Chapter 1: Serotonin, positive traffic lights in our lives
When you feel down and lethargic, you may have heard someone say that you seem to lack the 'happiness hormone'. The happiness hormone here is **serotonin**. Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter that affects various physiological functions such as our mood, sleep, appetite, and social behavior. If the serotonin level is appropriate, we feel a sense of stability, happiness, satisfaction, and on the other hand, if it is insufficient, symptoms such as depression, anxiety disorder, and insomnia may appear.
Serotonin is made in the brain, but the source of it is in the food we consume. In addition to simply eating, its secretion is controlled through various external activities such as sunlight, exercise, and social interaction. Understanding the scientific principles of serotonin and knowing how to practice it in daily life instead of trying to force yourself to be happy will greatly help you improve your depressed mood and restore a vibrant life.
Chapter 2: The Production and Function of Serotonin, Its Scientific Principles
Serotonin is produced by nerve cells in the hypothalamus gland nucleus of the brain. The key ingredient for making serotonin is an essential amino acid called **Tryptophan**. Tryptophan cannot be created by our bodies, so it must be consumed as food.
Ingested tryptophan travels to the brain and is converted to serotonin with the help of enzymes. The resulting serotonin is secreted into synaptic clefts between nerve cells and transmits various signals by binding to receptors in other nerve cells. Serotonin plays a major role in the following functions.
• Mood and Emotion Control: High serotonin levels lead to positive feelings, less anxiety and depression.
• Sleep Control: Serotonin serves as a precursor to **melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone. You need to get enough serotonin in the daytime to get a good night's sleep.
• Eating Control: Serotonin helps prevent overeating by making you feel full.
• Social Behavior and Cognitive Functions: Serotonin also affects social interaction, memory, and learning ability.
Chapter 3: Brain-scientific mechanisms to raise serotonin levels
The methods of increasing serotonin levels are based on scientific mechanisms that positively stimulate complex neural circuits in our brain, not just mood swings.
• Correlation between sunlight exposure and serotonin: Our brain controls the amount of serotonin secretion by detecting the amount of sunlight. When exposed to sunlight, a light signal that enters through the retina stimulates the hypothalamus optic nerve cross-phase nucleus of the brain, which is then transmitted to the glandular nucleus to promote the secretion of serotonin. Because of this, during winter or cloudy days when sunlight is scarce, the level of serotonin decreases, which makes it easy for **Seasonal Affective Disorder to occur.
• Synergy of Exercise and Serotonin: Regular exercise goes beyond just physical health and has positive effects on brain health. Working out increases blood flow to the brain, and makes it easier for tryptophan to travel to the brain. In addition, exercise promotes the growth of neurons by secreting growth factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF), and helps synthesize neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. In particular, rhythmic aerobic exercise (walking, running, or riding a bike) is known to effectively promote the secretion of serotonin.
• Synthesis of Food Intake and Serotonin: tryptophan, the raw material for serotonin, is found in protein-rich foods. However, in order for tryptophan to enter the brain, it must defeat competing amino acids. At this time, when carbohydrates are ingested together, insulin secretion is promoted, and competitive amino acids are absorbed into the muscles, creating an environment in which tryptophan can enter the brain relatively more easily. Therefore, it is recommended to consume tryptophan-rich foods (nuts, seeds, beans, cheese, chicken, etc.) with healthy carbohydrates, such as whole grains and vegetables.
• Social Interaction and the Role of Serotonin: Humans are social animals, and social interactions play an important role in survival. Positive social interactions are known to stimulate the brain's reward circuits and promote the release of other 'happiness hormones' such as oxytocin, while also raising serotonin levels. Spending time with loved ones, meeting and talking to new people is an effective way to stimulate the release of serotonin.
Chapter 4: Serotonin charging solution based on scientific evidence
Increasing serotonin levels does not require you to rely on special medicines or nutritional supplements. It is enough to consistently practice scientific-based methods that can be easily practiced in everyday life.
• Sunlight every morning: Get into the habit of spending 10-15 minutes in the sun as soon as you wake up in the morning. Spending some time sitting by the window is also a good idea, especially in winter when the sunlight wanes.
• Practice regular aerobic exercise: Do rhythmic aerobic exercise, such as walking quickly, jogging, and riding a bike, more than three times a week, for more than 30 minutes. Working out while listening to music adds joy, which makes it more effective for serotonin secretion.
• Eat foods rich in tryptophan:
• Recommended food: nuts ( walnuts, almonds), seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds), chicken breasts, eggs, salmon, tofu, bananas, milk, etc
• How to Eat: Eat with healthy carbohydrates such as wholegrain bread and oats so that tryptophan can enter your brain better.
• Manage Stress and Practice Mindfulness: Chronic Stress Drops Serotonin Levels. Find and practice ways to relieve stress, such as meditation, yoga, and abdominal breathing. Mindfulness, which helps you stay away from stress and focus on the present, promotes the release of serotonin.
• Spend time with loved ones: Talk to family or friends, eat together, and have fun with a smile. Positive social relationships make our brains happy and raise serotonin levels naturally.
Comments
Post a Comment