All You Need To Know About Serotonin - Bright Minds Biosciences

 Serotonin is a compound in serum and blood platelets, acting as a neurotransmitter. It carries messages throughout our body from nerve cells. Too high or too low serotonin levels in our body can cause mental and physical distress. The chemical name of serotonin is 5-hydroxytryptamine, which acts as a hormone in our body.

Serotonin has an essential role in the human body, encouraging happiness, influencing learning, and regulating sleep, hunger, temperature, and sexual behavior. Lack of enough serotonin in the body leads to health conditions like anxiety, depression, and many more.

Mechanism of serotonin

 

Serotonin is predominantly present in the gut of the human body. Around 90% of the serotonin is present in the human gastrointestinal tract’s cell lining, and our brains produce the rest 10%. The chemical is released into our blood circulation, and platelets in the blood absorb them. Our bodies cannot produce essential amino acids. We have to get them from the foods we consume. Serotonin is made from one such essential amino acid called acid tryptophan.

The necessity of serotonin in the human body

Enough Serotonin is necessary for the following reasons:

● Digestion

As mentioned, serotonin is predominantly present in the human body's gut. The chemical safeguards our gut and regulates our bowel function. To discharge toxic foods, our gut starts releasing more serotonin, eventually increasing the digestion speed. It also helps us to reduce our appetite while consuming foods.
 
● Mood

Serotonin, also known as the feel-good hormone, regulates our mood. Enough serotonin levels help us to be more focused, happier, and mentally stable. A low level of this hormone can lead to depression
 
● Sleep

Serotonin un-dboutedly plays a vital role in our sleep quality. With the help of other neurotransmitters like dopamine, it gives us quality sleep. It is also responsible for producing melatonin, which regulates our sleep cycle.
 
● Bone health

Our bone health or density also depends on the serotonin level in our gut. A high level of serotonin can reduce bone density and make it more prone to fracture.

● Sexual Health

Serotonin with dopamine stimulates a human desire for sex. So, it also affects our sexual health

● Healing of wounds

When we get wounded, our platelets in the blood release the chemical to clot and heal the wound. It narrows the tiniest blood vessel, slowing down the blood flow and helping the injury to heal.

How to Increase Serotonin level?

You can increase serotonin levels by consuming food rich in tryptophan, like Salmon, Eggs, cheese, turkey, tofu, and many more. Getting sunlight is also significant. Try to get at least 10-15 minutes of sunlight regularly. Taking supplements that include tryptophan, like SAMe and probiotics, is a good choice. You should take these only if you cannot consume tryptophan-rich food. Regular exercise like aerobics, cardio, and strength training can help you to boost your mood and enhance your heart and physical health.

End Words

Serotonin has a crucial role in different bodily functions. Thus, maintain an accurate serotonin level to prevent sudden mood swings.