NATURAL SEROTONIN: 10 WAYS TO GET IT - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

Increasing serotonin naturally in the brain is important for a good level of mental and physical well-being. Serotonin is one of the most important chemicals in the human brain. And it is that among other functions, this neurotransmitter is responsible for regulating mood, controlling appetite and balancing sexual desire.

However, there are many factors that can alter the functioning of serotonin and decrease its presence in brain regions. When we have low levels of this substance, we quickly notice the direct effects of its absence, and the mood can decrease markedly.

For this reason, it is important to always maintain high levels of serotonin in the brain. The greater amounts we have of this substance, the better we will feel.

Activities to increase serotonin naturally

Get adequate rest

One of the basic elements that we must provide both to our body and our mind so that they can function properly is rest. Sleeping well allows us to avoid states of tension, regain energy and restore calm and normal functioning.

Thus, sleeping between 7 and 9 hours a day is very important to ensure a proper functioning of the production of serotonin. Otherwise, our endogenous systems could become deregulated and we would risk reducing our levels of this substance.

Expose to the sun

Another direct source that can provide us with substances and nutrients that stimulate serotonin production is the sun. Multiple investigations have found positive correlations between serotonin synthesis and total exposure to hours of sunlight.

Likewise, some studies have shown that serotonin production is higher in summer than in winter, and people who live in hot regions with long periods of sun have greater amounts of this substance than those who live in cold regions and with less sunlight.

It is postulated that the relationship between serotonin and sunlight is made through melatonin, a substance in charge of regulating sleep that increases, to a great extent, through sun exposure.

Avoiding dark spaces, sunbathing and exposing yourself during daylight hours can be an effective method to stimulate serotonin production and combat certain depressive symptoms.

Do pleasant activities

It is important to note that the relationship between serotonin and mood is two-way. In the same way that low serotonin levels can induce depression, a low or subdued mood can decrease serotonin levels.

Thus, both to increase humor and the production of serotonin, it is important not to punish our psychological state excessively and to give us happiness frequently. In this sense, it is vital that we expose ourselves to situations that make us feel good and do activities that are pleasant to us.

When doing things that we like and that provide us with well-being, we respond automatically through a series of brain mechanisms that make us feel gratifying emotions and sensations.

One of them is the production of serotonin, since, as has been shown, this substance provides pleasant sensations and increases mood.

As we can see, it is the very activities that make us feel good that can increase the production of the substance that allows us to feel good. This fact forms a feedback function in which the rewarding element can increasingly bring us greater amounts of well-being.

For this reason, it is very important to dedicate time to ourselves and spend some time each day doing those activities that we like.

Doing physical activity

Probably the most effective activity for directly increasing serotonin production is physical activity. Multiple studies have shown how exercising the body benefits both physical and psychological functioning of people.

Most of the psychological benefits that physical exercise has shown lie in the increase in serotonin production that people perform when we practice these activities.

Specifically, it has been shown that aerobic exercises are the ones that allow the production of serotonin to be increased the most. However, it is important that the physical activity that is carried out is adapted to the capacity of each one.

The exercise that increases the constant release of serotonin is the one with which the person feels comfortable doing it. Extreme activities or training have shown less effect on serotonin and psychological benefits.

So, if you want to increase serotonin production and feel better, it is essential that you do physical activity on a regular basis.

Evaluate how everything you do feels

To be well and increase serotonin levels, we must not only perform highly pleasant or rewarding activities. There are many aspects and details in everyday life that can help us increase serotonin production and improve our mood.

Questions as simple as realizing that it is better for us to go to work by bus than by metro because that way we can see the outside and sunlight can be an important element.

Likewise, noticing how we like to go to breakfast with a partner more than alone, that we prefer to eat reading the newspaper, take a bath instead of showering, or read that watching television before going to bed are "little nonsense" that can greatly modify our day a day, and can help us improve our mood.

If we analyze it well, they may be irrelevant or banal aspects in a person's life, but in reality they are not.

Many studies have shown how the production of serotonin is carried out slowly and progressively, so the psychological state that we have throughout the day and the gratification that we constantly provide ourselves are key aspects to increase the levels of this substance.

