10 Quick Tips to Boost Your Serotonin
This week’s Tuesday Ten features simple tips to make your brain hum. You’ll feel so great, you’ll be looking down on Cloud 9.
Before we get to it, a word to the wise about serotonin:
There is quite the plethora of mood-elevating, serotonin-enhancing products and drugs available. If you don’t want to go the Prozac route, there are many excellent natural methods for boosting your mood. Indeed, many studies have shown that natural methods like exercise may be just as effective as traditional drug therapies. (However, in some cases, depression can become so severe, there’s simply no food or supplement that is going to “cure” you. I like to remind my readers that it’s always important to consult an expert before embarking on your own curative adventure.)
But for light cases of the blues, or stressful days, there are plenty of things you can do to elevate that feel-good hormone, serotonin:
10. Avoid the fast track to happiness.
Carbohydrates give you an instant lift because they trigger the release of serotonin. Indeed, I’ve seen several articles lately actually recommend eating a sugary treat to boost your mood and sleep better. Bad advice (see Dr. Weil’s take). Carbs are a quick fix, but they do nothing to stimulate ongoing production of serotonin, which is what you want.
9. Don’t avoid carbs entirely.
Proteins contain tryptophan, a large amino that converts to serotonin in the brain. (I’ll be discussing tryptophan supplements in the future.) Yet relying solely on protein can hamper serotonin production. Though scientists aren’t sure why this is, it makes sense that subsisting entirely on one macro-nutrient might cause problems for brain chemistry.
Tryptophan works best when consumed in conjunction with a small bit of carbohydrate, such as a scoop of brown rice, a handful of nuts, or a few tablespoons of legumes. These complex carbohydrates are essential to helping your brain properly process the tryptophan in protein. Vegetables are also great – and my preference.
8. Eat protein.
Turkey, fish, chicken, cottage cheese, nuts, cheese, eggs, and beans all contain generous levels of tryptophan.
7. Eat fat.
Hormonal processes require essential fatty acids, so don’t shirk your “good fats”. Get plenty of DHA-enhanced eggs and dairy in your diet, and eat fish a few times a week. Good sources are wild salmon, mackerel, and tuna. You vegheads can also nosh on avocados, nuts, flaxseed, vegetable oils (walnut, avocado, almond, flax, olive) and seeds.
6. Take a fish oil supplement!
Though fish oil won’t produce serotonin, essential fatty acids play a vital role in brain health and mood regulation. I recommend Vital Omegas, of course, but there are plenty of good ones on the market. As with most things, you do get what you pay for, so buy the best you can afford.
5. Exercise to feel good.
Exercise is a natural stimulator of many important “mood” hormones, including serotonin and dopamine. Don’t think of exercise as a chore to lose weight or prevent heart disease “someday”. Realize that 15 or 20 minutes of exercise every day will naturally release these feel-good hormones that are so vital to feeling happy and calm. As junior apple Mike A. says, exercise is about feeling good, not just looking good.
4. Avoid the stimulant cycle.
Caffeine, sugar, alcohol. Caffeine, sugar, alcohol. Many of us get trapped in the stimulant cycle. These substances temporarily give you a lift, but actually deplete and blunt valuable hormones in the long run. If you like caffeine, try to limit your java intake to one or two cups a day at the most. The same for alcohol. I recommend avoiding sugar completely.
3. Sleep right.
When we’re feeling down, it’s tempting to sleep, sleep and sleep some more. But quality sleep is far more important than quantity. Force yourself to get up early, but allow for a rejuvenating nap midday if you need it (just don’t exceed one hour). The same goes for stressed-out workaholics getting by on 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night. Find a way to get an extra hour (hey, that sounds like another Tuesday 10 to me!).
2. Investigate supplements wisely.
HTP is a popular supplement, but I personally prefer rhodiola, which actually slows the process of serotonin breakdown (it also has better scientific backing).
1. Boost other hormones!
Oxytocin is another feel good hormone often called the “cuddle hormone”. Oxytocin is released when we feel love, trust and comfort. It can be even more powerful than serotonin. If you need a lift, remember the power of simply spending time with your significant other or family members and friends.
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Technorati Tags: hormones, brain chemistry, depression, anxiety, happiness, Prozac, anti-depressants, oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, rhodiola, natural stress relief, cuddle hormone, caffeine, stimulants, alcohol, sugar, fish oil, exercise, protein, mood
Posted By: Mark Sisson
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one of the highest levels are found in walnuts…..instead of going for Prozac go for walnuts…..natural way to boost up and charge ur mood…..chao!!!
Have one child and five stepchildren..craving walnuts…I guess my body knows best!
Thanks.
There’s also a compound in Walnuts (though I don’t remember what) that actually *reverses* joint damage/deterioration! Great news for everyone, especially the overweight, runners, and those suffering from Arthritis.
Very informative article, and website. Thank you.
Myself (58) and mom (86) have had an ongoing eye issue for years that I cannot seem to get to the bottom of. I do kinesiology and have tested galore to no avail. I got into Hannah Krogers book which led me to my large intestines for myself taking a product called “circuflow” with Aloe vera. Doesn’t seem to totally cure the problem. What direction would you suggest I go?
Thank you
Ellen
yer-it@wizwire.com
Also, there’s a supplement called 5-HTP that aids in serotonin synthesis. It is marketed for those with depression or insomnia, but I have neither of those and take it regularly, and it just generally makes me feel a little better. There are no side effects, doesn’t make you loopy, and I’ve gone for period without it, but its definitely nice to have to enhance your life.
5htp is actually nearly worthless for elevating serotonin in the brain. 5htp is converted in the liver when taken as a supplement and actually just increases levels in your blood stream(very little crosses the blood-brain barrier) which can actually cause heart complications
I tried 5-HTP it realy helps in begining (first 3 days) but then i got contraindications and they were very bad. Caution people!
Good information although it is commonsense. Sometime commonsense does work
Thank you, You’ve helped
Regarding #8
via WebMD
“Protein-rich foods, such as meat or chicken, contain high levels of tryptophans. Tryptophan appears in diary foods, nuts, and fowl. Ironically, however, levels of both tryptophan and serotonin drop after eating a meal packed with protein. Why? According to nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, when you eat a high-protein meal, you “flood the blood with both tryptophan and its competing amino acids,” all fighting for entry into the brain. That means only a small amount of tryptophan gets through — and serotonin levels don’t rise.”
I’ve read that you need to eat carbs as well to make best use of the tryptophan. A carb snack about 2hrs after the protein, will boost the following day.
Much more about serotonin increase I’ve found in this medical journal publication:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077351/
That’s a fascinating National Institute of Health article, thanks. Eating high protein foods like turkey, dairy and eggs don’t result in more seratonin, because high protein among other things, blocks the tryptophan from the brain. It reminds me of how we’re told to eat dairy for calcium, but the high protein diet leaches calcium from the bones. Greens are the best way to get calcium, We know from studying their bones, that prehistoric man got twice the calcium as modern Americans, while eating no dairy at all, they got their calcium from greens. After 36 years of a near-vegan diet, while not taking calcium supplements, now 58, I’ve been told I have perfect bones, although I have all the risk factors for osteoporosis (small frame, light eyes, etc). I did however eat my vegetables.
So, If you want more serotonin, eat tryptophan-rich vegan foods, exercise to fatigue, be grateful and see that part of the glass that’s half full, and get enough bright light, open the shades at home, and get outside for at least 90 minutes a day.
you should really consider changing ur eating habits.every vegan i have ever seen looked very unhealthy.and know of one person who had to be admitted into the hospital for megaloblasitc anemia.
you should try eating meat and dairy for a while i guarauntee! that you will feel,look,and be much much healthier!
You sir are a moron.
I was wondering how you know prehistoric man ate many greens. I don’t remember much of any greens mentioned in bible other than seeds, mustard etc. I was just thinking of this awhile back, when learning our body don’t have some enzymes to break down some foods. It seems to me if we were not create with those enzymes, maybe were not made to eat them? (can’t remember right off, but was some kind of veg) just a quick thought, would like to know for sure.
Hi, alcohol isn’t a stimulant.
I’m sure this commenter is long gone, but alcohol does have stimulant affects as it is being metabolized by the body, although it initially depresses the central nervous system. Alcohol can keep you awake and make you rise earlier than you want/need to.
its why i wake up 3 hours after i booze up and wonder why im up so early.
