Tuesday, September 16, 2008

What is Serotonin and Melatonin?

Hi Angela!
So is serotonin the happy hormone? But your body makes serotonin by combining melatonin and tryptophan?
HT


Yes, Serotonin is the happy hormone. It is a brain neurotransmitter used particullarly in the frontal lobe - your will and reason center. It is produced in the pineal gland.

No, Your body makes melatonin from the serotonin, which is made from tryptophan (over simplified, but you get the idea.)

The process is as follows:
The pineal gland takes tryptophan from the blood and converts it to serotonin. The serotonin is converted to melatonin using an enzyme call NAT. But, we get melatonin from other sources as well. The retina can produce melatonin, under darkness, without the pineal gland. In addition there are foods, like oats and corn, that have melatonin in them. We get tryptophan from foods like tofu, roasted pumpkin seeds, gluten flour, and almonds.

So to increase melatonin & serotonin: Sleep in complete darkness so the retina can do it's job, eat foods rich in melatonin, tryptophan and vit B6, fast in the early evening, and get SUNLIGHT!! We may NOT get enough in Canada for some people. A light box is recommended if you are low in serotonin.

For more info on Nutrition and the Mind, see our info sheet.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the information. Is it possible for a vegetarian child who is not getting enough tryptophan & melatonin experience behavioral problems because of the dificiency? Not being well rested can take its toll...

Anonymous said...

According to several health professional, YES, not getting enough tryptophan and melatonin can affect behavior. Sunshine is very important for children. If a child is vegan, they need to be getting alternatives for melatonin such as tofu, gluten flour, almonds, bananas, and roasted pumpkin seeds.

what is serotonin said...

serotonin levels indeed can affect the behavior of any person (child/grownup) its neccesary to have a good diet, not eat all the junk from supermarkets, that contains all kinds of stuff that will destroy our body from chemestry way.

Serotonin levels can be increased using food , aromatherapy and great laughs.