How to Boost Serotonin Naturally and Without Medication?

When do you need to Boost Serotonin Naturally? You need its higher production, when there are signs of lack of interest in life activities along with low mood and depressive episodes. Serotonin Hormone is an amazing chemical messenger produced in your brain that regulates your mood and promotes smooth digestion. Serotonin is an important hormone that works to:

• Promote your memory and learning.
• Regulate your circadian rhythm to promote a quality sleep.
• Promote prosocial behavior and positive feelings.
• Regulate your appetite and satiety.

Researchers are still working to find out a link between your mental health and serotonin levels. Some theories have stated that serotonin production is somehow related to depressive mood disorders or depression. Although the researchers from past years have approved the theory that lower levels of serotonin could be a cause of depression in humans, more research is needed to verify the statement. Most of the experts and research agreed to the point that depression is not only associated with lower production of serotonin but it also depends on your other brain chemicals, genetic factors and environmental factors. However, the overall research results are complex and create a conflict that should be resolved through more authentic research.

This article may help you learn about different methods to improve your mood disorders and relieve symptoms of depression by increasing the serotonin levels potentially and naturally. 

Natural Production of Serotonin

Although serotonin is produced as a neurotransmitter in your brain, in case of lower production of serotonin, you have to get it from other sources. For this purpose, you can try different methods like:

1: From Food

Serotonin can be gotten from the food directly. But food provides you a specific amino acid known as tryptophan that is further converted into serotonin in your brain. High protein foods contain a rich amount of Tryptophan. The high protein foods you can eat to get tryptophan include:

• Tofu.
• Salmon.
• Turkey.

Eating tryptophan-rich food to convert it into serotonin is a complex method. But blood-brain-barrier type things are a blessing for you  because the protective sheaths around your brain controls the movement of materials in and out of your brain.

In short, foods containing tryptophan in high amounts also are rich in other types of amino acids that are not necessarily required by your body or brain. As the other amino acids are in abundance in these foods, these amino acids are more likely to get through the blood-brain barrier than tryptophan. So it is important to eat food carefully to get tryptophan. Choose the foods that provide you more tryptophan than other amino acids. 

According to recent research, when you eat insulin-raising carbs and foods that are also rich in tryptophan, you can easily produce more tryptophan in your brain. Researchers explained in a research article that taking 30-35 grams of carbohydrates everyday can help increase the pure form of serotonin in your brain.

Studies also have provided an authentic list of some snacks to improve your tryptophan intake on daily basis:

• Oatmeal with a good amount of dry nuts.
• Pretzels stick with a glass of whole milk and peanut butter.
• Pineapple and plums with a handful of your favorite crackers.
• Brown rice with salmon.
• Turkey with cheese and whole-wheat bread.

2: Get More Exercise

Exercise is another effective way to release a good amount of tryptophan into your blood. It also regulates the amount of the amino acids in your blood. In this way more tryptophan reaches your brain cells. 

But the question is, what type of exercise is suitable for maintaining moderate levels of tryptophan and serotonin in your body. The best answer given by the experts is Aerobic exercise. Yes, this type of exercise is associated with several beneficial impacts on your health including the release of more serotonin naturally. So, if you’re fond of dancing, get ready to try it for your health benefits. The main goal of attending a dance class or going back to your old roller skates is to get your heart rate up. Increased heart rate is linked with higher production of serotonin naturally without medication.

More options for aerobic exercise include:

• Brisk walking.
• Bicycling.
• Light hiking.
• Jigging.
• Swimming.

3: Increase the Light Exposure

The research exposed that serotonin production naturally without medication is also linked with the exposure to natural light. This is the reason that your serotonin release rate becomes slower in winter and gets higher in summer but it’s true for the people living in cold regions of the world. Because too much hot weather doesn’t help in increasing the release of serotonin. 

Research has explained that serotonin is a mood impacting hormone. Therefore, its presence or absence affects your mental health. It also plays a role in the occurrence of seasonal affective disorder. However there are more heart concerns related to the season change. 

So, when you spend more time while exposed to sunlight, you indirectly increase the serotonin levels. This idea confirms the theory that your skin actually synthesizes serotonin. 

To enhance the ability of your skin related to serotonin production naturally without meditation, you should:

• Perform some exercises outside to get more sunlight that may boost your serotonin levels.
• Spend at least 20-30 minutes outside each day.
• Never forget to apply sunscreen while going outside for more sunlight exposure.

People who live in a rainy area, cannot get more chances to get outside. Therefore they often have a high rate of skin related diseases like cancer etc. so, if you’re one of them, try to avoid this compilation and use light therapy box to get a bright light exposure. 

In addition, people with bipolar disorder are not allowed to use light therapy books without talking to their healthcare professionals because using the box incorrectly or for a longer duration can trigger manic anxiety in people.

