Serotonin and dopamine

Important Harmones

Serotonin, Dopamine, Cortisol, and Melatonin

The body has a vital hormone called Cortisol, which is the body's chief stress fighting hormone. When Cortisol secretion is high, the body shifts to a "war footing". It is prepared for stress conditions such as hunger, trauma, hemorrhage, fighting, or running. Ordinarily, one's Cortisol drops substantially in the evening, as one relaxes, settles down, and prepares for sleep.

There are three Happy Messengers: SEROTONIN, NORADRENALIN, and DOPAMINE. These are the brain chemicals that begin to malfunction when stress levels become more than a person can handle.

SEROTONIN LETS YOU SLEEP

The Happy Messenger, Serotonin, must work properly in order for you to sleep well. Serotonin is responsible for making sure that your body's physiology is set for sleeping. If Serotonin does not do its job properly, you will not be able to obtain a restful sleep, no matter how hard you try.

SEROTONIN SETS YOUR BODY CLOCK

Inside every one of our brains is a very accurate "Clock". This time keeping apparatus functions like the conductor of a symphony orchestra. Just as the conductor of the orchestra keeps all the various instruments playing in rhythm, so the Body Clock keeps all the various functions of your body coordinated, and moving to the same rhythm.

The Body Clock is located deep in the center of the brain, in a little group of cells known as the Pineal Gland. Within the Pineal Gland is a store-house of the messenger Serotonin, which is the chemical "mainspring" of the Clock. Each day the Serotonin is chemically converted to a related compound, Melatonin; and then the Melatonin is converted right back to Serotonin. The whole cycle from Serotonin to Melatonin and back to Serotonin takes 24- 25 hours and this forms your Body's Clock.

Every 24 hours, your body temperature cycles from high to low, varying by as much as one degree. When it is time to wake up and be active, your body temperature rises slightly. When it is time to fall asleep, your body temperature dips slightly. Most of us have felt how difficult it is to fall asleep on a very warm night, when you toss and turn and wish you could cool off.

Noradrenalin: Giving Us Energy

I am sure you have all heard of "Adrenalin". When you are frightened, Adrenalin is released into your blood stream by your adrenal glands. Your heart beats faster, blood flow is shunted away from your skin and intestines and towards your muscles. Perspiration appears on your palms and forehead. You are ready for "fight or flight". A cousin of Adrenalin, named Noradrenalin is one of the Happy Messengers. Noradrenalin has many important functions in the body's nervous system. The one that most concerns us here, however, is the role of Noradrenalin in setting your energy levels. Proper functioning of Noradrenalin in the brain is essential for you to feel energized. Without enough brain Noradrenalin you feel exhausted, tired, droopy and without energy. You just don't feel like doing anything. You just wantto sit.

People with Noradrenalin failure become progressively more and more lethargic. They do not seem to have any energy to do anything. Running your brain with low Noradrenalin is akin to running your car with a failing battery. Sooner or later, it just won't start.

Dopamine: Your Pleasure and Your Pain

As you probably know, morphine and heroin are the most potent pain relieving and pleasure producing medications known to man. They are so potent in fact, that they were long believed to mimic some unknown, but naturally occurring, body chemical. A recent technological advance has led to the remarkable uncovering of natural morphine-like molecules that are, indeed, made in each of our brains. Collectively, these substances are known as ENDORPHINS, and they are responsible for regulating our moment to moment awareness of pain.

It appears that in the discovery of Endorphins we have found our body's naturally occurring mechanism for regulating pain. It is likely that a certain baseline secretion of Endorphin occurs at all times in the body. Under certain conditions, this Endorphin secretion may rise, making the person relatively insensitive to pain. Under other conditions, the Endorphin levels may drop, making a person more sensitive than usual to pain.

Individual variations of Endorphin level would explain the observation that people may react with differing levels of perceived pain when suffering the same painful stimulus. In medical practice it is quite common to see one person with an injury have very little discomfort, while another person with a very similar injury has terrible discomfort. In the past we have said that such unusual suffering was "all in the person's head".

Now we may speculate that what is different in that person's head is the Endorphin level. Hence, the person who seems to have an unusual amount of discomfort from what appears to be a trivial injury, probably is feeling more pain. For some reason, his body's own pain control mechanism has been depleted of Endorphins.

Now, our third Happy Messenger, Dopamine, seems to be concentrated in areas of the brain immediately adjacent to where the major Endorphin releasing mechanisms lie. When Dopamine function declines, Endorphin function also declines. Hence, when too much stress causes failure of Dopamine function, it also causes loss of your body's natural "pain killer".

Dopamine also runs your body's "Pleasure Center". This is the area of your brain that allows you to enjoy life. When stress interferes with your Dopamine function, the Pleasure Center becomes inoperative. Normally pleasureful activities no longer give any pleasure. With severe Dopamine/Endorphin malfunction, life becomes painful and devoid of any pleasure.

Serotonin is another neurotransmitter, also know as feel-good neurotransmitter involved in the ability to resist impulses, plays a major role in emotional disorders such as depression, suicide, impulsive behavior, and aggression.

Serotonin is also involved in temperature regulation, sensory perception, and mood control.

Serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters that provide you chemically with the feeling of satisfaction and pleasure. When levels of these neurotransmitters are low, you can experience depression. The brain produces dopamine from the essential amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine, reports the Stanley Medical Research Institute and serotonin from the amino acid tryptophan, according to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Foods that contain vitamin B-6 and those that increase tyrosine or tryptophan in the body help to establish healthy levels of both dopamine and serotonin.

Vitamin B-6

Consuming foods that contain vitamin B-6 is necessary for the synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health. Vitamin B-6 aids in the conversion of proteins in food into the amino acids necessary for the production of both dopamine and serotonin. These foods have a positive impact on increased focus, concentration, mental well-being and the feeling of pleasure.

Tryptophan and Tyrosine

Your body makes serotonin from the amino acid tryptophan. You can increase levels of tryptophan by eating turkey, walnuts, almonds, pecans, chestnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, black-eyed peas, swiss cheese, gruyere and cheddar cheese. Other foods that provide lesser amounts of tryptophan are whole grains, dairy products and rice. Almonds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and dairy products also help produce dopamine. These foods calm the nerves and help in stress management. Tyrosine is an amino acid that triggers dopamine production and keeps your brain alert. It is found in cashews, pine nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and whole grains. Tyrosine is also found in yogurt, cheese, milk, cottage cheese, turkey, chicken, soy products, fish, avocados, bananas, peanuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and lima beans, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants. They protect neurons that use dopamine from being damaged by free radicals. Eat several servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily for optimal brain function.

Sugar and Refined Foods

Simple carbohydrates, such as sugar and refined white flour products, interfere with brain function and can lower levels of dopamine. Eliminate these foods from your diet as much as possible, and substitute whole grains and sweet fruits that contribute to dopamine production.

Avoid Saturated Fats

Saturated fats, such as those found in butter and fatty red meat, can also interfere with brain function because they can clog the arteries in the brain and hinder the flow of dopamine and serotonin. Substitute unhealthy fats with vegetable oils and omega-3s in nuts.