Serotonin is one of the main neurotransmitters, called the hormone of good mood or the hormone of happiness. This hormone is closely related not only to the formation of mood but also to memory, sleep cycle, sexual desire, and eating behavior. With a lack of serotonin, a person becomes sluggish, may overeat, or starve, and is generally prone to depression.
There are many ways to increase serotonin levels naturally without resorting to medications. These methods will help you improve your mental state and become energetic.
6 ways to boost serotonin naturally
1. Eat the right trace elements
It is unnecessary to change anything in your life, like increasing physical activity, to feel a surge of energy from serotonin because it can be obtained with food. To increase the level of serotonin, add the following trace elements to the diet.
Tryptophan
It is an amino acid found in eggs, dairy products, turkey, lean meat, salmon, pineapples, tofu, nuts, and seeds. Let’s say that the high content of tryptophan does not affect the amount of serotonin released, so you can not chase the products that are the richest in this acid. However, if you combine tryptophan with carbohydrates, it will improve the effect.
Vitamins B6 and B12
To convert tryptophan into serotonin, vitamin B6 is required, found in cabbage, bananas, avocados, grains, seeds, and nuts. As for B12, it is found in cheese, fish, and meat.
Magnesium
According to experts, most of humanity, even in countries with a high standard of living, is deficient in magnesium, which worsens the production of serotonin, disrupts the balance of blood pressure, and reduces the efficiency of nerve cells. In addition, magnesium deficiency can cause cramps, cramps, or muscle pain. Many magnesium is found in dark green vegetables, bananas, and fish.
Vitamin C
Many healing properties are attributed to this vitamin, especially for acute respiratory viral infections. Not all of these properties are confirmed by research, but scientists are more or less sure of the effect of this vitamin on serotonin production. In addition, vitamin C slows down the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. Studies show that people with low levels of vitamin C are more likely to experience fatigue and depression. Those who take this trace element regularly feel an improvement in mood after a week.
2. Go for a massage
Massage is one of the most ancient healing procedures, which doctors appreciate even today. A good massage relaxes not only the muscles but also the psyche. Studies have shown that urine and saliva are found after the massage, on average, 31% less cortisol, the stress hormone, and 28 and 31% more serotonin and dopamine. It is not yet clear whether these indicators are related to physical impact or mental relaxation, but it is clear that it works.
3. Take more walks in the fresh air
It’s not so much about the fresh air itself, although it is certainly important as the sun. Studies show that the amount of sun a person receives is related to their serotonin levels. That is why most people reach the most depressive state during the long cloudy seasons when there is a severe lack of sun.
The thing is that under the sun’s rays, the body produces vitamin D, a deficiency observed in almost the entire population of the planet. This vitamin affects the immune system and mood, and if it is not enough, serotonin production worsens.
Serotonin production is most affected by walking in sunny summer weather because the green color surrounding us then positively affects mood.
4. Eat less sugar
Today, the opinion about sugar has changed dramatically, and it is put on the same level as salt, the consumption of which should be minimized. A large amount of sugar can lead to diabetes, obesity, and other health problems, but in this case, we are interested in the effect on mood.
Many have noticed that you want to eat more sweets in a bad mood. This is because the body requires carbohydrates involved in the production of serotonin. The problem is that sugar gives an instant mood boost due to the powerful production of serotonin, but only for a short time. After a short time, a sharp drop in production follows, which leads to a deterioration in mood.
Therefore, to avoid getting into such emotional swings, it is better to reduce the amount of sugar consumed, which causes a kind of dependence. Instead, it would help if you eat healthy carbohydrates.
5. Meditate
If we discard all these spiritual practices and connections with the astral, meditation is quite an effective way to get rid of stress and increase serotonin levels. Research shows that cognitive therapy based on mindfulness (and meditation is one of those) helps to reduce stress and anxiety. In addition, meditation is believed to increase the production of 5-HIAA acid, which is directly related to serotonin.
To meditate, you do not need to go to India and find a guru there with many years of experience in diving into this state. It’s enough to find a quiet, psychologically comfortable place where nothing will distract you, choose the most comfortable body position for you, relax and enter a passive mental state, trying to think about something light, fleeting. If you have restless thoughts, be aware of them, analyze them, and return to calmness.
6. Do physical exercises
Humans are mobile creatures, so evolution has ordered. Without movement, we turn into frail, good-for-nothing creatures who suffer both physically and mentally. If you exercise moderately, exercising, exercising, and so on, this will lead to the release of chemicals that cause well-being, including serotonin. Studies prove that exercise is an effective antidepressant.
Therefore, if you feel stressed and realize that there have been no tides of a good mood for a long time, you can do light running, cycling, swimming, or going to the gym. It does not matter what the load will be; the main thing is that it pleases you and does not carry many health risks. For greater efficiency, it is worth practicing in the fresh air.
7. Exclude any stimulants
You can often hear how people cheer themselves up with a couple of glasses of alcohol or the use of prohibited substances. Indeed, such stimulants affect the increased production of hormones of joy, but only temporarily.
Soon there is a tolerance to these substances, and it takes more and more to feel the mood lift again. The previous doses do not bring joy and drive you into depression and make you feel depressed.
Moreover, even one glass of wine a day affects the deterioration of serotonin production, so there are no permissible doses here. Try to quit bad habits, and you will feel how better you will become. Yes, at first, it will be worse because of the slow return of the body to normal, but then, when the adaptation passes, you will feel the tides of good mood more often, and this will not require external stimulants.
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