If you face depression and anxiety, talking to a therapist is the best way because medicines can be beneficial. However, there are many ways to boost serotonin. It also improves our mental health. This article brings you some ways to boost your dopamine levels and serotonin levels in the brain.
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Reading, Watching, and Listening to Something Humorous
If you want to increase serotonin in your body, funny videos of cats are fantastic to cheer up your mood. Whenever we laugh, the level of cortisol in our body instantly decreases. The levels of dopamine and serotonin increase because of the lowering of stress hormones. Reading, watching, and listening to something funny like a cat video can be a fantastic way to increase your happiness hormones. Whatever makes you smile is excellent to boost your dopamine levels.
Meditation
According to experts, practicing to stay in the moment lowers the cortisol or stress hormone in the human body, which increases dopamine and serotonin levels. People who wish to feel better and happier should learn to feel calm by meditation for a few minutes every day. The idea of making your mind quiet might sound intimidating, but there are many meditation apps to learn meditation and enhance your mental health.
Regular Exercise
It has been medically reviewed that you can get high rewards with meager efforts when you exercise daily. Even if you perform a daily workout for 20 minutes a day, your mood can enhance for twelve hours. Safety and health investigator Morgan Statt says that our neurochemicals, including dopamine and serotonin, are released in the brain when we exercise. It increases the overall well-being of an individual. You may select any exercise or activity that seems the most enjoyable and try to adjust regular workouts in your routine. If you do so, it’s great for improving mood and boosting serotonin. You’ll stay mentally and physically perfect.
Eat Foods Rich in Tryptophan
Those who want a release of dopamine in their bodies should take tryptophan, an amino acid involved in serotonin production in the human body. People with lower serotonin levels have more chances of being short on the amino acid tryptophan in their bodies. Experts say that you can reduce anxiety and depression with increased serotonin and higher levels of dopamine. Amino-acid-rich foods are the key to this, like tofu, pineapple, salmon, eggs, and turkey, so you get the right amount of tryptophan.
Magnesium
We should know that magnesium is required to make serotonin from tryptophan. Many Americans have a significant deficiency of magnesium in their body. It means that serotonin production becomes harder for our bodies. When you eat spinach, avocado, and almonds, foods rich in magnesium, can boost your body’s serotonin levels. When dopamine and serotonin are sufficient in the body, you become healthier and happier. Your mental health also enhances if you take a daily supplement of magnesium.
Eating Complex Carbohydrates
Most of the carbs are fantastic to boost your mood. It is a reason why people call carbs ”complex foods.” Sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa, and whole grains are great as they release dopamine and serotonin in our bodies.
Being in The Sunlight
Staying in the sun helps boost your dopamine levels. Sun is fantastic for improving mood as it is bright and lively. Experts say that if you stay in the sunlight for 20 minutes a day, it can make your mood much better. There’s no wonder why we feel lousy in the rainy season because sunlight helps increase serotonin levels in the brain.
Taking Supplements
Supplements can be taken by you once or twice a day. These are designed to improve your mood and enhance the level of serotonin and dopamine in your body. L-Theanine and lactium casein decapeptide are great for reducing anxiety, and Vitamin D is responsible for the synthesis of serotonin. You think better, and your health improves by taking supplements like vitamins, zinc, and minerals.
How to increase serotonin and dopamine naturally?
People who face sleeping problems have depression. Hence, it is essential to sleep well if you wish to increase dopamine and serotonin levels in your body. Some experts believe that a possible side effect of depression is poor sleeping patterns. Others believe that your mental health can worsen because of inadequate sleep. The serotonin levels in your brain can increase automatically if you sleep for sufficient time.
Can your body tolerate too much serotonin?
Serotonin is a chemical in our body that cheers our mood up. However, too much release of dopamine and serotonin in our body can cause severe side effects. Dopamine production is also vital, but too much release of these chemicals are harmful.
You can cause a potentially life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome by excessive consumption of drugs. The symptoms include
- Confusion
- Restlessness or agitation
- Dilated pupils
- High blood pressure and rapid heart rate
- Twitching muscles or loss of muscle coordination
- Headache
- Heavy sweating
- Muscle rigidity
- Diarrhea
- Goosebumps
- Shivering
The signs of this syndrome are unconsciousness, high fever, irregular breath, and seizures. Therefore, the limited release of dopamine and serotonin is fine for your nerve cells and overall health.
Conclusion
Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin D rich foods are essential to maintain dopamine and serotonin levels in our body. An amino acid is also a vital element. Apart from the foods that are the building blocks of life, you can listen to music because it enhances your mood and takes you in another dimension altogether. We should also remember that while these chemicals and their release are essential, external consumption through drugs can be harmful and even deadly for humans.
