What is Serotonin?
Serotonin is a chemical in your body that allows your brain to transmit information more easily. The technical term is neurotransmitter.
Why is it important?
But when it comes to depression, anxiety and stress, serotonin is more important because of how it makes your feel rather then what it actually does for you. Serotonin is sometimes called "The Happy Hormone" because serotonin makes you feel good. It is your bodies natural pain reliever and mood enhancer. So the more serotonin you have in your system the better you will generally feel.
Serotonin is naturally produced inside of your body on a daily basis but there are somethings that you can do to increase your bodies production of serotonin to help you keep yourself feeling more balanced and keep you from being depressed and stressed. There are two things you can do to help you increase your serotonin levels.
Exercise
The first is to exercise. When you exercise your body starts to produce serotonin as a way of dealing with the small amounts of discomfort that come from exercising. It's why you feel better after you exercise and where the term "Runners High" comes from. After a long run, a runner is loaded with serotonin and feels quite good. The effects of exercise in general on depression and stress are almost immediate and cumulative. What this means is that if you go for a 10 minute walk, you will feel better when you get done. Your problems may not be completely solved but you will feel better then you did. The more you walk the better you will feel. The trick to making this work is to start out slowly and keep at it every day. Over time your mood will balance out and you will increase your ability to walk greater distances at a faster pace. To get the most from any exercise routine, even one designed to help you overcome depression, it is recommended that you work out for 30 minutes a day 6 days a week. It's okay if it takes you time to work up to this, start slow, and don't hurt yourself and you will see the benefits.
For more information on how to start walking for stress relief, please click here!
Diet
Another way to increase serotonin in your body, although not as effective as walking is to eat the right foods. Serotonin is made with tryptophan, an amino acid that you get when you eat protein. Usually chicken, turkey or meat. But, the trick is to eat enough carbohydrates with it so that your body will focus on breaking down the carbohydrates and leave the tryptophan in your system so it can make it's way to your brain and be converted into serotonin. It sounds complicated but an easy way to get tryptophan rich meat into your system as well as carbohydrates is to simply make yourself a turkey sandwich. This won't have a huge effect on your mood but if you have a turkey sandwich and go for a walk you should balance out nicely. Remember the more you exercise the better you will feel, stick with it! It's worth it and you can do it!
Summary
In summary, Serotonin is your bodies own natural pain killer and mood enhancer. Causing serotonin to be released into your body can help you to feel better and manage or beat depression, anxiety and reduce stress. Although you can get serotonin by eating chicken, turkey and meat, the most effective way to increase your serotonin levels is to exercise on a daily basis for at least 30 minutes.
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