Happiness Chemicals; Dopamine, Neurotransmitters, and Beyond

Many of us have been depressed, and yet we have great lives. We have friends who are nice to us, family who care, and a good environment. So why are we so sad, unhappy, or hopeless? Welcome to the world of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are what make your nerves function, they tell you what to feel. Depending on the amount of negative or positive energy they give out, they can calm you down, excite you, or make you euphoric. Lack of them can be felt in the deadness that defines depression. Anybody who has gone through real depression knows it isn’t a passionate sadness, rather it is complete disconnection. Believe it or not, this is all entailed by our lack of activity and involvement. We are active creatures and our bodies depend on activity. If we get enough activity, our body craves food. This craving, or hunger, is only really satiated by proteins. And proteins are what create your neurotransmitters. And neurotransmitters are responsible for your feelings. One day of no exercise, dieting, etc. could trigger a chain reaction that could harm your whole life. So, in this article, we’ll discuss neurotransmitters and their effect on your physical and emotional health. These neurotransmitters are responsible for a lot including emotions we consider positive; social happiness, that comfy calmness, the feeling of success, the drive of motivation, and in general happiness and satisfaction. The neurotransmitters responsible for these amazing feelings are serotonin, dopamine, norepinephine, melatonin, and oxytocin. Amino acids (proteins) responsible for their upkeep are trytophan and tyrosine, and enzymes in general. Also another euphoric chemical is endorphins. In this article we’ll go over each one, what it’s responsible for, what triggers it, how to protect it, and how to support it.

Melatonin

Melatonin is primarily responsible for your circadian rhythm, or your biological cycles. Sun = awake and energized, descending dark = tiredness. Disrupted melatonin means lethargic tiredness or insomnia. Melatonin amounts are triggered primarily by the sun, its ultraviolet rays, and the vitamins it helps us create. Melatonin can make you unhappy because you body isn’t properly giving you enough energy or too much. This can give you a feeling of hopelessness. You feel it will go on forever-you will never get back to the balance of enough energy and enough tiredness. To prevent melatonin, listen to your body when it says it’s tired. Whenever you feel tired, go to sleep if you can to regain your sleeping ability. Also, enzymes and proteins are important to all neurotransmitters. This is why it’s important to follow the Harvard food pyramid rather than the USDA food pyramid. Why? The USDA food pyramid is based rather on upping sales for unhealthy grains, a major US product, whereas the Harvard food pyramid is actually based on keeping you healthy. Since raw foods-fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans-are on the pyramid, you are provided with enzymes, which are essential to health. Also, it recognizes that you should get your proteins from legumes and super-high protein meats such as fish, animals, and eggs. Enzymes protect melatonin and neurotransmitters in general, and proteins are the medium on which they work, so they are important and what increase them. Also, neurotransmitters are easily oxidized, which means that you should be getting enough antioxidants. There are many antioxidant products on the nutrition market; it’s just a matter of research.

Oxytocin

This is the social neurotransmitter which is a peptide, or combination of several proteins. Unlike melatonin, for example, it isn’t supported by just one amino acid (serotonin’s would be trypophan). This simply means to get oxytocin, you should be caring for you proteins on a whole. For oxytocin, it’s also important to get natural oils, or HDLs, as well as rich fruits such as avocados and bananas. So what is oxytocin? It’s called the love chemical because it responds to more social matters. Your levels will rise with touch and will decrease with negative social encounters-like an insult-and even just thinking a negative thought. Oxytocin is easy to obtain once you know what triggers it for you personally. For some people, a massage may be what gives them this chemical, for other people it’s a long hug or close contact to somebody they love. You’ll know you are getting lots of oxytocin because you feel great love for the person near you. Only you know what love feels to you, but this is partially due to levels of oxytocin.

Serotonin

Serotonin, the well-being chemical, is important for the feeling of happiness whereas oxytocin is love and melatonin is balance and peace. You may be asking at this point, what are neurotransmitters? Neurotransmitters are the chemicals we’ve been discussing that are kept in bunches inside your nerve cells. Your brain orders certain neurotransmitters to be released at certain times. When ordered, the neurotransmitters are released and attach to protein receptors. Then, they either excite or inhibit electrical charges that effect emotions and hormone levels. For example, they excite you when you have to fight; they calm you down when you’re in pain. Basically, they are your responses. Anyway, serotonin, the happiness, well-being chemical, is achieved in much the same way as melatonin and oxytocin. High protein foods are imperative to trypophan, the protein that creates serotonin. To prevent it from being oxidized, get your antioxidants.

Endorphins

Lastly come endorphins. Endorphins aren’t really neurotransmitters. Rather, they are numbers, calmers, for intense situations. It is responsible for tanners and runner’s high-feelings of euphoria that dedicated tanning salon customers and runners get. Basically, when the body feels it is in harm or being harmed, endorphins are released. These aren’t really that able when it comes to fighting depression. But they are great to get you motivated for exercise. Endorphins come during exercise, sexual activity, spicy foods, bodywork such as harsher massage and acupuncture and warmth. It’s debated whether or not endorphins are released during meditation since no real harm is coming to somebody who is meditating.

In summary

It’s a bit surreal learning that your emotions are for the most part chemicals. But it’s important to keep up your body’s basic anatomy. Get your antioxidants, proteins, and enzymes. You will be glowing, happy, and functioning at your best. There’s no diet in the world better than that. Believe it or not, chemical imbalances can be solved by basic exercise and eating. Don’t believe you have to take every pill on the shelf and its brother to be happy. You don’t. Chemical balance, and in turn, the biological aspect of happiness, is close and in reach.