How to support your mood #8: how to make serotonin.

Serotonin is our happiness hormone.

Signs of low serotonin include:

• a feeling of overwhelm,

• feelings of inner rage or unprovoked anger,

• a loss of enjoyment in life and of pleasure in hobbies and interests,

• feelings of paranoia or sadness for no apparent reason,

• feelings of sadness in overcast weather,

• a loss of enthusiasm for your favourite things,

• an inability to fall into a deep, restful sleep,

• feeling dependent on others,

• feelings of susceptibility to pain.

As I never tire of saying, we actually have to make our hormones. Therefore, if an adequate supply of the necessary raw materials are not available in our bodies, our serotonin cake will not rise.

Step 1: light the oven

Production of serotonin is triggered when light activates an area of the midbrain called the tectum.

This is an easy fix: kickstart your serotonin production by spending time outside everyday.

Step 2: eat the protein

The tryptophan (at the top of the diagram) comes from dietary sources of protein, such as beef, salmon, lamb, chicken, spinach, mushrooms and (of course) turkey.

This is also an easy fix: a reasonable target is about 20g of protein per meal. (I cover this in detail on my Instagram account @midlife_management).

Step 3: stabilise your blood sugar

Transport of tryptophan into the brain where the manufacture of serotonin occurs requires stable blood sugar.

This requires more work: if you perk up or feel tired after meals your blood sugar is not stable. My Power of Food programme (3 x 30 minute one-to-one sessions) would be an excellent place to start if support is needed with step 3.

Step 4: add the iron and vitamin D

Iron and vitamin D are needed to produce serotonin.

Iron deficiency may be a factor if you have pale nail beds, heavy periods, uterine fibroids or poor digestion.

Appropriate testing here would be a full iron panel including ferritin (stored iron) and serum iron (circulating iron) and a vitamin D check by your GP or as part of a private blood test panel. Where blood tests for markers are readily available, it is always better to test, rather than guess, and to supplement in a targeted way for a short period.

Step 5: add the magnesium, folic acid, vitamins B3, P-5-P (a form of vitamin B6), vitamin B12 and omega 3 fatty acids

These nutrients are also needed to produce serotonin.

Dietary sources include:

• spinach, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, chia seeds (magnesium)

• chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, mushrooms, avocado (vitamin B3)

• eggs, mushrooms, chickpeas, salmon, sweet potatoes, pistachios (vitamin B6)

• crab, mackerel, sardines, beef, egg yolk (vitamin B12)

• sardines, herring, salmon, mackerel, anchovies, hemp seeds (omega 3 fatty acids).

It’s also worth noting here that melatonin (the sleep hormone) is made from serotonin. So, if your serotonin production is impaired at any of the steps set out above, melatonin production, and therefore, your sleep will be adversely affected too.

There’s probably more to feeling good than you realised, but the flipside of this complexity is that it is possible to carefully consider each step and to support it in order to maximise your serotonin production and improve your quality of life.

If you have any questions, please ask below.

As always, if you would like to book a free Zoom call to discuss working together, please use the button below.

Sources:

Akduman, G., Kurtbeyoglu, E. and Gunes, F.E. (2021) “Nutrients in schizophrenia: a focus on the pathophysiological pathway”, Journal of Psychopathology, 27: 181-186.

Berthou, C., Iliou, J.P. and Barba, D. (2022) “Iron, neuro-bioavailability and depression”, eJHaem, 3(1), pp. 263-275.