The body creates a chemical messenger called serotonin. This chemical is manufactured in your body from when you are in your mother’s womb to the time you die. Healthy levels of this chemical are essential for brain health, and all health and functioning comes down to a healthy brain and central nervous system.
Boost your mood, eliminate cravings, and improve your sleep.
One of the hallmarks of clinical depression is deficient levels of serotonin. Like many illnesses, there were warning signs of low serotonin before the diagnosis of depression. Symptoms could include trouble falling asleep or brief periods of low mood.
This powerful chemical is made in your “second brain,” the digestive system, through our gut bacteria’s conversion of the amino acid tryptophan. Serotonin is then sent to the brain and acts upon an area on the brainstem called the Raphe Nuclei. The functions of this brain area influence mood, memory, sleep, cognition, and appetite.
Steps to Improving Serotonin Levels
- Eat foods rich in tryptophan such as wild-caught salmon, free-range poultry, spinach, raw nuts, raw seeds, and grass-fed butter. Your body needs adequate amounts of tryptophan to make serotonin.
- Consume fermented foods such as kimchi, dairy-free yogurt, and sauerkraut to improve gut health. A healthy population of gut bacteria will be more equipped to transform tryptophan into serotonin.
- Supplements magnesium, zinc, vitamin C, omega-3, and vitamin B complex. These are vital nutrients for the body to metabolize and utilize serotonin,
- Take Max Living Sleep and Mood formula before bed. This supplement is formulated with the raw materials needed for the body to synthesize serotonin.
- Begin a mindfulness practice. Calming down the sympathetic nervous system is necessary for serotonin production.
- Surround yourself with positive and healthy people. You are a reflection of those you spend time with. People who engage in a healthy lifestyle help others live up to their potential.
- Establish a strong connection between the brain and the rest of the body by getting adjusted and reducing vertebral subluxation.
If you believe you are suffering from serotonin deficiency, seek the care of your Max Living chiropractor for labs and testing.