Welcome to my talk about how to activate your happy hormones.
There are four specific hormones which play a big role in how we feel on a day-to-day basis because they create the feelings of well-being and happiness.
Serotonin,
Dopamine,
Oxytocin and endorphins.
I will share with you today which effect they have and how you can help your body and brain producing them to help your mental health,
Deal better with stress and just feel good.
Your diet and lifestyle play a big role and small changes can have a massive impact.
Let's start with serotonin.
It's crucial to sleep,
It regulates your appetite and is involved in your digestion.
Most importantly,
It supports and stabilizes your brain by supporting your ability to learn,
Balance your mood and it also reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety.
If you are low on serotonin,
You feel more stressed and emotionally unstable or even suffer from depression.
Your sleep may also be interrupted.
Serotonin is being produced by your gut bacteria.
So your first step can be to increase and nurture your gut bacteria to help your serotonin production.
Most important is the way serotonin is made because food is being essential in this process.
Serotonin is made from tryptophan which is an essential amino acid.
Our body can't produce it itself.
We need to consume it.
You can find tryptophan in nuts and also in lean red meat.
Other foods that help the absorption of tryptophan are slow releasing carbohydrates like fruit,
Pulses and whole grains.
Besides the food,
There are lifestyle factors which boost serotonin.
Regular exercise is a great way to increase it because it releases tryptophan.
Regular meditation and also exposure to daylight will help.
Another helper for balanced mental well-being is dopamine.
It's a neurotransmitter that is involved in your perception of pleasure,
Reward and interest.
Studies show that people who are suffering from depression show both a lack of serotonin and a lack of dopamine.
To produce dopamine we need an amino acid called tyrosine.
Dopamine is made in the brain and it affects your way of learning,
Your mood and your sleep but also your attention span and motivation.
Just like serotonin,
Dopamine is directly linked to mental health disorders.
You can help your body increasing its dopamine levels by following a few easy steps.
First,
Reduce your intake of saturated fat.
Studies show that you support your dopamine levels by eating less fat from animal sources,
For example butter,
Ghee,
Cheese,
Lamb or pork meat but also foods that are made with coconut oil or palm oil.
Second,
Take a probiotic supplement.
Like we said in the lesson about gut health,
A probiotic supplement supports the communication between the gut and the brain and it helps increasing dopamine which is involved in this communication.
Third,
Increase your protein intake from lean sources.
Dopamine and serotonin are made from amino acids,
The building blocks of protein.
So eating more foods which are rich in protein and low in saturated fat,
Those can be from animal as well as plant sources,
Can help boosting your levels.
Choose eggs,
Low fat dairy,
Pulses,
Lean white meat,
Fish,
Nuts and seeds.
Again,
Egg exercise is one easy way to increase your dopamine.
Studies suggest that regular gentle activities,
For example yoga or pilates,
Increase the levels in the same way than more strenuous exercises such as running,
Weightlifting or playing games.
Get enough sleep.
Dopamine is involved in your sleep-wake cycle and a good sleep hygiene which means sleeping well and sleeping long enough helps balancing your dopamine levels.
And again,
Meditation is very helpful because dopamine is being released during meditation.
Meditation has loads of mental and physical health benefits.
One of them is being an increase in dopamine levels and similar to exercising,
The more you do it,
The better you will feel.
So with Insight Timer you're definitely in the right place.
Listen to music.
Now that's something unexpected,
Isn't it?
Several studies found that listening to relaxing instrumental music can increase your dopamine levels and it could be that certain positive lyrics can improve them even more.
The nutrients that help your dopamine levels are vitamin B2,
B6,
Folic acid and iron.
The foods that will make a difference are salmon,
Spinach and all other green leafy vegetables,
Beans,
Poultry,
Chickpeas,
Broccoli and almonds.
Let's move on to oxytocin.
If you have ever searched for the term oxytocin,
The expression love hormone will come up.
This is because oxytocin is involved in social bonding and reproduction.
So it's always around when a lot of emotions are at play.
Oxytocin is a hormone which is produced in the brain.
It is indeed elevated when you are in love.
But it's also part of the big three.
Together with serotonin and dopamine,
It plays a role in mental stability and stress reduction.
You may have heard about its role in the female body from sexual activity to childbirth.
But there's more to it.
It helps you relax.
It can reduce anxiety and symptoms of depression.
So it's really important for your mental health.
In comparison to dopamine and serotonin,
It's more linked to activities rather than foods.
Nonetheless,
There's a lot you can do.
High intensity exercise.
Studies suggest that increased oxytocin levels come up when your heart rate goes up.
And music helps too.
Meet friends.
Having a coffee with a group of friends will leave you feeling more positive.
Cook for someone.
Yes,
Sharing food is a great social experience.
No matter if it's a friend or a partner,
The social interaction counts and will help your oxytocin.
Regular yoga or meditation practice can help your oxytocin production too.
Book a massage.
It will help relaxing your body and your mind and boost your oxytocin.
And of course,
As the name Love Hormone would suggest,
Having a cuddle with your partner,
A friend,
Your children or your pet is something we should do every day anyway.
Last but not least on our list are the endorphins.
Endorphins are neurochemicals which are released when you exercise to reduce pain and increase pleasure.
They help your self-esteem and reduce your stress levels.
Major research has shown that endorphins can help treating low mood or depression.
Similar to oxytocin,
Endorphins help during childbirth.
If you're lacking endorphins,
You may suffer from low mood,
Depression,
Insomnia or even anxiety.
If you want to boost your endorphin levels,
Certain foods and activities can help.
All forms of exercise,
No matter if it's a gentle walk around the block or a grueling session in the gym.
Spend time outside,
Preferably in nature.
Meditation.
Find your favorite inside timer meditations and you will boost your endorphins.
And laugh.
A good old belly laugh works wonders for your well-being.
And I've saved the best for last.
Eating a few pieces of dark chocolate with a minimum of 70% cocoa will release endorphins.
I really hope that this made your day.
A word about supplements.
You have now learned that there are lots of ways to naturally help your happy hormones by making small adjustments to your diet and lifestyle.
I know that supplements promise to provide a shortcut to feeling better and they are certainly convenient.
But for most people,
There is no need for a supplement.
There are also risks of side effects.
If you consider taking a supplement,
Please speak to your doctor.
Thank you for your time today and I hope to see you soon.
