Serotonin

Serotonin is a vital organic chemical for many vital body functions. The majority of the serotonin found in your body is located in your gut, where it helps to control movement of the intestines. This explains why many people suffering from depression also find it difficult to eat and keep down their food.

It has been well known for some time that a shortage of serotonin in the brain will cause a person to develop clinical depression. This article will provide further details about appropriate serotonin levels, how to gain a serotonin boost, and several natural serotonin supplements.

Serotonin Levels

Appropriate serotonin levels vary from person to person. Some people find their health and mood perfectly fine with lower levels than others. In some cases, increases in serotonin levels beyond what is naturally acceptable for their physiology can cause psychological issues, including thoughts of suicide.

There are a number of difficulties with calculating the appropriate serotonin levels in one individual when compared to another. The best way to find out exactly what your appropriate levels should be is by consulting with a physician.

Gaining a Serotonin Boost

There are several suggested methods for a serotonin boost. One involves changing your diet. Foods rich in protein can prevent some of the basic building blocks of serotonin from entering the brain, where it is produced. This is because there are many other important chemicals in protein rich foods that compete with serotonin’s building blocks when entering the brain.

Carbohydrate-dense meals can help to raise your serotonin levels. It was once joked that the “happy” part of McDonald’s Happy Meals is not the toy, but the French fries (this is a carbohydrate-rich food). This is because carbohydrates cause your blood-sugar level to rise. This causes the absorption of many different amino acids except tryptophan, which is crucial for the production of serotonin.

Increasing the amount of B-6 in your diet is known to help, too, because it helps to increase how quickly tryptophan turns to serotonin.

Natural Serotonin Supplements

There are plenty of natural serotonin supplements like SAMe for example. They don’t flood your body with a blast of serotonin like calcium supplements or B Vitamin complex supplements do. Instead, they provide more of the building blocks needed for your brain to produce serotonin. They can also help to eliminate some of the counteragents responsible for limiting the production of serotonin.

Exercise is also known to be one of the best natural serotonin supplements. By spending just one hour a day performing mild cardio you can help to improve the brains ability to produce and receive serotonin.

It is not understood why this is effective, but clinical studies performed at the University of Texas at Austin have shown this to be a consistent method that provides an immediate boost in mood. Individuals who exercise regularly were found to have lower levels of serotonin if they stopped exercising for one or more days.

Consider finding a serotonin boost through exercise or with other natural serotonin boosters like l-theanine as a depression remedy to elevate your mood and keep depression at bay.