Hormones are the chemical messengers in your body. Glands release hormones into your bloodstream, which work on various organs and tissues to control everything from your body’s function to your mood.
One group of hormones are nicknamed the “feel-good hormones” because of the happy and, sometimes, euphoric feelings they produce. They’re also known as neurotransmitters, which implies they transport information between nerve cells. What are the four feel-good hormones? Dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin.
Simple lifestyle adjustments, such as diet, exercise, and meditation, can help you increase the levels of these hormones and possibly improve your mood in the process.
Do you need a supplement?
Diet, exercise, and spending time with the people you care about are all natural strategies to boost the amount of feel-good hormones in your brain. It’s tempting to go for a supplement as a fast pick-me-up in the effort to feel better and avoid depression.
Supplementing these hormones isn’t necessary for most people. Supplements can also have unfavorable and even dangerous side effects in some situations. 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) tablets, for example, can aid to raise serotonin levels in the brain. However, their use has been associated to liver and brain damage, as well as eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS), an uncommon but potentially fatal disorder that affects the muscles, skin, and lungs.
It’s a good idea to check with your doctor before taking any supplements to make sure the product you want to buy is safe for you. Unless you’re deficient in a certain hormone, you might not even require a supplement. If you have a disorder like Parkinson’s disease, which is characterised by abnormally low levels of one of these hormones, your doctor can prescribe medication to treat it.
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The following are links to articles that discuss each of the four feel-good hormones and how they function:
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