New anxiety findings

One of the most pervasive plagues in modern America is depression and anxiety. Up to ¾ of teens in America struggle with anxiety. We have seen deaths of despair on the rise. In turn, there has been an influx of young individuals on prescription medicine trying to rework the chemicals of the brain in order to feel a little bit better.

Serotonin is one of your brain’s feel good chemicals. It is stored in neurons, waiting until it is signaled to be released. We get most of our serotonin through our diet, and the rest through internal processes.

The brain has serotonin receptors in each of the different regions. Some of the regions, when receiving serotonin leads to the desired good feelings it provides. In other places of the brain, it actually leads to anxiety.

Previously, the cerebellum was not considered as a major player in anxiety regulation. But a new study has revealed that when the cerebellum receives an influx of serotonin, the cerebellum works to decrease anxiety and produce a type of fearlessness.

If this turns out to be true, it could be a breakthrough in our understanding of anxiety and the brain.

Science and pharma are interested in the results because this may be the next wave of SSRI’s, which seek to increase serotonin in certain areas of the brain.

But I would encourage you that your body is amazing and can begin to regulate this on your own. If you begin to work on increasing serotonin levels, your body will be able to release it when necessary and where necessary.

So what are the ways that I can start increasing my serotonin availability naturally?

Natural sunlight increases serotonin production and release, and will boost your vitamin D. You need to get outside and into the sun, especially in the morning.

Regular exercise will encourage your body to produce a host of feel-good neurotransmitters, including serotonin.

Most of your serotonin is produced in your gut through the breakdown of tryptophan-rich foods in your body. Serotonin is synthesized from tryptophan. Foods high in tryptophan include turkey, chicken, eggs, salmon, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

Tryptophan has a hard time crossing the blood-brain barrier, and the release of insulin actually increases the effectiveness of tryptophan and the production of serotonin. So, some nutritionists will recommend eating a meal with tryptophan rich foods with a carbohydrate. Healthier carbs would include oats, brown rice, quinoa, veggies, fruits, and legumes.

While you do these things to increase the availability of serotonin, it is going to be important to decrease your stress. One of the most important factors in stressing less is sleeping better. You should be getting anywhere between 7-9 hours of sleep. One way to improve your sleep is to get off any screens an hour before you go to bed. Another way to decrease stress levels is to take 10 minutes to breathe, do some yoga, or take a short walk. Do this without screens or inputs from music or podcasts. All the inputs in our life actually cause stress on our body.

Fight anxiety by living to the full. Anxiety is crippling and your ability to live well atrophies. The best way to fight anxiety is by living. Do things you love. Get together with friends and family. Find ways to laugh. Try new things. Do something a bit dangerous. Your body will conform to who you are becoming. If you are becoming someone stuck at home on the couch doom-scrolling, your body will produce the chemicals to keep you there. But, if you push your body into movement, your body will make sure you keep moving.

Keep moving my friends.

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