Serotonin is often recognized as a brain chemical but most of its neurotransmitter can be found in the digestive tract. When serotonin levels go down, it can affect our mood, memory, sleep habits, emotions, digestion, emotions, and even body-temperature regulation. Serotonin is often referred to as the “happy hormone” since our body produces more when we receive sunlight. It is also possible to have our serotonin levels go up from the food that we eat especially when they are rich in vitamins and minerals. If you want to be in the best of mood, feel overall happy, and in good health, you might want to follow these tips to keep your serotonin levels up.
B Vitamins
If you want to increase your serotonin levels then see to it that you have B-complex supplements with you. Increasing your intake of vitamins B6 and B12 can reduce your risk of depression. Vitamin B6 can actually help boost the serotonin levels in your brain.
Get a massage
Getting a massage can certainly help in increasing your feel good hormones because it has the ability to reduce your cortisol levels up to 30%. Too much cortisol in the system can actually inhibit your body from producing serotonin which is why you need to lower your cortisol levels as much as possible. So book a massage now and feel a bit of tension released from your body.
Learn how to be more positive
Although diet and your environment can help with your serotonin levels, learning how to shift your mind’s perception to more positive things can help boost your serotonin. Find things that make you feel good about yourself and the world too and get to do more of those. These can be as simple as socializing with friends, visualizing a happy moment, or doing a hobby that you like. Even writing a gratitude journal can do wonders to your serotonin levels.
Practice self-care
Self-care is a good thing to practice if you want to protect yourself against low serotonin levels. If you are the type of person who puts other first, you might want to practice self-care as much as possible. The more you care for yourself, the better you will feel.
Meditation
Another way to increase your serotonin levels is through meditation. Deep breathing and clearing your mind of any harmful or negative thoughts can play a huge role in increasing your serotonin levels. You can start with 5 minutes of deep breathing then gradually increasing it every week. Soon you will find that it is easier to let go of all the negative thoughts by simply finding a quiet spot in your home and just breathe.
Have more magnesium
Another step that will help you increase your serotonin levels is through increasing your magnesium intake. Foods such as leafy greens, beans, and bananas are just a few examples of magnesium-rich foods that you should include in your diet. They will help increase your serotonin levels significantly.
Get more sunshine
Like it was mentioned before, our serotonin production can increase when we get sunshine on our skin. This is why it is always a good idea to spend some time outdoors as much as possible to soak up the sun. Even 10 minutes of soaking up the sunlight can actually boost your serotonin levels significantly.
Improving your serotonin levels is possible using natural methods such as the ones mentioned above. Repeating them on a daily basis can help protect you against various health issues easily so make sure that you incorporate them into your routine.
