Do you know that you are able to feel happiness because of certain chemicals in the brain? Serotonin is one of the chemicals generated in the brain when you feel satisfied or important. What is beauty about this chemical is that it has the ability to boom your feeling. We see some people who are always smiling,no matter what they are going through in life. Their brains are probably making enough serotonin to keep them in a happy state all the time. For those who are not so favoured, this article help you with boosting the serotonin naturally.
IMPORTANCE OF SEROTONIN
What is serotonin? What does serotonin do? Serotonin is a hormone and hormone is your body’s chemical messenger that travels through the body and serotonin is made by your brain, by your gut and it gives you the feelings of happiness. It helps your mood, make you calm, decreases hunger for carbs , helps you focus and it reduces anxiety. If you are deficient in serotonin your mood might be suppressed, you may have depression, anxiety and irritation, lower self- esteem, sleeping problems and even memory loss. Tryptophan is an amino acid that is important for the production of serotonin in the body. It converts to serotonin and it can help build your serotonin levels.
HOW TO INCREASE THE SEROTONINE NATURALLY?
EXERCISE AND YOGA
Exercise can increase serotonin levels in the brain. Studies suggest that regular exercise can increase the amount of tryptophan that can cross the blood- brain barrier. You need not spend hours in the gym or try tough exercises. Basic aerobic exercises would help you increase the needed serotonin. You can do swimming,cycling or hiking with your friends,skating and yoga. The hippocampus is the area responsible for memory retention and learning. Regular exercise has been shown to increase the size of the hippocampus and improve cognitive functions. The immediate effect of the acute exercise is most significant on the body’s affective state. A single bout of exercise can promote positive emotions, suppress negative feelings,reduce the body’s response to stress. And sometimes after intense exercise, induce a euphoric state known as “runner’s high” sensation.
Especially Yoga is great for serotonin.A good yoga session helps your mind stay healthy and keeps your body relaxed. According to the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, serotonin production plays a role in the treatment of depression. It is believed to play a major role in happiness. Yoga is naturally helpful because of its gentle and calming nature. Every asana encourage you to focus on positive images to calm the body and mind.
GETTING SUNLIGHT
Sunlight is food for our cells and without it, our organs cannot work properly. We are becoming an indoor generation. A generation that spends 90% of its life indoor. Nature is being replaced with gadget and sunlight with artificial light. Sunlight has been the biological need for us humans. Sun and vitamin D is not only necessary for making serotonin but also to help convert tryptophan to serotonin. And vitamin D has anti depressive properties. The lack of sunlight is disrupting the natural functioning of our organs. Due to this,we are getting diabetes,PCOD,hormonal imbalance,thyroid, psoriasis and blood pressure. The solution is simple that is from indoor generation , we have to become an outdoor generation. Sunlight is the original medicine that humans have been using for thousands of years.
In our vedic Indian texts it is said that the sun can heal anything. The Gayathri Mantra was sung as a prayer to the Sun god who is called Suryanarayan in our vedas. Surya Namaskar or Sun salutations were done every morning to benefit the body of exercise as well as the Sun. Sunlight makes us feel happier and one will be able to concentrate more on their studies and work. There is a huge connection between the sunlight and mental health. Why cases of depression are increasing? One of the reason is because they are not getting enough sunlight. One excellent technique which will boost serotonin level instantly is performing surya namaskar by facing the sun. If done in a series Surya namaskar is an excellent cardiovascular exercise.
In Germany during the World War 1, sunlight was used to treat war wounds. When soldiers fighting in a war got gunshot wounds instead of using bandage the military doctors exposed to the sun for several hours a day. Sunlight was used as an antiseptic to clean up the wound. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant and a powerful detoxifier.
FOODS
Serotonin is also produced when one eats food which has tryptophan. This includes milk, ragi, pineapple, bananas,cottage cheese, probiotics,dark green and leafy vegetables and nuts. Dark leafy green vegetables- Spinach has a very high content of tryptophan in it. It is also a very good source of iron. Nuts are good source of protein including the amino acid tryptophan. The nuts with the most tryptophan are cashews, pistachios and almonds. Cheese is avery good source of tryptophan. Cottage cheese has the highest content of tryptophan. A lot of people regularly eat bananas and they are good source of serotonin on their own. People who eat them more often may notice that they feel calm or they feel better.
MEDITATION
Practicing meditation regularly even for a few minutes every day can also keep you balanced and joyful as you experience life’s ups and downs. Spiritual practices like meditation can have considerable antidepressant effects due to the associated increase in serotonin and dopamine. If meditation are practiced regularly for 20- 45 minutes once or twice daily produce decreased blood pressure, increase blood flow to the brain and heart, less irritability,anxiety and depression,less frequency and duration of illnesses,improved interpersonal relationships, improved sleep and digestion.
MASSAGE
A relaxing massage preferably given by a family member or your loving one definitely makes you blissful. Massage is one of the most effective and soothing ways for inducing the relaxation response in your body, so you can feel better mentally and physically. Massage therapy is a wonderful way to relieve stress and increase neurotransmitter production of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, the hormones that help you cope with stress. These happy hormones stimulate positive thoughts, happiness and pleasure. Seeking relaxation and remaining positive is important for your mind, and massage is a great way to keep your mental capacity in shape and working well while offering stress-relief.
LAUGHING OUT LOUD AND DOING YOUR FAVOURITE ACTIVITY
Laughing out loud, too triggers the feeling of happiness. Researchers say that laughing not only boom your energy levels and keeps you active but also spike the production of endorphins that naturally helps to bear with pain or stress. It also produces serotonin, which regulates anxiety, happiness and mood. A feeling of great happiness comes when you do any selfless work like seva or volunteering for a good cause. You can also stock up on your serotonin by just doing your favourite activity. If you regularly do activities which bring you pleasure such as dancing, playing music, singing, swimming or even cooking your serotonin increases rapidly. There are other adventure activities like forest bathing, or climbing a mountain where you can just soak in the freshness of nature and breathe fresh air. Automatically you will feel blissful. If you are blessed with a complete faith in a higher reality or god or however you perceive this power also results in a devotional satisfaction that increases serotonin.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that carries messages between nerve cells in your brain and throughout your body. These chemical messages tell your body how to work. Serotonin is known as your body’s natural feel good chemical.When serotonin is at normal levels, you feel emotionally stable,happier and calmer. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and other disorders. The low levels of serotonin may be associated with many health conditions including depression,anxiety,sleep problems,digestive problems,suicidal behaviour,obsessive compulsive disorder,panic disorders and phobias. Proper medication and counselling is important in severe cases .