Serotonin is one of four important happiness hormones/neurotransmitters
DOSE is the abbreviation for the happiness hormones/neurotransmitters that most influence your mood. DOSE stands for dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. In this blog we are going to talk about serotonin and how you can become happier by increasing serotonin naturally.
About serotonin
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and is involved in the regulation of hunger and satiety, sleep, learning, temperature regulation, memory, behavior and mood. The amount of serotonin in the brain therefore largely determines how you feel. With a high value you are satisfied and satisfied. With a low value, life can be quite difficult for you.
Symptoms of a serotonin deficiency
A deficiency of serotonin mainly has a negative effect on your mood. You feel down, depressed and/or anxious. Sometimes you have no idea what you are doing or who you even are. You may withdraw from social activities. Yet you are looking for happiness and you find it in things that give short-term happiness. This can lead to addictive behavior in the form of food, drink, substance use, purchasing addiction, gambling, sex, porn, personal goals, gaming, etc. These addictions only give a good feeling temporarily. They do not increase your serotonin levels but the highly addictive dopamine in a way that cocaine does, namely temporarily and increasingly difficult.
Increase serotonin naturally
- Increase serotonin by doing calming activities for you. This could be meditation, prayer or yoga. Some people feel better listening to trance or other genre music as long as it has a soothing effect.
- Exercise has a serotonin-raising effect.
- Drink as little alcohol as possible. Remember that half a glass of red wine per day is the most a person can drink without causing too much damage.
- Make yourself as big as possible by holding power poses (like bodybuilders do) for 2 minutes. This not only increases serotonin but also testosterone.
- Think positively and say positive words to yourself and others. Think about nice things and try to share those nice thoughts.
- A healthy dose of sunlight for more vitamin D3, serotonin and dopamine
- Avoid empty calories, especially sugars, and replace them with slow carbohydrates from vegetables, for example.
- Avoid Omega 6 fats (vegetable oils) and increase Omega 3 intake (this helps against 90% of lifestyle diseases)
- Increase Turmeric intake in combination with black pepper. This duo already increases 3 happy hormones and prevents certain types of cancer.
- Take a good multivitamin. Vitamin B3, B6 and B12 also help increase your serotonin level.
- The following probiotics also increase your serotonin:
Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium bifidum - Tryptophan supplement that you should not take in combination with other proteins (allowed on an empty stomach).
As you can read, your thoughts and your intestinal flora have a great influence on your mood. The most striking thing is that the bacteria in your intestines influence your mood and behavior by producing signaling substances that may or may not make you happy. So be good to your intestines and first make sure that you have the right bacteria in your intestines by taking a probiotic that contains one or more of the following strains: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Then you give those bacteria and yourself the right nutrition and dietary fiber from mainly vegetables, legumes, moderate fruit and some whole grain products such as oatmeal.
Other products that also help increase your serotonin are tryptophan rich foods. Tryptophan is the precursor of 5-HTP and serotonin. Tryptophan is rich in: sourdough bread (whole wheat), oatmeal, nuts, seeds, spirulina, cocoa (pure), sesame seeds, chickpeas, spinach, sunflower seeds, parsley, asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli
beans, nuts, seeds, soybeans, parmesan cheese and turkey
In addition to these foods, there are also natural MAO inhibitors that ensure that serotonin is broken down less quickly. These come with a warning. Complications can arise with too many MAO inhibitors and/or in combination with psychoactive medications. Normal foods such as aged cheese, beer, wine, pickled herring, chicken liver, yeast, lots of coffee, citrus fruits, figs, broad beans, chocolate or cream can cause headaches and nausea and even become toxic. Here are some mild natural MAO inhibitors: seaweed, turmeric, passion flower and rhodiola.
Warning: Never experiment with the heavier MAO inhibitors yourself, but always ask for the expertise of a specialist first, especially if you are already receiving psychoactive medication yourself.
You want to live healthier and be happier, but you can't
You make a lot of effort to live healthily and be happier, but it doesn't work out well. If you fall back into the old pattern, you will remain in a negative spiral. Too little serotonin causes depression, poor eating and anxiety. This results in an even lower serotonin level. We offer a service with behavioral and nutritional advice as well as trip therapy that allows you to break this negative spiral through a temporarily high serotonin level and introspection. This can increase your self-esteem and self-love, allowing you to take better care of yourself and those around you. Curious? Then read about ours here operation of the trip.
