Restless Legs, Insomnia and the Hidden Role of Tyramine, Histamine and Stimulants

Gary Moller
Oct 16
6 min read

I feel I am making some important breakthroughs here. I want to share the story of an older man I've been working with, who gave me permission to write about his case. He's still fit and active, but is suffering from restless legs (RLS) and chronic insomnia.

His situation is a great example of how lifestyle, diet, and brain chemistry work together. Small changes can make a big difference. Here, we see the value of testing, but choosing the right one for the right things. We don't just throw a drug or supplement at the problem and hope it works. Test - then prescribe!

The Test Results

We ran an advanced neurotransmitter profile (image above), and the results told a clear story. His nervous system is tipped too far towards stimulation rather than rest. We also completed a hair tissue mineral analysis that guided us to complete this neurotransmitter test to help solve the puzzle.

Serotonin – mid-range, but not high enough to properly offset excitatory drive.
GABA – present, but not abundant. Not enough to quiet a restless system.
Histamine – high-normal. Histamine keeps us alert and blocks melatonin – bad news for sleep.
Norepinephrine (noradrenaline) – high-normal, with elevated metabolites. This is the “fight-or-flight” signal.
Dopamine – adequate, but not robust. Dopamine is central to RLS control.
Tyramine – elevated. This trace amine drives norepinephrine release, fuelling restlessness, agitation and insomnia.

In short: he has a brain chemistry pattern where everything is primed for stimulation, not relaxation.

Both tests and my fees can add up to quite a lot of money. But what is the cost of years of bad sleep on productivity and just the enjoyment of life? And healthy solutions always trump drugs remedies any day - Drugs may give quick, short-term relief but with a huge Faustian cost later.

Coffee, Beer and Red Wine

For years he had 3–5 cups of coffee each morning. That, on top of his already “hot” nervous system, was like petrol on the fire. Stopping coffee was a wise move – and almost immediately reduced some of the agitation.

He also drinks one or two stubbies of beer most nights, and sometimes a glass of red wine. Both are rich in tyramine, which his test shows is already elevated. Beer and wine deliver a one-two punch:

Tyramine and histamine stimulation in the brain.
Alcohol rebound – you may fall asleep quickly, but wake later with restless legs and broken sleep.
Mineral depletion – especially magnesium and zinc, which are vital for dopamine and GABA balance.

This explains why some red wines disturb his sleep more than others. Aged reds are especially high in tyramine and histamine.

It is the classic pattern: stimulants like coffee and tea to start and sustain the day, followed by depressants like alcohol in the evening. This creates the “tired, but wired” state — so wound up by day that the body is exhausted, yet too overstimulated to sleep soundly at night.

A Family Sensitivity?

One fascinating piece of history came up in discussion: his mother never touched caffeine in any form. She instinctively avoided coffee and tea. This raises the possibility of a familial intolerance or sensitivity to caffeine and other stimulants. Some people metabolise caffeine very slowly due to genetic variations in liver enzymes (particularly CYP1A2). For them, even small amounts of caffeine cause jitteriness, anxiety, or disturbed sleep.

When we see both mother and son reacting badly to caffeine, it suggests a deeper inherited trait – one that fits perfectly with his “wired” neurotransmitter profile.

His Sister’s Experience

Adding to this pattern, his sister has struggled with similar issues – restless legs and insomnia. In her case, she found that the drug Gabapentin gave her almost immediate relief. Read this:

https://www.garymoller.com/post/restless-legs-broken-sleep-and-what-gabapentin-is-really-telling-us

This is significant, because Gabapentin works by mimicking GABA’s calming influence and dampening excessive nerve firing. In restless legs, where excitatory drive overwhelms inhibitory balance, Gabapentin can restore calm very quickly.

That response to Gabapentin connects the dots:

Both siblings suffer from RLS and insomnia.
Their mother instinctively avoided caffeine.
The lab profile shows inadequate inhibitory tone (serotonin, GABA) against high excitatory drive (histamine, norepinephrine, tyramine).

