Is Anxiety a Chemical Imbalance in the Brain?

by Deborah Maragopoulos FNP | Feb 7, 2023 | Mind/Body, Blog | 0 comments

To answer this question right upfront, yes, anxiety is a chemical imbalance in the brain.

There are multiple neurotransmitters that are responsible for creating anxiety. Firstly, Serotonin helps regulate anxiety, happiness, and moods. High levels of serotonin are associated with anxiety. Secondly, Dopamine also regulates moods and anxiety. High dopamine levels can cause anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and mania. Thirdly, Norepinephrine is responsible for how you react to stress and anxiety, and is associated with the fight-or-flight response. High levels of norepinephrine are also associated with anxiety.

An increase in excitatory glutamate, plus a decrease in calming GABA, have all been implicated in the experience of anxiety disorders.

Your emotional processing brain structures are called the limbic system, which includes the hippocampus, part of the cortex, and communication with the hypothalamus and the amygdala. Your amygdala is your fear center, and will activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to activate your fight or flight response. The anti-anxiety properties of certain drugs tell us that these neuro chemicals are implicated in anxiety disorders.

Your genetics influence the production, metabolism, detoxification, and receptor site activity for all of these neurotransmitters.

And there is new research that suggests that anxiety may be triggered in the gut. As a result, it will trigger the brain. For instance, the hormone cholecystokinin, which triggers the release of bile, is a natural neuropeptide that creates a sense of anxiety. So the gut-brain connection is very important in understanding anxiety.

What’s interesting about anxiety is that it can be controlled by increasing the amount of GABA in the brain. GABA is a calming neurotransmitter that’s produced by the parasympathetic nervous system. And you can induce GABA by taking deep breaths. That’s why meditation, deep breathing exercises, and mindfulness have been very helpful in helping people control their anxiety.

In short, anxiety is a biochemical imbalance in the brain, and if you have any questions regarding anxiety, please join me in our Hormone Support Group. You can access it through my free Hormone Reboot Training.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can your hypothalamus cause weight gain?

Yes. The hypothalamus is the master regulator of metabolism, controlling how your body stores and burns energy through its signaling to the thyroid, adrenals, and pancreas. When the hypothalamus becomes dysregulated by chronic stress, poor sleep, inflammation, or blood sugar instability, it defends a higher weight "set point" — causing the body to hold onto fat regardless of diet or exercise. This makes hypothalamic dysfunction an upstream root cause of stubborn weight gain.

What is a weight set point and why won't mine move?

A weight set point is the body weight your hypothalamus works to defend, calibrated over time by stress, sleep, hormones, and inflammation. When you diet, the hypothalamus perceives scarcity and responds by slowing metabolism, increasing hunger hormones, and suppressing satiety signals to return you to that set point. This is why most people regain lost weight within two to five years of conventional dieting — the set point itself was never recalibrated, only temporarily overridden.

Why do I gain weight under stress even when I'm not eating more?

Chronic stress raises cortisol, which disrupts blood sugar regulation, promotes abdominal fat storage, and signals the hypothalamus that the body is under threat. In survival mode, the hypothalamus defends fat stores and slows metabolism — so weight can increase even without any change in calorie intake. The stress chemistry, not the food, is driving the weight gain, which is why stress reduction is essential to any lasting metabolic reset.

Why do I regain weight after stopping GLP-1 medications?

GLP-1 medications work peripherally on appetite and gastric signaling, but they do not address the underlying hypothalamic dysregulation that sets your defended weight. Because the hypothalamic set point is never recalibrated, the body resumes defending its original weight once the medication stops — leading to significant regain. Long-term success requires restoring hypothalamic regulation so the set point itself lowers, rather than relying on appetite suppression alone.

How long does it take to reset your metabolism?

Genuine metabolic recalibration takes a minimum of 90 days, because the hypothalamus needs consistent signals of safety and sufficiency before it will lower its defended set point. This differs from a diet, which produces temporary suppression the body quickly corrects. A 90-day reset typically moves through three phases: stabilizing stress chemistry (days 1–30), rebuilding metabolic efficiency (days 31–60), and lowering the weight set point (days 61–90).

Why does my thyroid feel slow even though my labs are "normal"?

Under chronic stress, the body converts thyroid hormone into reverse T3, which blocks active thyroid receptors and slows metabolism at the cellular level — even when standard lab values appear normal. This means you can experience genuine symptoms of slow metabolism, such as fatigue, cold intolerance, and brain fog, while your thyroid panel looks unremarkable. Addressing the upstream hypothalamic and stress signaling often improves thyroid conversion and symptoms.

Is stubborn weight gain a willpower problem?

No. Stubborn weight gain is a signaling problem, not a willpower problem. The hypothalamus governs weight through survival mechanisms that operate below conscious control — defending its set point by slowing metabolism and increasing hunger when it perceives threat. No amount of discipline can override this system; lasting change comes from restoring hypothalamic regulation through reduced stress, balanced blood sugar, restorative sleep, and targeted nutritional support.

About the Author - Deborah Maragopoulos FNP

Known as the Hormone Queen®️, I’ve made it my mission to help everyone - no matter their age - balance their hormones, and live the energy and joy their DNA and true destiny desires. See more about me my story here...

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Last Updated: January 24, 2023