<aside> <img src="/icons/light-bulb_brown.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_brown.svg" width="40px" /> On a physiological level, burnout is a manifestation of (in-part) neurotransmitter dysregulation.

Let's start by understanding what neurotransmitters are:

neurotransmitter noun

A chemical messenger that carries signals (messages) from one nerve cell to another nerve cell, muscle, or gland, encouraging it to "take action". Your body has a vast network of nerves that control everything from your mind to your muscles, included organ functions, meaning neurotransmitters are involved in everything you do, think, and feel.

Similarly, hormones are chemical messengers that are secreted directly into the blood, which carries them to organs and tissues of the body to exert their functions. Some neurotransmitters also act as hormones.

These neurotransmitters are either excitatory (encourage cells to take action), inhibitory (slow down the action taken by cells, like a break peddle), or modulatory (adjust the effects of other messengers by adjusting how the cells communicate at the synapse, which is the connection from one neuron/nerve cell to the next).

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Here's a great summary of 8 key neurotransmitters and their functions: (Source)

<aside> <img src="/icons/light-bulb_brown.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_brown.svg" width="40px" /> When these neurotransmitters aren't regulated this can contribute to the feeling of burnout that you experience. (Source)

And it doesn't stop at burnout; migraines, anxiety, depression, ADHD... all effected, for better or worse, by neurotransmitters.

Your balance of neurotransmitters is effected by not just a consistent survival (fight-or-flight) state, but also over-"excitation" (too much pleasure or fun), caffeine, drugs, alcohol, nicotine, ritalin and other attention-based medication, anti-depressants, the list goes on...

Let's take alcohol as an example:

"Short-term alcohol consumption depresses brain function by altering the balance between inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmission. Specifically, alcohol can act as a depressant by increasing inhibitory neurotransmission, by decreasing excitatory neurotransmission, or through a combination of both."

In layman's terms:

Alcohol increases neurotransmitters that slow down of the action taken by your cells, and decreases neurotransmitters that encourage cells to take action, leading to a depressive, low mood, poorly functioning state.

In the case of over-"excitation", caffeine, drugs... stimulating neurotransmitters can become blocked, exhausted, or depleted, leaving little left for necessary functions.

Nicotine binds to nicotinic receptors in the brain, boosting the release of numerous neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and glutamate. These once again have a limited capacity, with smoking reducing their availability elsehwhere.

In summary: Tampering of neurotransmitters, from a host of different mediums (especially stacked on-top of one-another), alter their ability to carry out necessary functions elsewhere—contributing to burnout.

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