What Are The Health Benefits Of Serotonin?

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter -- or naturally-occurring chemical the body uses to transmit nerve impulses -- present in your brain, blood and digestive system. Though not found in food or actually present in medications, proper serotonin balance is crucial to your health and provides many benefits. However, you can also have too much serotonin. A little information can help you balance your serotonin levels without putting yourself at risk.

Better Emotional Stability

Serotonin is one of the key neurotransmitters responsible for regulating mood. An article published by McGill University's Department of Psychiatry and published in the April 2002 issue of the scientific journal "Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior" says individuals with high serotonin levels are less likely to experience clinical depression or suffer from impulse control disorders than individuals with low serotonin levels.

Better Social Life

Another health benefit of serotonin is a better social life. Health experts have long known that people with supportive social networks are less likely to experience a wide range of health problems, from mental health problems to heart disease. More recently, experts have begun to understand that high serotonin levels, because they predispose an individual to positive mood and outgoing, friendly behavior, lead to a healthy social life, reports Simon N. Young, editor-in-chief of the "Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience."

Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Another health benefit of serotonin is decreased risk of death from cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and strokes. High serotonin levels decrease feelings of overall hostility. Less hostility, reports Young, has been shown by 45 different scientific studies to reduce risk of developing cardiovascular disease, but the benefits don't stop there. Young also reports low hostility levels also increase your chances of surviving a heart attack if you do have one.

Boosting Your Serotonin Levels

If you're interested in boosting your serotonin levels, there are safe, effective and healthy ways to do it. Regular exercise, exposure to sunlight and spending time with friends all have beneficial effects on your serotonin levels. When you combine these activities, such as taking a brisk walk with a friend on a sunny morning, you give your system what it needs to keep your serotonin at healthily high levels.

Considerations

Though high serotonin levels enhance your overall health, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Serotonin syndrome, an excess of serotonin usually linked to inappropriately high doses of certain anti-depressants or negative reactions to such medications is a potentially fatal malady. Symptoms include rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, loss of muscle coordination, dilated pupils, agitation or restlessness, and confusion. If you are taking and antidepressant, seek medical help immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.