Serotonin is a chemical, produced naturally in your brain and known as a neurotransmitter, that controls communication between brain cells. Serotonin regulates many brain functions that can make you feel good or bad, such as appetite, sleep, memory, and mood. If you do not have enough serotonin, you may feel depressed or anxious. Medications can increase serotonin levels in serious cases, but you can also increase serotonin naturally --- with diet, sunlight, and exercise.
Diet
Your body has to produce serotonin, and there are several foods that contain important chemicals that can help in its formation. Eating these foods can naturally increase your serotonin levels. According to researchers at Bristol University, foods high in carbohydrates, omega-3 fatty acids, tryptophan, and vitamin B6 are all excellent sources of serotonin precursors. You can easily incorporate these nutrients into your diet because they are contained in many common foods. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole-wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, and quinoa are excellent to eat for aiding serotonin production. Fish, nuts, and seeds are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids, and spinach, bananas, kale, broccoli, and chard are good ways to obtain tryptophan and vitamin B6.
Sunlight
Like food, sunlight has also been found to be connected to serotonin production. A study of this phenomenon by Simon N. Young, published in 2007 in the "Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience," stated that the amount of bright sunlight during the day was positively correlated to the amount of serotonin produced in the brain. On dark, winter days, the brain produced the least amount of serotonin. So on sunny days, go outside.
Exercise
Even when it's not sunny, you can still help your body produce more serotonin by going outside for exercise, which has also been found to stimulate your body's serotonin production. According to the same study by Young, aerobic exercise yields anti-depressant and anti-anxiety effects, and therefore improves your mood. Find physical activities you enjoy, and exercise regularly to increase your serotonin levels naturally. Good examples of aerobic activities include running, dancing, and biking.
References
- University of Bristol: Serotonin
- "The Lancet"; Effect of sunlight and season on serotonin turnover in the brain; Lambert GW, Reid C, Kaye DM, et al.; 2002
- "Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience"; How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs; Simon N. Young; November 2007