K so I stick with all these comments and get to yours and I snort laughed good stuff man! Hi lol
Yes it is alcohol is a stimulant… Rum for example is pure decayed sugar and they add sometimes artifical flavors to cover the taste … I dont understand why you say alcohol is a stimulant, NEXT TIME DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE YOU THINK SOMETHING IS DIFFERENT!!!
Sincerly,
Lulu
Hahaha… this is a good one, I’ll recommend this one some of my friends.
When did alcohol become a stimulant? Here I was thinking it was a CNS depressant.
I guess I’ll take the rest of your advice with a grain of salt too.
He only refers to alcohol as a stimulant in that he includes it in the ‘stimulant cycle’, which would hardly be a cycle if it didn’t contain a depressant (as in sugar, alcohol, caffine; up, down, up makes a cycle).
Also, since alcohol depresses a certain part of the brain and boosts inhibition, it is indeed stimulating at low doses.
Haven’t you seen rowdy drunk people ? Drunks get sedated and sleepy when they’ve had too much, but before that it’s pretty stimulating.
I agree.
Now I am a strong advocate for the use of marijuana because it does make people happy when there is little to be happy about. But this completely falls into your segment for number 10, and I think it should be included even if you don’t agree with its use, and perhaps added to the stimulant section as well.
After quitting smoking it took several days to get my emotional state back to its regular level. I had a few emotional out breaks dealing with a very tedious homework assignment that resulted in a broken piece on my desk, hah. Continual use causes NO DEPENDENCY OR ADDICTION, but I will be the first to admit as a emotion altering drug it leaves a hole in the continuity of my happiness, and when I am happy without the drug it is the difference between eating a McDonald’s dollar menu burger and a fat black Angus burger freshly ground at the store.
i used cannabis for years to cope with inner city living. when i moved to the county i stopped needing it. so i stopped smoking. stop the tobacco as well.
now i’m looking for an alternative to ritalin for my adhd son. i wonder if anyone has any info on the use of cannabis for treating adhd?
thanks.
how about homeopathic doses of cannabis? interesting thought, no?
While I didn’t use marijuana with the desired outcome of helping alleviate the stress and frustration of adhd, I found that it happened to be a happy accident. I found that having one tiny toke helped my brain slow down enough to be able to concentrate on one task, rather than being concerned and worried about 19 other things all at the same time, which led to feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to begin, and eventually never getting anything done. I am now 38 and rarely smoke marijuana at all, if ever. If I do, it must be something that gives me more of that “up” buzz, and not something that makes you want to listlessly stare at the tv and make senseless, idiotic comments. Again, I find that extremely small doses are helpful, while also finding my own comments skeptical. Everyone is different and there is no one cure-all for adhd. Overall, when I learned how to keep myself on a regular schedule of sleep, a well balanced diet, and regular exercise regiment, my situation improved across the board, although there are still some days that I need some help and wish I had some pot. Like you, I lived in an inner city environment (still do) and found that smoking marijuana helped filter out the unnecessary and stressful stimulation, allowing me to concentrate on what I wanted to concentrate on and needed to concentrate on. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the city; I still live downtown and love every second of it. I really hope this helps in some way. Growing up, I cannot tell someone without adhd how stressful it can be to a child to want to express their thoughts and have it be on the tip of the tongue or the brain wanting to let you release that thought, and it just won’t. It’s certainly stressful and annoying for the person(s) you’re having a conversation with, but 10 times more so for the person with adhd. I recently ended a recently ended a relationship with a particularly demanding person who could not, and didn’t even want to consider trying to understand, what it was like living with adhd. The day she snapped her fingers in my face because I was distracted by tons of external distractions after having nothing to eat and virtually no sleep, it was over. Also, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to those days of particularly overwhelming bouts of adhd. There are days that can follow a particularly normal schedule of sleep, exercise, diet, etc., and I still wake up feeling confused and lost. Those are the days that I wish I had a little pot around. Maybe it’s the boost in dopamine that helps. My overall concern with keeping it around all the time is that I will use it as a crutch to depend upon.
I appreaxiate your “thoughts” but i personally believe people who need it medically and not people who just do marijauana for fun.BUT AI ALSO BELIEVE THAT no one should be drinking or consuming any kind of drug. these things mess u up!!!
marijuana is addictive! i know many people who go nuts if they cant get their regular dose!
