causes me paresthesia, sting and burning in my hands. Doesn't happen with bone broth, but I'd need to be drinking it by the litre to reach 20g. Any thoughts on work arounds?
Excellent article. To what extent is glycine deficiency associated with glyphosate ubiquity?
We respond well to glycine. We started taking magnesium glycinate but figured out it was the glycine that was beneficial. Glycine helps our energy levels and sleep, but has not helped muscle stiffness and pain. Thank you for the dose suggestion, we may try a higher dose.
We suspect we may have a similar auto-immune disease called Stiff-Person Syndrome. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/stiff-person-syndrome-sps
Hoping we can find supplements that help because diazepam etc is a non-starter for us lol.
Great timing on this post though as we just started glycine a few months ago, and are trying to figure out what might help stiff and painful muscles that do not recover/relax by themselves.
I was startling a lot, but I do have PTSD from 29 years of domestic violence. I did not know that's what caused it. Very enlightening. I don't startle as much now since it's been 9 years since my divorce from my narcissistic personality disorder husband. But I still have nightmares of him attacking me and take Prazosin for it. Wondering if there is a more natural approach for that.
Hi Chris,
Will taking Glycine in higher doses have an effect of blood Ketone and Glucose levels in those of us using a therapeutic ketone diet?
I do find dimethylglycine helpful as a powder Chris, and use about 5 grams in a large beverage that I drink slowly over the day. It makes me feel cheerful, less anxious and irritable which might include jumpiness/startle.
Otherwise cannabinoids are researched/trialed for an overactive or shortened PPI response in autism I think - if you jump even when you know a noise is coming it might be endocannabinoid deficiency. CBD drops today, help with tomorrows sensitivity to noises in my experience with my mother who has Alzheimer's.
post about the prepulse inhibition response and cannabinoids https://open.substack.com/pub/denutrients/p/endocannabinoid-deficiency-and-the?r=os7nw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web