In fact, knowing how to naturally enhance your serotonin levels may help boost your mood. Here’s how to increase serotonin levels and tips to integrate these practices into your daily life.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, that’s involved in many processes throughout your body, from regulating your mood to promoting smooth digestion. In fact, knowing how to naturally enhance your serotonin levels may help boost your mood. Here’s how to increase serotonin levels and tips to integrate these practices into your daily life.
Food
Serotonin is derived from the essential amino acid known as tryptophan. Because your body does not naturally produce it, you must get tryptophan from your diet.
Incorporating foods into your meals that contain high amounts of tryptophan can increase serotonin levels. Some foods you can eat with high levels of tryptophan include:
- Salmon
- Eggs
- Soy products like tofu and soy sauce
- Poultry like chicken and turkey
- Spinach
- Seeds and nuts like pumpkin seeds and walnuts
Exercise
Exercising triggers the release of tryptophan into your blood. It can also decrease the amount of other amino acids. This creates an ideal environment for more tryptophan to reach your brain.
Aerobic exercise, at a level you’re comfortable with, seems to have the most effect, so dig out your old roller skates or try a dance class. The goal is to get your heart rate up.
Other good aerobic exercises include:
- swimming
- bicycling
- brisk walking
- jogging
- light hiking
Bright light
Serotonin tends to be lower after winter and higher in summer and fall. Serotonin’s known impact on mood helps support a link between this finding and the occurrence of seasonal affective disorder and mental health concerns linked to the seasons.
Spending time in the sunshine appears to help increase serotonin levels, and research exploring this idea suggests your skin may be able to synthesize serotonin.
To maximize these potential benefits, aim to:
- spend at least 10 to 15 minutes outside each day
- take your physical activity outside to help increase the serotonin boost brought on by exercise — just don’t forget to wear sunscreen if you’ll be out for longer than 15 minutes
If you live in a rainy climate, have a hard time getting outside, or have a high risk for skin cancer, you can still increase serotonin with bright light exposure from a light therapy box. You can shop for these on online.
Source: Healthline, Insider
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