In the winter time, it can be hard to avoid feeling down in the dumps. Cold temperatures, gray skies, and boredom can all set in, making it difficult to keep your spirits high. And on a biological level, this can cause levels of serotonin to drop. But not to worry, you don’t have to sit by idly–there are steps that you can take to increase the amount of serotonin in your brain.

What is Serotonin?

Serotonin or (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is a chemical that’s found in the body. Known as a neurotransmitter, it carries signals in the brain and is mainly found in the brain, bowels, and blood platelets. It transmits messages throughout the body, but it’s best known for its impact on happiness. The serotonin that’s used in the brain must also be produced by the brain. The chemical is made by combining tryptophan, a component of proteins, with tryptophan hydroxylase, a chemical reactor. A shortage of serotonin in the brain can impact the mood, causing anxiety and depression.

5 Tips for Increasing Serotonin, Naturally

If you have serious anxiety or depression, talk to your doctor. If you just want to gradually improve your mood, these tips may help. Let’s take a closer look.

1. Eat tryptophan-rich foods

A 2007  study published in the Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience found that an increase in tryptophan in the body can increase the amount of serotonin released into the brain. Foods with high tryptophan content include eggs, cheese, tofu, pineapple, salmon, nuts, seeds, and turkey.

2. Exercise consistently

It’s sort of counterintuitive, because when you start to feel depressed all you really want to do is play couch surfer, but here’s the deal: when you’re feeling down, exercise is one of the best things you can do to improve your mood. A 2001 study published in Clinical Psychology Review found that aerobic exercise may have antidepressant effects on the brain by increasing serotonin. In some cases, exercise may work even better than medication.

3. Meditate

To use the tortoise and the hare reference, meditation is definitely the tortoise, and as a result, people can think that it’s not working. Its positive impact is subtle and can happen over years of practice. But according to Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa, meditation can help the mind heal itself at a deep level. Once this happens, it can regulate the release of serotonin in the brain. The key to a meditation practice is consistency. It’s not that you need to meditate for hours, but in order to see the benefits, you do need to do it daily. Start with ten minutes and increase gradually as you feel comfortable. If you find that you have trouble sitting, a few tips can help: Start first thing in the morning. Find a quiet place to sit up on a pillow. Set a timer, close the eyes, and begin to follow your breath.

4. Get a massage

Regular massage, as often as once or twice a month, can help with the release of serotonin in the brain. When you’re stressed it causes the release of cortisol in the brain also known as the fight or flight reaction. The release of cortisol can help us react when negative things like getting chased by a bear happen. Though it’s unlikely in the modern era that you’ll be chased by a predator, still, our caveman instincts persist. The only problem with cortisol is that when it’s present, stress-reducing chemicals like serotonin are less likely to be released. That’s where massage comes in. Massage reduces the release of cortisol in the body, and, as a result, it increases the release of serotonin in the brain. According to a 2005 study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, reducing cortisol increases serotonin. So, treat yourself. It can have a lasting impact.

5. Yoga

Generally speaking, yoga has been found to decrease depression for a number of reasons. It calms the body and mind, which can reduce stress and anxiety. Mindful breathing, an important component of the practice, sends a message to the central nervous system, which can also impact your mood. And certain poses, when done regularly, can help with the release of serotonin in the brain. These include shoulder stand and plough pose.

Shoulder Stand

1. Start off on your back.

2. Kick both legs over the head and then support the hips with your hands.

3. Move your hands down the back until your legs are vertical. Straighten and raise one leg at a time to point your feet upward.

4. Tuck the chin into the chest.

5. The gaze should be at the toes or if you’d prefer, close your eyes. Either way, follow your breath and try to avoid too much adjustment.

6. If possible, extend the amount of time you spend in shoulder stand until it’s about five minutes each time you practice.

7. Slowly release the feet down to the ground, or as far toward the ground as they will comfortably go. One vertebrae at a time, release back down to your back and hug the knees into the chest.

Plough Pose

1. You can move into this pose from shoulder stand or start lying on your back with your legs stretched out in front of you.

2. Raise one foot at a time over head. Kick the legs upward, reaching behind your head.

3. You can either place the hands on your lower back or clasp them behind the body.

4. Your feet may not extend all the way to the floor at first, but that’s the goal. Hold and breathe for five to ten breaths.

5. One vertebrae at a time, release back down to your back and hug the knees into the chest.

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A lack of natural light in your life can be disastrous. Here are some reasons to get outside, even when it’s cold.

For the past two days, the winter wind has been howling outside my door. This is not a metaphor. My home is tucked up against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and when the wind comes zooming down over the mountains, there’s only a wide open field between it and my front door. It sounds like a hurricane and always brings a chill.

Needless to say, my motivation to get outside in the natural light has been slim to none. But when I spend too many consecutive days holed up inside, I start to feel a very special type of crazy. Although we’re scared of what excessive sun exposure can do to our skin, natural light is pretty important to our health. When we don’t get enough, bad things can happen.

If the howling wind (or snow, ice, and freezing rain) has been keeping you indoors lately, here are nine compelling reasons to get outside in the natural light. Even if it’s only for a minute or two.

Natural Light: 9 Reasons Your Life Needs More Of It

1. Cancer Prevention – Let’s start with the jaw-dropper. That’s right, all of this time we’ve been thinking the sun = cancer when in fact regular exposure to natural light can actually help prevent this disease. In 2012, “a groundbreaking new meta-analysis on the sunlight – vitamin D connection, published in the journal Anticancer Research and based on data from over 100 countries, found ‘a strong inverse correlations with solar UVB for 15 types of cancer,’ with weaker, though still significant evidence for the protective role of sunlight in 9 other cancers,” reports GreenMedInfo. (Note: prolonged, unprotected exposure to sunlight is STILL correlated with skin cancer, however).

2. Healthier Skin – If you suffer from certain skin conditions, more exposure to natural light could be the key to gaining some relief. In one study, an outdoor four-week sunbathing therapy was shown to promote significant clearance of psoriasis symptoms in 84 percent of subjects.

3. Improved Mental Health – Natural light “…tends to elevate people’s mood, and there’s usually more light available outside than in. Physical activity has been shown to help people relax and cheer up, so if being outside replaces inactive pursuits with active ones, it might also mean more smiles,” reports the Harvard Health Letter. “One solid study found that sunlight actually increases levels of a natural antidepressant in the brain. On sunny days, the brain produces more of the mood-lifting chemical serotonin than on darker days,” writes Dr. Michael Murray for Care2.com.

4. Stronger Bones – “In building bone, calcium has an indispensable assistant: vitamin D. This vitamin helps the body absorb calcium, and some researchers think that increasing vitamin D can help prevent osteoporosis,” reports the Harvard Medical School.

5. Better Concentration – A recent study found an association between the amount of natural light exposure and the severity of ADHD symptoms in some children. Researchers found that “sunny” regions with high solar intensity, such as the U.S. states of California, Arizona, and Colorado, and countries like Spain and Mexico have lower prevalence of ADHD. The authors speculate that this may be related to sunlight’s effects on our biological clock and sleep patterns.

6. Sharper Vision – While you should never look directly at the sun, and always wear sunglasses in extremely bright situations (the beach, or a sunny winter day), some research suggests that natural light is a great optometrist. Scientists have found a correlation between lack of sun exposure and nearsightedness–the more time spent outdoors, the less likely children were to develop poor eyesight.

7. Faster Healing – Some research shows that the sun plays a key role in recovery from injury or illness. “People recovering from spinal surgery experienced less pain and stress and took fewer pain medications when they were exposed to natural light. An older study showed that the view out the window (trees vs. a brick wall) helped recovery in the hospital,” reports the Harvard Health Letter.

8. Sounder Sleep – Our bodies take cues from the natural environment. The amount of natural light we’re exposed to during the day helps tell our internal clock when it’s time to rest. If you’re having trouble sleeping, the answer could be to spend more time outdoors on sunny days.

9. Healthier Weight – If the sun is shining, we’re more likely to get up from the couch and move around outdoors. But the connection between natural light and a healthy weight goes even deeper. Sunlight is known to encourage production of vitamin D and serotonin, both of which play a role in weight management.

How To Safely Reap The Benefits Of Natural Light

The key to enjoying the benefits of natural light is to be careful “A small amount of sun exposure can help your body manufacture its own vitamin D — about five to 30 minutes of sunlight between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. twice a week to your face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen will enable you to make enough of the vitamin. People with fair skin that burns easily should protect themselves from skin cancer by limiting sun exposure to 10 minutes or less,” explains the Harvard Medical School. Food and sun exposure should suffice, but if not, some experts advise getting 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily from a supplement.

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Images: geralt, giuliamar, marcygallery

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It’s not preposterous to think your next resource for revamping your home is not ASID but ANFA: The Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture.

It is the mission of this think tank, and others like it, to promote and advance knowledge bridging neuroscience research to how we humans respond to our built environments.

Apparently, so much new information in this area has surfaced in the last two decades, excited architects, designers and scientists are calling it the new Renaissance in physical design.

There are even books being published on the subject, such as Inquiry By Design: Environment Behavior/Neuroscience in Architecture, Interiors, Landscape and Planning by John Zeisel, a consultant to ANFA.

His book covers the new field of neuroscience for design by describing the creative design process, how buildings and spaces work , and observations of behavior in the physical environment. We’ve seem a similar collaborative direction in green design as visionaries from various areas of expertise band together to work towards the common goal of sustainability.

Savvy architects and designers have always considered color, light, scale and layout as room elements that are important to pleasing their clients. But the neuroscience aspect goes much deeper to explore how one’s habitat triggers hormones that add stress, invite calm or stimulate thought. A room can even make one feel loved. It’s all about how you’re wired.

For me, order is the mother of invention. When everything is in its place, I’m happy as a meticulous clam. For others, the more disorganized and cluttered the room, the better. Those with teenage daughters know what I’m talking about. It all boils down to controlling all the little things we put in the cage. Hey, it’s true for hamsters and it’s true for us, as well.

“The premise is to consider how each feature of the architectural environment influences certain brain processes such as those involved in stress, emotion and memory,” Eve Edelstein, Ph.D. explains, in a recent article from Oprah. Edelstein, another consultant to ANFA, is an adjunct professor at the NewSchool of Architecture & Design in San Diego.

In terms of tips for influencing happy feelings, these experts point to designing good vantage points in the main gathering rooms, such as the kitchen or great room. Here, the ideal floor plan includes a view of the entryway, a window onto a pretty landscaped yard and a fireplace.

“Being in the kitchen links you to hardwired feelings of comfort – beyond getting food, there’s a sense of protection, warmth, sociability, sharing stories,” says Zeisel. He explains how Alzheimer’s patients need visual clues like pictures and objects to connect them with their lives, and the same clues aid the average homeowner in feeling grounded. These might include family photos or books you’ve read and enjoyed.

Zeisel adds that having a place to feel safe and to gather is especially important after a busy work day when we can feel anxiety, fear and stress brought on by an adrenaline rush. He says it’s good to face into rooms that you create to see what is going on and feel more in control.

“Then oxytocin, the bonding hormone, and serotonin, associated with relaxation and enjoyment, have a greater chance of being released.”

Other features that help: big windows or a balcony for seeing the weather; curvy edges instead of hard ones on counter, furniture and cabinets to feel more content; original art and sculpture to convey a sense of authenticity and trust; privacy via a room of your own away from the noise.

My favorite component, however, is the idea that rearranging one’s decor is actually a healthy habit that keeps your environs from going stale.

My husband compares me to a little hamster re-shuffling its cage when I spend hours rearranging photo collections and switching around pillows. See! I’m just moving energy, sweetie, and doing that neuroarchitecture thing. Brain scientists say it’s good for me. And think of all the money we’re saving on therapy!

Image: Fernanda Mancini

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No downer beef, if you please. But gimme slabs of chocolate and cheese –  and all of the other upper foods that help effect serotonin and dopamine, the two neurotransmitters in the old brain. Who says the Gods must be crazy? We’ve sampled the forbidden fruit and want more! Give us more!

Dopamine is related to pleasure and euphoria while serotonin has to do with mood, memory and sleep. Both of these pathways can be stimulated by food, as well as by exposure to light and exercise.