In a nut shell, spending time with nature is the most effective way to increase serotonin production naturally without medication.

4: Add Certain Supplements to Your Diet

Dietary supplements are also recommended to help release more serotonin by giving a boost to production of tryptophan. However, never try to add a supplement to your diet without talking to your healthcare professional because sometimes, these supplements interact with other medications  and cause side effects.

So, if you are already taking some medications or remedies to improve serotonin levels, like antidepressants, you are not allowed to add more supplements without a prescription from a specialist doctor. Research shows that the uncontrolled release of serotonin can cause serotonin syndrome that becomes life-threatening if not treated on time. So, whenever you make a plan to replace antidepressants with supplements, visit your doctor to have a detailed discussion about this step. They may guide you properly about the consequences of abrupt stopping of antidepressants.

However, the most important thing is to remind yourself that antidepressants are not approved by the Food and Health departments of any country. So, always use the prescribed one and always read the table so that you may not raise the limit of recommended dosage.

5: Try Message Therapy

Many mood-boosting neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin are released during massage. Massage therapy is also recommended to lower the levels of stress hormone (cortisol). This hormone is released in your body when you are triggered by a stressed situation. 

According to studies, massage therapy is considered best for treating or managing certain mental health conditions like insomnia, prenatal depression and anxiety disorder. 

So you can add this method to your list of strategies used to increase serotonin levels. For this you need a licensed therapist, you can do it yourself at home with the help of your friend, family member or partner.

6: Laugh More

Laughing is listed as the best medication to relieve anxiety and stress. This is because the stress hormone cortisol decreases when you laugh and produce more dopamine “happy hormone”. 

According to research, laughter therapy has proved effective for the people living with certain mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

7: Become More Socialized

Interacting with people enhances your thinking approach and gives you a broader view of living a happy stress free life. Becoming a serial is considered a good way to improve your mental well-being. 

According to past research, when a person spends time with his loved ones, the serotonin production naturally increases. Studies also showed that not only humans, even spending time with your beloved pets can also improve serotonin levels in your body. So, try spending time while cuddling your pet to give extra boost to your serotonin production.

8: Try Mood Induction

Lower production of serotonin in your brain causes your mood swings. However, your good mood can help regulate your mood. 

According to an old research from 2009, when you think about a thing, person or activity that you like the most, your serotonin levels increase that ultimately improve your mood in general. 

So try to:

• Think about your loved ones who made you enjoy an event in the past.
• Look at the memories like photos of old days that have made you happy at that time, like your close friends, your pet or a favorite visit.
• Visualize a happy moment.

However, always remember that bringing change in mood is not easy, it’s a complex task. But you can boost your mood by directing your thoughts towards positive and happy moments of life.

9: Manage Stress Levels and Emotions

Chronic stress is considered as the greatest cause to lower the serotonin levels along with other mental health issues. 

Research shows that stress management is directly linked with your mood regulation and other health concerning issues. 

You can try these tips to reduce stress:

• Go to therapy.
• Listen to calm music.
• Journal.
• Practice yoga.
• Practice deep breathing exercises.

10: Help Others

Kindness is a great virtue. That’s why being affectionate and kind to others helps boost your mood. This happens when oxytocin and dopamine levels increase along with serotonin, your stress goes away. 

According to studies, providing help to others to sort out their problems is an effective way to regulate your mood and get rid of bad thoughts. 

When to Seek Help?

Whenever you make a plan to improve your mood, the first thing is to try things to increase your serotonin production naturally without medication. Although many methods are mentioned in the topic, sometimes, these strategies don’t work properly and your mood-related symptoms get worse. There are many reasons for lower serotonin levels since people experience deficiency of serotonin-hydramine due to their brain chemistry. This is the thing you can’t control or manage. Similarly, some mood disorders come into existence due to complex involvement of genetic factors, environment and other factors. 

When you experience that the symptoms are getting worse and affecting your life quality, visit your healthcare professional to get authentic advice to control the production of serotonin. They may guide about affordable therapy, remedy or medication to increase serotonin labels.

Your specialist often prefers to prescribe selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or some other types of antidepressants. These drugs help your brain boost the levels of tryptophan so that the release of serotonin can be improved. 

In a nut shell, it is always preferable to remember that you need these medications only for a short time as long term use can make you addictive and you may start depending on them for your sleep and relaxation. So try hard to increase the serotonin levels without using such medications. 

Conclusion

Serotonin is a brain chemical that affects your mood. It also regulates some other functions in your body but the main thing it controls is your stress. It induces good thoughts that help you manage stress. It also helps improve your digestion. You can learn about some authentic strategies to boost your serotonin levels so that your life can’t be disturbed by bad thoughts or depression. However, you can reach your professional healthcare provider, if these tips don’t work to increase serotonin levels without medication.