Weed is not physically addictive.look it up. Your friends may have a mental addiction but that it.its in there minds your body does not have withdrawls from weed.
Hmm…. I would have to tell you, first, that any kind of drugs or drinks that can alter (raise) neurotransmittor levels, are considered addictive. If you don’t already know, the good ol’ “THC” in pot will cause your dopamine (neurotransmittor) levels and phenethylamine (neurotransmittor) levels to 4 to 5 fold, at least…. Pot, in my humble….opinion, would be considered physically(chemically)addictive.
No more so than chocolate.
Weed is addictive.
Pot is “non addictive.” Pot help me quit smoking tobacco easily. I smoke Mary Jane twice a year. If I would just have one cegarette through out the hole year, ‘I’d indeed start chain smoking. Marijuana should be sold like alcohol is sold. Scientest has proven that one glass of wing a day is healthy. Scientest also have proven that marijuna has allot of healthy value for the body. It’s proven that alcohol can cause cancer in you’re oropharynx and liver over long period of use. No research has proven that marijuana causes cancer. What I’m trying is to say is that marijuna should be considered a herb that can be baught over the counter. You can buy a powerul stimulant called “pseudoephrine” behind any pharmacy. This drug is designed for sinus releaf. Although, this drug is used for making methamphentamine, which is a powerful stimulant and highly addictive. My question is, “why is marijuna not legalized?”
Great article!
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful and beneficial to your readers
Weed for happiness ? I don’t know about that. I ate psilocibyn mushrooms when I was depressed. That cured me better than anything can. I can just summon happy feelings any time of day I want and bam. Like getting a shot with a vial of happy juice – if such existed. Marijuana can cause mood swings this is true. It is addictive but this is because it is so good. Imagine you were having sex with the most attractive partner. Wouldn’t you get all angry if some one suddenly told you you cannot see them anymore? And you wouldn’t you do almost anything to get back together? People fall in “love” with the high.
I am not a trained professional of course (though this just make me less biased..) so take my words how you will.
I took hydroponic shrooms just over a week ago and now im starting to get depression anxiety and uncontrollable fear over nothing.
This happen to anyone else before? And if so, how long should I expect to feel this effect for a one time use?
There’s no such thing as hydroponic shrooms. Shrooms are a fungus not a plant and therefore cannot grow hydroponically.
Weed will raise your serotonin levels for an hour or 2, but unless you smoke more they gonna drop. The trick is to smoke all day every couple hours, then let your serotonin levels rise back to normal while you sleep, then you’ll always be happy
This happened to me one time after a “bad trip”. it lasted for a couple weeks then I felt normal again. I think it’s just a normal reaction to a heavy event.
Psilocibyn Mushrooms? What does it contains that makes you feel good?
psilocin which mimics the effects of serotonin in the brain
“Weed” has always been far less moody than booze. It wasn’t Beer or Martinis that fueled the Peace movement of the 60′s.
no, and it wasn’t weed either. it was LSD
“It wasn’t Beer or Martinis that fueled the Peace movement of the 60′s.” and it wasn’t “LSD” Firstly it was the draft that sent so many idealistic well-educated teenagers to an immoral war where the public was lied to, but luckily there was an independent free press that kept factual information coming to those who had ears to hear. Secondly, the Vietnamese and the Chinese knew to get the Americans doing Hashish and Heroin, and make them apathetic. How did they know? That’s how the British weakened China, and created a demand for opium in exchange for tea. Starting in the early 1700, and by 1858, the British were bringing 70,000 chests of opium per year into China. It’s estimated that 90% of Chinese adults in coastal regions were opium addicts by the mid 1830s. The Chinese keep trying to outlaw opium, but the British would fight wars over it. There must be something to Karma, now our people are a bunch of oblivious addicts, and the Chinese own our children’s futures. Marijuana’s THC imitates estrogen, and has turned our men into a bunch of psuedo-women. Tryptophan doesn’t turn into serotonin in the presence of high protein such as animal products. It’s just a sedative, with a mild hypnotic effect. Eat a turkey – be a turkey.