Avoid stress

Stress is one of the factors that can most affect both serotonin production and psychological well-being. Getting rid of day-to-day stress is essential so that the functioning of serotonin is not deregulated.

Many studies have focused on examining the direct effects of stress and it has been shown that stress can negatively affect cognition, emotions, and behavior.

To allow our brain to function optimally and to produce adequate serotonin, it is important that stress does not take over our lives and that we find moments in our day to day that provide us with tranquility, calm and relaxation.

Give yourself a massage

In the same sense as the previous point, giving yourself a massage from time to time can be a very suitable tool to regulate the production of serotonin. Different researches have shown how massage therapy is a very good technique that reduces the stress hormone, cortisol.

Likewise, certain studies have also shown how massaging the body's muscles allows to increase the levels of serotonin and dopamine. Massage is generally held to be one of the best techniques for achieving physical relaxation and promoting psychological relaxation.

The more relaxed we are, the easier it will be for us to produce serotonin and benefit from its psychological effects.

Feeding

Like any endogenous substance, serotonin production is closely linked to the food we eat and the energy sources we use. In this way, food plays a very important role in the production of this neurotransmitter, so to maintain high levels of this substance we must take care of what we eat.

First, some of the "myths" about serotonin production and diet need to be cleared up. Surely you have ever read or heard that tryptophan is the precursor amino acid of serotonin, so the more amounts of tryptophan ingested, the greater the production of this substance.

This statement is false, since even though tryptophan is an essential amino acid for the production of serotonin and we must consume foods rich in this substance to be able to properly produce the neurotransmitter, the relationship between both elements is not direct.

That is, turkey, for example, is a food very rich in tryptophan, but gorging ourselves on eating turkey will not cause serotonin levels and feelings of well-being to increase automatically.

On the other hand, it is widespread that bananas contain serotonin, however, when eating these foods, serotonin cannot directly access the brain as it does not cross the blood-brain barrier, so that bananas do not increase serotonin levels either. automatic.

Thus, in order to increase the production of serotonin through diet, other guidelines must be followed beyond consuming foods rich in tryptophan. These are:

-Don't abuse simple carbohydrates

Foods such as rice, white bread, pasta or sweets are absorbed very quickly and produce very high peaks of different substances, which decay after a while.

These foods do not allow to increase the production of serotonin and, above all, they prevent it from being generated in a progressive and regular way.

-Ingest complex carbohydrates

Foods such as legumes, grain bread, brown rice or vegetables such as starch or turnips perform an absorption process totally opposite to that of simple carbohydrates.

By ingesting them we manage to properly nourish our brain and increase the production of serotonin, among other substances.

-Avoid caffeine and energy drinks

Caffeine is a substance that directly inhibits the production of serotonin, so its regular consumption can decrease the levels of this substance in the brain.

On the other hand, drinks with high amounts of sugar provide a rapid increase in energy but, after a while, it decreases.

-Eat healthy fats

Omega-3 fatty acids are substances that we can find in foods such as salmon, fish oil, walnuts, seeds or flaxseed oil and they are essential for the production of serotonin.

-Eat dark chocolate

Dark chocolate is a food very rich in resveratrol, a type of natural phenol that increases both endorphin and serotonin levels.

Practice relaxation exercises

Sometimes in order to combat stress and achieve the necessary calm state, it may be necessary to carry out more direct activities. If you do not manage to eliminate stress through the two activities that we have discussed above, it would be convenient for you to carry out and practice relaxation training.

As you can see, we are placing special emphasis on stress reduction as an important factor in increasing serotonin production.

Avoiding stress will not allow you to increase serotonin levels in a direct way, but it is a basic requirement for you to do so.

If you do many of the above activities but cannot eliminate stress states, it is very likely that you will not be able to increase serotonin levels or benefit from its effects.

When it comes to practicing relaxation, you can choose different modalities such as meditation, yoga or mindfulness exercises.

Invest time in you

Finally, from everything discussed so far, it is concluded that in order to increase serotonin levels you must invest time in yourself and in your psychological well-being. You must take care of your diet and find times to do physical activity on a regular basis.

Likewise, it is important to dedicate a part of the day to doing activities that are pleasant for you, that cause you feelings of well-being, and that allow you to relax and avoid stress.

References

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