No food, of course, should replace prescribed medication for serious depression (unless your doctor and nutritionist sign off on it). But for many of us, who are only slightly depressed from the realities of life, they can provide a little boost (yippee!) as well as antioxidant properties and nutritional fiber.

To compile a list of those happy foods, I went to Mindy Dopler Nelson, a post-doctorate research fellow at Standford University specializing in nutrition biology. Before handing over her list, she told me not all foods affect people the same way.

Mindy Dopler Nelson, PhD, Stanford University

“What gives you comfort is going to vary across culture, age, gender and psychological factors as a result of your life experiences,” says Nelson. “Each hormone or neurotrasmitter in the brain has to bind to something to make it active. What it binds to are called receptors and they aren’t the same in everyone.”

Researchers have found that if you are exposed to high fat and sugar early in life, you tend to develop more of a craving for it to boost your spirits. There also is a genetic factor. Some of us (35% of the population) simply don’t have as many receptors and tend to be overweight due to a need for more happy foods to get the same effect as those with ample receptors. In other words, you might be satisfied with just one piece of California Brittle from a box of Sees Candies while gluttons like me must devour the box. I love you Mary! I love you soooo much!

“One food across the board everyone is going to agree with is chocolate,” adds Nelson. ” That’s because it contains the chemical phenylethylamine which releases dopamine.” The compound is thought to be  responsible for the high you experience after eating chocolate because it releases natural feel-good chemicals called endorphins in your brain.

According to All Chocolate, PEA is released by the brain when people are falling in love, and this might explain why chocolate and Valentines Day are so closely linked.

Here is Nelson’s breakdown of what you can choose to beat the blues:

Image:  Suavehouse

Chocolate: Chocolate is a stimulant that will release the dopamine that creates that pleasure feeling. It’s in the cocoa. There’s more of it in dark chocolate than in milk chocolate. But there’s something about the fat in the milk that also will make you feel good. Some people associate a comfort food with a high-fat food. There also are antioxidants in the dark chocolate, but watch the dosage! Excess can be harmful for your liver and pile on the pounds. Dopamine has an amphedamine effect, hence the term chocoholic. You also cannot ignore the fact it contains mucho caffeine that will keep you up at night. (And if you don’t get enough sleep it will effect your serotonin level.)

Image:  FotoosVanRobin

Cheese: The thing to be careful about is the fat, but if you go with the potent tasting cheeses, you can usually still get the phenyl while eating a moderate amount. You eat less because it is so strong. And remember, go organic when you can.

Image: Saquan Stimpson/Monstershaq

Almonds: As a raw snack food, they have good fats associated with reducing the risk of heart disease. But eat them in small doses because they also can promote weight gain and headaches. Many amines can cause headaches triggered by foods like almonds, so people prone to migraines are told to stay away from them.

Image: hikljgk

Red Wine: Wine has the phenyl in it, as well, and you also get the benefit of the antioxidant resveratrol, which helps your heart. Many people like to pair wine with other upper foods like chocolate and cheese. Although we think more is better, when it comes to wine and beer, this is a case where you need just enough. More is not better.

Image: Avlxyz

Tomatoes: In addition to having phenyl, they have lycopene, an antioxidant associated with reducing the risks of some types of cancer, especially prostate cancer. Imagine a glass of wine with cheese and tomatoes, sliced apples and chocolate to top it off!

Image:  Beeside

Apples: The skin, especially in red apples, has antioxidant properties, plus the benefits of fiber which is a tectin that can help lower cholesterol. It binds it. That’s why the American Cancer Society touts apples as a great snack. You can overdose on these, too, because of the natural sugars. But they are an ideal choice when you eat a reasonable portion.

Nelson adds that additional foods high in tyrosine get converted to dopamine, but there is no guarantee that just because a food is high in these compounds, the tyrosine or tryptophan will cross the brain barrier to increase dopamine or serotonin.

Among these foods are chicken (390 mcgs of tryrptophan); salmon (250 mcgs of tryptophan); tofu (280 mcgs of tryptophan); eggs (200 mcgs of tryptophan); milk (220 mcgs of tryptophan) and yogurt (140 mcgs of tryptophan).

Main image: Zara

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