Friend of critters, are you fucking kidding me? You’re comparing opium to weed first of all. Second of all you’re trying to say that men in America are feminized by marijuana. What you are too ignorant to figure out is that American men on average are among the biggest in size in the world, height and weight. They are also on average big boned. So to say that our men are turning into women and attributing that to weed is assinine. See people reading this, this commenter, Friend of Critters, does a good job in representing all of the misled, misinformed, mindless brainwashed media fed morons that are screwing over America. They think they know all is right, and they make up “facts” on the spot such as, “Marijuana’s THC imitates estrogen”. Someone has been watching too much Bill O’Reilly. Eat a dick, be a dick. Dick.
Thanks, that’s a new one for me! Any other foods that contains psilocin?
haha you mean psilocybin and its totally illegal. It’s what makes magic mushrooms magic. and magic they are….
Gee, why does the good stuff always get banned…?
you can easily order grow kits and spores as far as I know and grow them yourself^^
are you high right now? Maybe you do need alittle toke now and than will calm that fast thinkin brain of yours. I have a fast thinking brain myself it’s hard for most people to keep up with us. Find a job you can use that skill why waste it keeping it suppressed with any ole thing.. right a book!
Maybe you should use that fast thinking brain of yours to learn basic English grammar and spelling. How do you “right a book?”
Are you aware of what Cannabis even looks like?
Weed is not physically addictive that is a fact! It may be mentally addictive to some people but its all in their minds.
Great article. It puts a lot of information in perspective. I have been working on getting my metabolism revved up, so much so that I have started a blog on the topic. http://getmetabolismsecrets.com
thank you for your article it gives me a lot of information,
weed can be cool and i dont think it is physicaly addictive , but best only to smoke when in the right frame of mind. Smoking when depressed or anxious can sometimes lead to deep thought and depression. As with all drugs for best results start with a posative frame of mind!!!!.
take some ecstacy, it makes your serotonin go crazy. An hour after you have that and some OJ and a cig you’ll be the happiest person alive. THIZZ OR DIE u beezy
condon…”THIZZ OF DIE u beezy”..
Yeah?…You must be a real thug coming from the summit. Seriously?
I don’t get it – this article advocates some grains, legumes and beans. I thought Mark was totally against these things, as they go against primal nutrition?
You know, Mark evolved too. At first he was eating some bread (little, but always…), now he doesn’t
He might have included them for the sake of completeness…
nice article about protein…very informative thx
Good tips for improving mood; however, serotonin does not improve mood any more than cholesterol causes heart disease.
This is another case of mistaking a symptom for a cause. Any psychiatrist will tell you that there is no real understanding of the mechanism of how antidepressants work. Sure, when serotonin increase, mood improves, but there’s no proof whatsoever that the relationship is causal.
Similarly, more cholesterol is associated with heart disease, but there’s no evidence that I’m aware of that supports the idea that cholesterol causes heart disease…
So there’s a 50 50 chance that serotonin actually does improve mood. Therefore you shouldn’t say it doesn’t FOR SURE.
Love this post. I’ve been doing research on tryptophan and its affects on serotonin and sleep.
Thanks for an excellent article. I’m recovering from fibromyalgia (which apparently affects your serotonin levels) and I’ve been looking for natural ways to increase my serotonin levels after I’ve been taking Zoloft without feeling any better.
Does beef not raise serotonin? I like it for the iron – I always feel better when eating a good steak! However, I also eat a lot of those other things, plus exercise, yet sleep horribly, wake up feeling exhausted, and feel depressed (not able to enjoy the good things in my life). Thoughts?
Get tested for sleep apnea. I have the same thing (waking up feeling like you want to die and hating everyone and everything around you for the next few hours)
It turns out I completely stop breathing many times through the night and wake up choking (without having mentally woken up). This leads to disturbed sleep which leads to all the things you mentioned. Hope that helps.
It does sound like Nancy has sleep apnea. It can cause any number of things including heart trouble and stroke. You don’t have to use a CPAP only. You can choose a dental device and get a great night’s sleep. I don’t sell them or own this website but here is some information on them: http://dentalinnovationsva.com
I agree with you about fat–we have to have some in our diets to be happy.
Thanks for a great and informative article.
Excellent article ! My parents are dead, I have almost no family, no family where I live in LA and am single..So I am sure this lack of deeper human connection and the ripping away of those that matter most to me (my parents and to a lesser degree the cats I grew up with) has drastically affected my moods, seratonin, oxycontin and other feel good chemicals..I need to either create more loving connections from non family or move somewhere like Thailand where I won’t feel so lonely and disconnected…