Do you struggle with anxiety? Low levels of serotonin may be your problem. Lack of serotonin is usually at the root of your anxiety and increasing those levels can definitely help reduce it. Certain situations can cause anxiety, serotonin can help you get it under control and even avoid it. Majority of population struggles with anxiety and should be aware of this.
In case you're unfamiliar with the specific functions of serotonin, here's a quick summary.
Serotonin is a chemical the brain releases that derives from an amino acid named: tryptophan. Tryptophan is one of the 10 essential amino acids. It is essential for maintaining your sleep pattern and making sure you have adequate levels of serotonin. It's also needed for general growth and development and producing niacin. A small amount of the tryptophan we get in our diet (about 3%) is converted into niacin (vitamin B3) by the liver. This conversion can help prevent the symptoms associated with niacin deficiency when dietary intake of this vitamin is low. Tryptophan has many benefits; it works as a safe and effective food remedy for insomnia and emotional problems. It's essential for blood clotting and digestive juices. It prevents early aging, with regards to its effects on the eyes, hair, and teeth. However, it's important to note that it is inefficiently utilized in the body, and a large amount of tryptophan is excreted in urine. Serotonin can affect many important aspects like your mood, appetite, sleep, and digestion. It's the precursor for melatonin, which is a sleep-inducing hormone secreted by the pineal gland in response to darkness or low light levels. In recent years, melatonin has gained the reputation as the natural answer to insomnia. Yet the fact that melatonin is made in the pineal gland from serotonin is frequently overlooked. Thus supplemental tryptophan, which is the precursor for serotonin, may induce one’s pineal gland to naturally increase its melatonin production so you can avoid taking supplements or medication. Also, important sleep regulating nerve circuits in the brainstem (the raphe nuclei) use serotonin as their neurotransmitter, so it is unreasonable to expect melatonin alone to provide optimal insomnia relief. A direct approach would be the consumption of warm milk before bed, which seems to be a theory for promoting sleep. However, it's actually a scientifically proven truth. Consuming dairy products before bed can improve your sleep.
Lack of serotonin can contribute to a variety of negative things, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, weight gain or unexplained weight loss, slow growth in children, poor dream recall, insomnia, and poor anger management. Therefore, it's best to keep your serotonin levels regulated. Medication is not always necessary, there are natural ways to go about increasing your serotonin levels. Exercise, exposure to sunlight, and eating certain foods are ways to help increase your body's production of serotonin.
Exercise increases the amount of tryptophan in your brain and the more tryptophan you have, the more serotonin that will be produced. It can also increase the release of other beneficial chemicals in your brain such as: dopamine (which also contributes to improving your mood). So physical activity is definitely a benefit in many ways and something you should include in your daily routine anyway. Something else that has been found to increase levels of serotonin and dopamine in the body is: massage therapy. And it's a stress reliever as well.
The sun is a natural source of vitamin D and can also contribute to the release of serotonin in your brain. So you should be getting your daily dose of sunlight every day, but remember to protect your skin from UV rays which can cause damage.
If your serotonin levels are low, you should be consuming a lot of foods high in tryptophan. You would expect that eating foods high in serotonin would induce serotonin in your body, but that is a mistake many people make. Serotonin is unable to travel from the bloodstream to the brain, unlike tryptophan. Tryptophan is strictly the precursor and you need to fuel your body with it before attempting to increase your serotonin. It's a natural constituent of most protein-based foods. So foods like: bananas, nuts, seeds, tofu, eggs, dark chocolate, and lentils would be key in consuming. And they are generally healthy foods that have other positive effects as well. To help absorption of tryptophan, it is important to consume vitamin B6 and vitamin C (1,000 mg of vitamin C and 100 mg of B6 are required for each 2,000 mg of tryptophan). The ideal diet for mood-boosting is to combine complex carbohydrates and protein, and to spread your meals throughout the day.
Here is a more concentrated list of foods particularly plentiful in tryptophan:
-Oats
-Bananas
-Durians
-Mangoes
-Dried dates
-Nuts
-Seeds (specifically sunflower and pumpkin)
-Sesame
-Chickpeas
-Peanut butter
-Dark chocolate
-Tofu
-Eggs
-Fish
-Hummus
-Lentils
-Milk
-Yogurt
-Cottage cheese
-Whole grains
-Beans
-Rice (preferably whole grain)
Foods especially high in tryptophan:
-Dairy products
-Nuts
-Seeds
-Bananas
-Soy products
-Tuna
-Shellfish
Add some of these on your grocery list!
There's also natural supplements you can take as an alternative. Supplements like St. John's Wort (derived from a natural herb) and L-tryptophan can aid in low serotonin levels; both are available without a prescription. However, be cautious before taking several supplements at once, especially if you're also taking medication. Make sure to consult your doctor beforehand, to avoid any problems. And remember, balance and regulation are important; any excessive intake of a supplement may result in serotonin syndrome. If you are considering taking supplements of tryptophan, you should ensure that you continue to include a good supply of high quality protein foods in your diet as well.
Now for foods that may trigger anxiety/depression (suppress the production of serotonin):
Caffeine has been shown to inhibit levels of serotonin in the brain, which can contribute to depression and irritability. Caffeine is also a diuretic, which means it causes more frequent urination, and even mild dehydration can lead to depression. Caffeine can also contribute to insomnia, which overall leads to stress and anxiety. Getting a good night's sleep is essential for a positive mood.
Sugary foods are something else you might want to limit your intake on. Sugar is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream, which causes an initial high or surge of energy. However, the effect wears off quickly as the body increases its insulin production to remove the sugar from your bloodstream. And then you're just left feeling tired and low.
Alcohol can give the illusion of reducing your stress and anxiety. Unfortunately, the good mood is only temporary. In the long run, alcohol is a depressant. Like caffeine, alcohol is a diuretic, and it's important to stay hydrated for a number of reasons, including mood. If you do drink, remember to drink in moderation. A small glass of wine a day can actually prove to be healthy for you.
It has been scientifically proven that people who mainly consume fried, processed, artificial, and high-fat foods have a 58 percent higher risk of depression than those who consume "whole" foods such as fish and vegetables. Leave the fast food for special ocassions, don't make it a part of your daily diet; that's where the problems come in.
So if you're looking to boost your serotonin levels and improve your mind, body, and mood, then this guide should definitely be useful for you.
Later I will be featuring a segment called: Recipes With Purpose, which focuses on recipes that target specific needs like helping get rid of anxiety and depression naturally.
References:
http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/focus-tryptophan
http://www.livestrong.com/article/99858-benefits-sunlight/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/96493-exercise-brain-neurotransmitters/
http://www.massagetherapy.com/learnmore/benefits.php
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