How to Increase Serotonin: 5 Ways to Raise Serotonin Levels Naturally - Deepstash
Lifelong Learners

Learn more about health with this collection

How to apply new knowledge in everyday life

Why continuous learning is important

How to find and evaluate sources of knowledge

Lifelong Learners

Discover 74 similar ideas in

It takes just

7 mins to read

What is Serotonin?

What is Serotonin?

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, that’s involved in many processes throughout your body, from regulating your mood to promoting smooth digestion.

It’s also known for:

  • promoting good sleep by helping regulate circadian rhythms
  • helping regulate appetite
  • promoting learning and memory
  • helping promote positive feelings and prosocial behavior

91

983 reads

Symptoms of Low Serotonin

Symptoms of Low Serotonin

If you have low serotonin, you might:

  • feel anxious, low, or depressed
  • feel irritable or aggressive
  • have sleep issues or feel fatigued
  • feel impulsive
  • have a decreased appetite
  • experience nausea and digestive issues
  • crave sweets and carbohydrate-rich foods

83

441 reads

Tryptophan, an amino acid that's converted to serotonin

Tryptophan, an amino acid that's converted to serotonin

  1. You can’t directly get serotonin from food, but you can get tryptophan, an amino acid that’s converted to serotonin in your brain.
  2. Tryptophan is found primarily in high-protein foods, including turkey and salmon.
  3. But it’s not as simple as eating tryptophan-rich foods, thanks to something called the blood-brain barrier. This is a protective sheath around your brain that controls what goes in and out of your brain.
  4. In a nutshell, tryptophan-rich foods are usually even higher in other amino acids. These other amino acids are more likely than tryptophan to cross the blood-brain barrier.

79

347 reads

Tryptophan with carbs produce Serotonin in the brain

Tryptophan with carbs produce Serotonin in the brain

Research suggests that eating carbs along with foods high in tryptophan may help more tryptophan make it into your brain.

Try consuming tryptophan-rich food with 25 to 30 grams of carbohydrates.

Here are some snack ideas to get you started:

  • whole-wheat bread with turkey or cheese
  • oatmeal with a handful of nuts
  • salmon with brown rice
  • plums or pineapple with your favorite crackers
  • pretzel sticks with peanut butter and a glass of milk

90

330 reads

Exercising triggers Tryptophan

Exercising triggers Tryptophan

  1. Exercising triggers the release of tryptophan into your blood.
  2. It can also decrease the amount of other amino acids. This creates an ideal environment for more tryptophan to reach your brain.
  3. Aerobic exercise, at a level you’re comfortable with, seems to have the most effect, so dig out your old roller skates or try a dance class.
  4. The goal is to get your heart rate up.

80

265 reads

Other Good Aerobic Exercises

Other Good Aerobic Exercises

Other good aerobic exercises include:

  • swimming
  • bicycling
  • brisk walking
  • jogging
  • light hiking

78

339 reads

Spending time in sunshine increases Serotonin levels

Spending time in sunshine increases Serotonin levels

Spending time in the sunshine appears to help increase serotonin levels, and research exploring this idea suggests your skin may be able to synthesize serotonin.

To maximize these potential benefits, aim to:

  • spend at least 10 to 15 minutes outside each day
  • take your physical activity outside to help increase the serotonin boost brought on by exercise - just don’t forget to wear sunscreen if you’ll be out for longer than 15 minutes.

81

222 reads

Massage Therapy helps increase Serotonin

Massage Therapy helps increase Serotonin

  1. Massage therapy helps increase serotonin and dopamine, another mood-related neurotransmitter.
  2. It also helps to decrease cortisol, a hormone your body produces when stressed.
  3. A look at 84 pregnant women with depression - Women who received 20 minutes of massage therapy from a partner twice a week said they felt less anxious and depressed and had higher serotonin levels after 16 weeks.

75

213 reads

Think of something that makes you feel good

Think of something that makes you feel good

Thinking about something that makes you feel good can help increase serotonin in your brain, which can help promote an improved mood in general.

Try:

  • visualizing a happy moment from your memory
  • thinking about a positive experience you had with a loved ones
  • looking at photos of things that make you happy, such as your pet, a favorite place, or close friends

75

188 reads

Reach out to therapist

Reach out to therapist

  1. Some people simply have lower serotonin levels due to their brain chemistry, and there isn’t much you can do about this on your own.
  2. In addition, mood disorders involve a complex mix of brain chemistry, environment, genetics, and other factors.
  3. If you find that your symptoms are starting to impact your day-to-day life, consider reaching out for support from a therapist.

76

276 reads

CURATED BY

dymphna

Lawyer turned Artist Visionary Curator & Gallerist. Empowering self-love and joy through art & words. www.innerjoyart.com 💝 Instagram : dymphna.art

stash-superman-illustration

Explore the World’s

Best Ideas

200,000+ ideas on pretty much any topic. Created by the smartest people around & well-organized so you can explore at will.

An Idea for Everything

Explore the biggest library of insights. And we've infused it with powerful filtering tools so you can easily find what you need.

Knowledge Library

Powerful Saving & Organizational Tools

Save ideas for later reading, for personalized stashes, or for remembering it later.

# Personal Growth

Take Your Ideas

Anywhere

Organize your ideas & listen on the go. And with Pro, there are no limits.

Listen on the go

Just press play and we take care of the words.

Never worry about spotty connections

No Internet access? No problem. Within the mobile app, all your ideas are available, even when offline.

Get Organized with Stashes

Ideas for your next work project? Quotes that inspire you? Put them in the right place so you never lose them.

Join

2 Million Stashers

4.8

5,740 Reviews

App Store

4.7

72,690 Reviews

Google Play

samz905

Don’t look further if you love learning new things. A refreshing concept that provides quick ideas for busy thought leaders.

Shankul Varada

Best app ever! You heard it right. This app has helped me get back on my quest to get things done while equipping myself with knowledge everyday.

Sean Green

Great interesting short snippets of informative articles. Highly recommended to anyone who loves information and lacks patience.

Ashley Anthony

This app is LOADED with RELEVANT, HELPFUL, AND EDUCATIONAL material. It is creatively intellectual, yet minimal enough to not overstimulate and create a learning block. I am exceptionally impressed with this app!

Laetitia Berton

I have only been using it for a few days now, but I have found answers to questions I had never consciously formulated, or to problems I face everyday at work or at home. I wish I had found this earlier, highly recommended!

Giovanna Scalzone

Brilliant. It feels fresh and encouraging. So many interesting pieces of information that are just enough to absorb and apply. So happy I found this.

Ghazala Begum

Even five minutes a day will improve your thinking. I've come across new ideas and learnt to improve existing ways to become more motivated, confident and happier.

Jamyson Haug

Great for quick bits of information and interesting ideas around whatever topics you are interested in. Visually, it looks great as well.

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving & library

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Personalized recommendations

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates