If you don't have enough serotonin, you are more likely to develop depression and anxiety. You need the right amount of serotonin to feel happy, calm and emotionally stable. The symptoms of low serotonin levels include: memory problems.
Some studies have linked serotonin to memory and learning, so sudden difficulties with memory or learning could signal a serotonin issue. Additionally, other symptoms of serotonin deficiency, such as sleep deprivation and depression, can make it difficult to concentrate and learn.
Prolonged periods of stress can deplete serotonin levels. Our fast-paced, fast food society greatly contributes to these imbalances. Genetic factors, faulty metabolism, and digestive issues can impair the absorption and breakdown of our food which reduces our ability to build serotonin.
Increasing serotonin levels can be done naturally. The best ways to do this are eating well, getting out in the sun or supplementing with vitamin D, exercising, taking adaptogens, and managing stress. Serotonin can also be increased synthetically with antidepressants.
Serotonin is a chemical that the body produces naturally. It's needed for the nerve cells and brain to function. But too much serotonin causes signs and symptoms that can range from mild (shivering and diarrhea) to severe (muscle rigidity, fever and seizures). Severe serotonin syndrome can cause death if not treated.
Serotonin has been linked to fatigue because of its well known effects on sleep, lethargy and drowsiness and loss of motivation.
As an enteric neurotransmitter, serotonin affects neural modulation of gut smooth muscle function and may act either directly on mesenteric vascular smooth muscle or through enteric nerves to influence gastrointestinal blood flow.
Specifically, low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) have been associated with impulsive aggression in both human and animal studies (Asberg, Scalling, Trakeman-Bendz, & Wagner, 1987; Linnoila & Virkkunen, 1992).
One of the issues that many people with anxiety have in common is that they tend to suffer from low levels of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. Some people have a genetic predisposition to this.
A dopamine imbalance can cause depression symptoms, such as apathy and feelings of hopelessness, while a serotonin imbalance can affect the processing of emotions.
In family medicine, some of the most common complaints patients come in with include anxiety, sleep issues, chronic pain, poor digestion, headaches, and fatigue.
Highly processed foods: Limiting or avoiding convenient options like frozen dinners, instant ramen, and any products with added sugar or loads of sodium can boost your mood by increasing serotonin.
Drinks like green tea and probiotics help to boost serotonin.
So how does exercise make you happier? Aerobic exercise — walking, running, biking and swimming — significantly increases serotonin production in the body. You need about 30 minutes to get the serotonin “high.” Other exercise like yoga, Pilates and weight-lifting increases serotonin, too, just not as much.
This may be partially mediated through the ability of vitamin D to activate TPH2 and thus increase serotonin synthesis (22) (M. Haussler, personal communication, 7/19/2014). Low levels of vitamin D are common in ASD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior (22, 81, 96, 122-125).
Several fruits and vegetables contain tryptophan, which is a building block to creating mood-boosting serotonin. So if we consume produce rich in tryptophan, our bodies can make more serotonin. Plantains, pineapple, bananas, kiwi fruit, plums, and tomatoes contain high amounts of tryptophan.
Some strains of Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., such as Lactobacillus brevis, Bifidobacterium dentium and Lactobacillus plantarum produce GABA and serotonin [30], [31], [32].
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) is best known as a neurotransmitter critical for central nervous system (CNS) development and function. 95% of the body's serotonin, however, is produced in the intestine where it has been increasingly recognized for its hormonal, autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine actions.
In conclusion, the higher levels of serotonin were during the phase of darkness, which varies depending on the region in which it is measured.