Hormones are chemicals produced by different glands across your body. They travel through the bloodstream, acting as messengers and playing a part in many bodily processes.
One of these important functions? Helping regulate your mood.
Certain hormones are known to help promote positive feelings, including happiness and pleasure.
These “happy hormones” include:
- Dopamine. Also known as the “feel-good” hormone, dopamine is a hormone and neurotransmitter that’s an important part of your brain’s reward system. Dopamine is associated with pleasurable sensations, along with learning, memory, motor system function, and more.
- Serotonin. This hormone (and neurotransmitter) helps regulate your mood as well as your sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory.
- Endorphins. Endorphins are your body’s natural pain reliever, which your body produces in response to stress or discomfort. Endorphin levels also tend to increase when you engage in reward-producing activities, such as eating, or working out.
Here’s a look at how to make the most of these natural mood-boosters.
- Get Outside - Spending time outdoors, in sunlight, is a great way to do this.
- Exercise - can have a positive impact on emotional well-being. If you’ve heard of a “runner’s high,” you might already know about the link between exercise and endorphin release.
- Laughing - laughter won’t treat ongoing health issues. But it can help relieve feelings of anxiety or stress, and improve a low mood by boosting dopamine and endorphin levels.
- Cooking - The enjoyment you get from eating something delicious can trigger the release of dopamine along with endorphins.
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Supplements - There are several supplements that may help increase your happy hormone levels. A product I use daily is SlimPlus. Here are just a few to consider:
- tyrosine (linked to dopamine production)
- green tea and green tea extract (dopamine and serotonin)
- probiotics (may boost serotonin and dopamine production)
- tryptophan (serotonin)
- Music -Listening to instrumental music, especially music that gives you chills, can
increase dopamine production in your brain.
