The Mura blog
Mental health, simply explained
Science-backed, plain-English writing on sleep, mood, nutrition, and the mind-body connection.
Sleep: the most important things, ranked
Most sleep advice is a flat list of twenty tips, which hides the fact that the items differ in effect size by an order of magnitude. Here they are in order, with the reasoning for each placement.
Read →Ibogaine: the biggest addiction interrupter?
For interrupting severe opioid dependence, nothing else works the way ibogaine does. But interruption and long-term survival are different measurements, and the treatments that win each one are not the same.
Read →Can you reset your brain?
Ibogaine comes closer than anything else to what people mean by a neurochemical reboot, and unlike most claims in this space, the mechanisms are partly mapped. Here is what is actually established, what is still rodent work, and what proper screening changes.
Read →Hangxiety: why the morning after feels like dread, and what alcohol does to your gut
The anxiety that arrives with a hangover is not imagined and not just guilt. It is a measurable rebound in brain chemistry. The gut story is real too, but it is smaller than the internet suggests.
Read →“The focus is not on helping people”: what van der Kolk meant, and what we did about it
One of the biggest names in trauma psychiatry made a blunt claim about who mental health care is actually built to serve. It is worth taking seriously, and worth being careful with.
Read →Glyphosate, anxiety and mood: two independent studies, one oddly specific signal
A 2026 study found that glyphosate at legal exposure levels changed behaviour in mice, and proved the gut was the route. An independent human study points at the same narrow target. The reassuring review, meanwhile, was funded by Bayer.
Read →Gluten, zonulin and “leaky gut”: what the research actually shows
The gluten-to-leaky-gut claim rests on real science, then takes a leap the evidence doesn’t support. Including one detail about the standard test that almost nobody mentions.
Read →How psilocybin rewires your brain, and whether the changes last
A single dose of psilocybin can trigger new brain-cell connections within hours. Here's what the neuroscience actually shows about how long that rewiring sticks around.
Read →Trauma is stored in the body, and talk therapy alone isn't always enough
Trauma isn't only a memory to discuss; it's a state your nervous system gets stuck in. That's why, for some people, talking about it doesn't fully resolve it, and what helps.
Read →Psychedelics and treatment-resistant depression: what the trials show
When standard antidepressants keep failing, psilocybin and ketamine are producing striking results in trials, sometimes after a single dose. Here's the evidence, and the caveats.
Read →Ibogaine and the opioid crisis: a controversial last resort for fentanyl
Ibogaine can interrupt opioid dependence and dramatically blunt withdrawal, but it carries serious, sometimes fatal cardiac risks. Why researchers are taking a fresh, careful look for fentanyl.
Read →MDMA-assisted therapy for trauma: revisiting the past, safely
In phase 3 trials, most people with severe PTSD no longer met the diagnostic criteria after MDMA-assisted therapy. Here's how it works, and where it stands with regulators.
Read →How sleep quality directly impacts your mood regulation
New research shows that even mild sleep deprivation reduces emotional resilience by up to 40%, and what you can do about it.
Read →The gut-brain axis: why what you eat shapes how you feel
Your gut produces 95% of your body's serotonin. Understanding this connection is the first step to lasting mood improvement.
Read →CBT techniques you can practice in under 10 minutes a day
Cognitive-behavioral therapy doesn't require a therapist's couch. These science-backed micro-exercises fit into any schedule.
Read →Why 20 minutes of walking outperforms most antidepressants
Meta-analyses of 1,000+ studies confirm: consistent low-intensity movement is one of the most effective mood interventions.
Read →Cold exposure, cortisol, and the stress adaptation curve
Brief cold exposure trains your nervous system to handle stress more gracefully. Here's the mechanism explained simply.
Read →What your heart-rate variability reveals about your stress
HRV is one of the clearest windows into your nervous system. Here's how to read it, and gently train it higher over time.
Read →The 4-7-8 breath: a 90-second reset for acute anxiety
Slow exhales activate the vagus nerve and pull you out of fight-or-flight. A simple, evidence-backed technique you can use anywhere.
Read →Vitamin D, B12 and iron: the deficiencies that mimic depression
Low mood isn't always psychological. These three common deficiencies are routinely mistaken for depression, and they're easy to check.
Read →How EMDR-informed bilateral stimulation calms a stuck memory
Left-right cues gently tax working memory while you hold a difficult thought, softening its emotional charge. The science, made simple.
Read →Magnesium, omega-3 and the supplements with real mood evidence
The shelves are noisy, but a handful of supplements have genuine clinical backing for mood and sleep. Here's what the data actually supports.
Read →Saffron: the spice that rivals antidepressants in clinical trials
Multiple randomised trials found saffron extract as effective as standard SSRIs for mild-to-moderate depression, with fewer side effects. Here's the evidence.
Read →Teens with low iron: nearly 4× more likely to be anxious
In a study of 14,000+ young people, adolescents with iron-deficiency anemia had nearly four times the odds of an anxiety disorder. It takes a simple blood test that most never get.
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