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At Healthfully, we strive to deliver objective content that is accurate and up-to-date. Our team periodically reviews articles in order to ensure content quality. The sources cited below consist of evidence from peer-reviewed journals, prominent medical organizations, academic associations, and government data.
- Environmental Health Perspectives: Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health
- Environmental Health Perspectives: Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health
- British Medical Journal: The Effect of Melatonin on Depression, Anxiety, Cognitive Function and Sleep Disturbances in Patients With Breast Cancer
- British Medical Journal: The Effect of Melatonin on Depression, Anxiety, Cognitive Function and Sleep Disturbances in Patients With Breast Cancer
- Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience: Use of Tryptophan in Combination With Other Antidepressant Treatments: A Review
- Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience: Use of Tryptophan in Combination With Other Antidepressant Treatments: A Review
The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a professional health care provider. Please check with the appropriate physician regarding health questions and concerns. Although we strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information, no guarantee to that effect is made.
Natural Ways to Increase Serotonin
The brain makes several chemicals that relay signals between different nerve cells. One of these chemicals is serotonin, which is derived from an amino acid called tryptophan. Serotonin affects your mood, appetite, sleep and digestion. Low serotonin levels may contribute to depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and poor anger management. While brain serotonin levels can be altered by prescription medications, there are several ways you may be able to increase the serotonin in your brain without drugs. These include exercise, exposure to sunlight and eating certain foods 2.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Getting Physical
Exercise is one way to increase your body's production of serotonin 1. Not only does exercise increase the amount of serotonin released into your brain, but it also increases the amount of tryptophan in your brain, the amino acid that is the precursor of serotonin 1.** As more tryptophan becomes available to your brain, more serotonin will be produced. Exercise also increases the release of other chemicals in your brain such as dopamine, which further contributes to improving your mood.
Bright Lights
How to Replenish Serotonin
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Your outlook is generally more positive on a bright, sunny day than on a rainy, overcast day. One explanation may be that exposure to bright light increases serotonin in your brain. In healthy individuals, sunlight has positive effects on brain serotonin levels and mood.
High-Tryptophan Foods
While you would expect that eating foods containing high levels of serotonin would increase the level of serotonin in your brain, serotonin is unable to travel from the bloodstream into the brain. Tryptophan can get into the brain, however 7. Thus, eating foods high in tryptophan -- such as:
- meats
- bananas
- nuts
- seeds
- tofu
- eggs
- dark chocolate
- lentils -- indirectly increases the amount of serotonin in the brain
A high-carbohydrate diet may improve the transportation of tryptophan into the brain, although this effect may be only short-lived.
Massage Therapy
Does Exercise Release a Chemical in the Brain?
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Massage therapy may be another way to increase your serotonin levels. According to an article published in the October 2005 issue of the “International Journal of Neuroscience,” regular massages in women with prenatal depression improved their mood and increased the amount of serotonin and dopamine found in their urine. While the actual levels of these substances in the brain were not measured, these results suggest that they were increased. Regular massage therapy can also reduce the levels of cortisol -- a stress hormone.
- Massage therapy may be another way to increase your serotonin levels.
- Regular massage therapy can also reduce the levels of cortisol -- a stress hormone.
Natural Supplements
Several natural remedies may increase serotonin levels and improve mood. These include St. John's wort, which is derived from a natural herb, and L-tryptophan. Both are available without a prescription. Prior to taking these supplements, however, talk to your doctor, especially if you're taking any other supplements or medications. St. John’s wort, in particular, may cause:
- problems when used with several medications
- including contraceptives
- anticoagulants
- heart medications
- Several natural remedies may increase serotonin levels and improve mood.
- St. John’s wort, in particular, may cause: * problems when used with several medications
* including contraceptives
* anticoagulants
* heart medications
Related Articles
References
- Medical News Today: What Is Serotonin? What Does Serotonin Do?
- Sports Medicine: Exercise and Brain Neurotransmission
- Jama Psychiatry: Seasonal Variation in Human Brain Serotonin Transporter Binding
- Environmental Health Perspectives: Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health
- British Medical Journal: The Effect of Melatonin on Depression, Anxiety, Cognitive Function and Sleep Disturbances in Patients With Breast Cancer
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Tryptophan
- American Nutrition Association: Focus on Tryptophan
- Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience: Use of Tryptophan in Combination With Other Antidepressant Treatments: A Review
- University of California, Davis, Nutrition Department: St. John's Wort
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Writer Bio
Dr. Terry L. Levin is professor of clinical radiology at a New York childrens hospital where she has been for 15 years. She received her MD from Cornell University Medical Center,completed her radiology residency at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and her fellowship in pediatric radiology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.