How to INCREASE SEROTONIN naturally

  • Jul 26, 2021
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How to Increase Serotonin Naturally

All of us go through different states of mind throughout our lives, sometimes for reason or without, we feel sadder or sometimes happier and often, we do not know what and how to do to feel best. What we do know is that there is a hormone that is involved in this process: serotonin. This substance is closely related to the control of our emotions and our state of mind, therefore Therefore, having good levels of serotonin will help us to have a greater well-being with ourselves and with what we surrounds. But what can we do to increase it? In this Psychology-Online article we will solve all the doubts in relation to this hormone and we will talk to you about how to increase serotonin naturally in 15 tips.

You may also like: 11 Effective Natural Antidepressants

Index

  1. What is serotonin and what is it for?
  2. Have a good rest
  3. Avoid stress
  4. Practice relaxation and meditation exercises
  5. Do enjoyable activities
  6. Expose to the sun
  7. Doing physical activity
  8. Increase your intake of tryptophan
  9. Avoid coffee and stimulating drinks
  10. Avoid drinking alcohol
  11. Give or receive a massage
  12. Listen to classical music
  13. Take care of the people you love
  14. Think of happy memories
  15. Have a positive mindset
  16. Take care of yourself

What is serotonin and what is it for?

The serotonin It is a chemical that our body produces, specifically in the intestine and in the brain. Act like neurotransmitter, as a messenger in charge of stimulating our nerve cells in order to transmit and process information in the brain. The call '' hormone of happiness '', plays a very important role in our general well-being since, it is responsible for regulating different bodily processes such as those that we expose below:

  • Regulate mood, anxiety, increase happiness and improve mood.
  • Balance libido and sexual function.
  • Control and regulate the appetite.
  • Help vasoconstriction, facilitating blood clotting.
  • Act on bowel movements.
  • Regulate sleep cycles.
  • Protect ourselves against the ingestion of a toxic or spoiled food causing nausea.

Here you will find more information about what is serotonin and the symptoms of low serotonin.

It is very important to have good levels of serotonin in our body since having low levels can trigger serious consequences in our body, such as depression, bad mood, drowsiness, altered sexual desire, impulsive eating, learning difficulties, memory and concentration disorders, irritability... It is for this reason that the following are recommended 15 natural ways to increase serotonin.

Have a good rest.

Rest and sleep between 7 and 9 hours It is very important for a good general functioning since, it helps us to face the day with more vitality, more good humor, to be more positive, in addition to improving concentration, memory and the processes of learning. When we sleep, the serotonin levels of our body are restored, therefore, we must have a good routine that helps us relax. It is recommended to avoid the use of screens, mobile phones and electronic devices before going to bed as they are very stimulating and make it difficult to fall asleep.

Here you will find 15 tips and tricks to get a good and fast sleep.

Avoid stress.

When we experience long periods of stress, our body has a more difficult time producing and synthesizing serotonin and this negatively affects our psychological well-being. Rreduce stress levels and finding moments that bring us calm and tranquility in our daily life are two very important factors to avoid the dysregulation of this hormone.

In the following article you can see simple and practical ways to manage stress.

Practice relaxation and meditation exercises.

Another way to increase serotonin naturally is to practice breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, or mindfulness They can be very beneficial to achieve a state of calm and thus combat and control stress in a healthier way. The implementation of these activities can help to have a more positive spiritual development and increase our happiness.

Do pleasant activities.

Serotonin is a substance that causes pleasant sensations and increases mood. Agree moments of your day to day to carry out activities that bring you pleasure and well-being it could help reduce stress and increase the production of this hormone.

Expose to the sun.

The vitamin D it has a very important effect on the production of serotonin. Sunlight is what provides us with this vitamin since it is synthesized in the skin directly from the sun's rays. Sunbathing, exercising outside, or walking during the day will help you have higher serotonin levels.

Doing physical activity.

Physical exercise, with its antidepressant effect, is one of the most effective activities to increase serotonin production. Dedicate daily between 30 and 45 minutes to physical exercise increases happiness levels and provides benefits both physically and psychologically. Therefore, physical activity is another essential habit to increase serotonin.

Increase your intake of tryptophan.

Can you increase serotonin through diet? Tryptophan is an amino acid that has various functions, such as reducing stress levels, stimulating the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, and assisting in the production of serotonin. Have some healthy eating habits They will help us to generate serotonin and especially, foods that contain tryptophan. The foods with more tryptophan They are:

  • Dark chocolate
  • Red wine
  • Pineapple
  • The tomatoes
  • Low-fat meat
  • Dried fruits
  • The egg
  • Legumes
  • Milk and derivatives
  • Whole grains

These foods are recommended to increase serotonin naturally.

Avoid coffee and stimulating drinks.

Caffeine is a substance that increases the secretion of adrenaline and cortisol, antagonists of the serotonin, therefore, its regular consumption can decrease the production of this substance in the brain and is recommends avoid excessive daily consumption.

Avoid drinking alcohol.

The consumption of alcoholic beverages and mood disorders, such as depression, are frequently related to each other since alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system. It is for this reason that the consumption of this drink reduces the production of serotonin, making the levels lower. Here you can see the effects of alcohol on the brain and nervous system.

Give or receive a massage.

According to various studies, receiving a massage helps reduce stress since, the production of a substance called cortisol, the stress hormone, and relieve pain. Going to a spa or having a massage increases the serotonin levels of our body by having feelings of pleasure, happiness and well-being

Listen to classical music.

Listening to different authors of classical music such as Bach, Chopin, Händel and Haydn, according to various investigations, provoke in us a state of harmonization, calm and well-being that causes the generation of serotonin and therefore, that the levels of this substance increase and we feel better.

Take care of the people you love.

Like your family or friends since, as social human beings that we are, we need to be accepted and feel loved by people. Share moments with the people you love and feeling comfortable with them will make you feel happier, causing a positive impact on your body and brain since, you will help to produce more serotonin.

Think of happy memories.

Reliving happy moments and memories from your past, whether through thoughts or photographs, is a very pleasant activity that can positively improve your mood, making you feel happier and more content when thinking about that moment.

Have a positive mindset.

Another way to increase serotonin is to think optimistically, as it is directly related to lower stress levels. This practice helps improve our quality of life, health and well-being and it is an essential habit for the production of serotonin. Some techniques such as being grateful for all the things we have in our lives, whether they are material or not, to value them and feel lucky or make a list at the end of the day of the good things that have happened to us, help to encourage the positive thinking.

Take care of yourself.

Everything that has been mentioned above is related to taking care of yourself and investing time in yourself and your well-being psychological, such as taking care of your diet, doing sports, doing activities that you like and that give you benefits at the emotional. Stop for a moment to think about you In order to discover skills, tastes and interests, it will make you feel happier and more comfortable with yourself and with your surroundings.

It should be added that, it is recommended that we take into account all the tips shown above since, the more activities do on a regular basis to be happier and to feel better, the better the benefits will be in our physical health and mental.

In the following article we talk about personal and emotional self-care.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to Increase Serotonin Naturally, we recommend that you enter our category of Natural medicine.

Bibliography

  • McIntosh, J. (February 2, 2018). Medical News Today.
  • Niam Laboratories. (September 18, 2019). Liam Laboratories.
  • Peters, M. (February 26, 2016). UC San Diego Health.
  • Puente, A. (2011). Basic and applied contemporary psychology.Madrid: Pyramid Editions.
  • Raypole, C. (April 22, 2019). Healthline.
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