This strongly points to a familial sensitivity to stimulants and a relative deficiency in GABA/serotonin balance. Their brains are "wired hot" and easily tipped into restlessness by caffeine, tyramine-rich foods, or stress.

Gabapentin is an emergency chemical "patch" – it plugs the gap by dampening excitatory signalling. But in the long term, we want to achieve the same effect naturally by supporting GABA, serotonin, dopamine, and nutrient balance through diet, lifestyle, and targeted supplementation.

Black Tea and Green Tea

Black tea has less caffeine than coffee, but still enough to interfere with sleep if taken later in the day. Like wine, it also blocks iron absorption – a problem for RLS, where iron is critical for dopamine.

Green tea is a better option. It contains less caffeine and more of the calming amino acid L-theanine, which smooths out the stimulant effect. It’s also rich in antioxidants. But it should be taken in the morning, and between meals rather than with food, to avoid blocking iron.

Tyramine-Rich Foods to Watch

This family’s high tyramine sensitivity explains a lot. Tyramine is found in aged, cured, or fermented foods – the sorts of foods that modern people often eat daily without realising their impact. The main culprits are:

Aged cheeses (cheddar, blue, parmesan).
Cured meats (salami, ham, bacon).
Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, soy sauce, miso).
Smoked or pickled fish.
Alcohol – especially red wine, beer and sherry.
Overripe bananas, avocados, figs.
Fava beans and old leftovers.

Cutting back on these foods can make a remarkable difference to sleep and restless legs.

The Super Smoothie – A Foundation for Repair

One of the tools I recommend – and take myself to every day – is my Super Smoothie. It’s built around nutrient-dense powders and whole foods that provide the raw materials the nervous system needs to balance itself.

For this older man, the smoothie supplies exactly what’s missing, so long as he adds a few other things like a highly bioavailable magnesium, and other key minerals, such as selenium and zinc - plus the B vitamins (I have everything here that is needed, by the way):

Creatine – fuels brain cells, steadies excitability.
L-Carnitine – supports mitochondria and myelin, important for nerve health.
Taurine – calming and neuroprotective.
Glycine – improves sleep quality and calms the nervous system.
Magnesium – relaxes muscles, balances GABA and dopamine.
Blackcurrant powder – rich in vitamin C, quercetin, and proanthocyanidins; powerful antioxidant, helps histamine balance.
Turmeric (curcumin) – anti-inflammatory and calming to the brain.
Protein (from whole dairy, whey, eggs) – provides the amino acids to build serotonin, dopamine, and GABA.

When combined with fresh foods – full-cream dairy, vegetables, whole eggs, quality meat – the smoothie covers the essential nutrient bases for sleep and nervous system repair.

Lifestyle Adjustments

Alongside nutrition, I encouraged him to:

Keep coffee out.
Cut beer down to a few nights a week at most.
Avoid red wine in the evening.
Switch black tea for green tea in the morning.
Eat fresh foods, not aged, cured or fermented.
Support iron, magnesium, zinc, B6, and vitamin C.
Use an evening routine – stretching, magnesium glycinate, red light therapy, calming teas – to quieten the system before bed.

Concluding Observations

This case shows how RLS and insomnia are not random curses of ageing. They are the predictable outcome of an overstimulated nervous system, fed by modern habits – coffee, alcohol, aged foods – and, in this family's case, an inherited sensitivity to stimulants.

The fact that his sister responded so dramatically to Gabapentin highlights the GABA deficit underlying their restless legs and insomnia. Gabapentin is a proof of concept: it works by artificially boosting inhibitory tone. But nature already gives us the tools – in nutrient-dense foods, minerals, and calming practices – to achieve the same effect without drugs.

By changing daily choices and using tools like the Super Smoothie, this older man (and others with the same pattern) can calm restless legs and restore deeper sleep. It’s a body-heal-thyself approach: reduce the drivers, supply the nutrients, and let the nervous system reset.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have restless legs, insomnia, or other health concerns, consult a qualified health professional before making major changes to your diet, supplements, or lifestyle.