More than 100 years ago, in 1905, Earnest Staling coined the word hormone, following a discovery of the first hormone secretin in 1902.
Since then the field of endocrinology has rapidly evolved and advanced.
Today, it's hard to have a conversation without someone mentioning hormones or suggesting that their or your symptoms may have something to do with hormones.
More than 50 hormones have been identified in the human body, but it's these three (3) feel good hormones that have the greatest impact on your mood.
Three hormones that regulate mood and promote positive feelings:
Oxytocin
Dopamine
Melatonin
In this blog I'll explain what each hormone does and provide actionable tips for how to nourish these feel good hormones to experience good mood for years to come.
Oxytocin - the love hormone, hypothalamic neuroendocrine peptide is produced in the brain, in the hypothalamus.
Oxytocin plays a key role during labor, breastfeeding, and sexual activity. It's released during a physical activity, like exercise. For me, Zumba class releases oxytocin flow.
You can naturally release oxytocin when you engage in a deep and meaningful conversation with a loved one, and because oxytocin is a calming hormone, it also helps you feel more relaxed and in-turn reduces stress.
Consider how you feel when you're surrounded by your loved ones, or watching your favorite comedy and laughing? - I'm assuming, you're not feeling stressed in those moments.
Yes, it's intuitive, but we forget to laugh and create time to for soulful conversation. These are simple off-plate foods that naturally release the love hormone - oxytocin.
What's really cool, is that oxytocin has been shown to heal the heart. It's been shown to stimulate stem cells from the heart's outer layer to move into the middle layer, through contractions of the heart muscle, helping regenerate heart cells and promoting healing post heart attack. As the saying goes "laughter is the best medicine" and now you know why.
Other health benefits of oxytocin include:
Reduced inflammation,
Boosts Immunity,
Reduces stress and anxiety,
Improved social awareness skills in those with autism.
Love hormone Oxytocin makes us feel good, and heals too, so here is how to take action.
Take action:
Spend time laughing and in the company of your loved ones. Express gratitude often. Snuggle up, while watching a comedy and let yourself LOL. As you do this, relax and nourish yourself, you'll be naturally balancing hormones at the same time. Win- Win!
Dopamine - the 'feel good hormone'. Or, you may know it, as a dopamine fix.
Just think, how many times a day, do you crave a dopamine-fix?
We intuitively associate the feel-good mood with a habit, like a runner's high.
For me, dopamine fix comes from surfing.
What's yours, what gives you a dopamine fix?
Dopamine is produced in the brain, specifically the hypothalamus. It's key role is to give you pleasure by eating, drinking, reproducing, competing - all the ways that keep us alive. It's required for survival.
Certain foods, drinks, even physical activity can trigger a dopamine fix, making you go back for more. And this is why certain foods and activities can be so addictive. The release of dopamine, makes you feel great so you crave more which can be a good thing or create a vicious cycle.
Dopamine impacts cognition, memory, movement, sleep, arousal, reward and motivation.
When dopamine levels are low, you may feel unmotivated, sad, or tired and experience low mood, insomnia, and even a loss of pleasure.
I like to focus on dopamine with my clients, when we first start working together. As they establish healthy habits, we tie that dopamine fix that they get, by associating certain healthy habits, like sleeping better, eating better, moving more. Once they experience that dopamine fix, they feel good and it motivates them to keep going.
It all comes naturally and clients quickly make an association, that they can get a dopamine fix from healthy habits, that sustain their energy and mood, and help them build a healthy and happy life.
Take action - notice what gives you a 'dopamine fix' and if it's nourishing or starving your health. It's common to crave false dopamine fixes in order to avoid pain. If you're not sure, if your chosen dopamine fix is nourishing or starving your health, gift yourself a FREE Health Session to learn more.
Melatonin - the "sleep hormone" is a derivative of the amino acid tryptophan, produced in the brain, released by the pineal gland. It's primary function is to regulate the circadian rhythm (sleep-awake cycle) but it does so much more, like regulate menstrual cycle. rising during luteal phase and dropping during hormonal transitions from perimenopause to post menopause.
Melatonin is found everywhere in the body that mitochondria (energy source) are. It’s support a healthy mitochondria and has been shown to protect against age-related health conditions.
Melatonin is also synthesized in the gut, and studies show there may be a link between melatonin, gut health, and gut motility.
When you wake up and get daylight first thing in the morning, which is the rule in our house, daylight before blue light, you signal to your body that melatonin levels can naturally lower, and cortisol can come in because you're about to get going and start your day. Your body already knows how to do this naturally. This intricate dance between hormones occurs when we get sleep, and as a result hormones are balanced naturally.
As the night approaches and daylight is reduced, melatonin naturally increases, letting the body unwind, relax and rest (aka, time for sleep!). Higher levels of melatonin will lower respiration rate and body temperature, preparing your body for sleep.
Chronically high levels of melatonin, hypermelatoninemia rarely occurs naturally, but can occur if taking too much of a melatonin supplement or melatonin sleep medications. Symptoms of hypermelatoninemia include sleepiness during the day, dizziness, and lowered body temperature, and it’s also been related to several disorders, including PCOS, anorexia nervosa, and hypogonadism.
On the flip side, if you're struggling to get a good solid night's sleep, it's possible that your melatonin levels are low, also referred to as a hypomelatoninemia. If you fall asleep quickly, but then wake-up more than a few hours later, overtime, these sleep-wake patterns can lead to high blood pressure, obesity, insulin resistance, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes or breast or prostate cancer. This is why I tell my clients, sleep is the core pillar of health. It's essential - melatonin impacts all areas of your health, not just your sleep.
Take action: Nourish your melatonin production, naturally. Experiment with eating the biggest meal of day, earlier vs late evening. Eating earlier in the day, when sun is highest in the sky, is when your digestion is the strongest, and allows your body to release melatonin as the night approaches. Your body intuitively slows metabolism, as it prepares to rest, repair, and restore during sleep. Otherwise, overtime, eating late meals increase your risk of diabetes.
Naturally balance melatonin with sleep
How to Nourish Your Good Mood Hormones on-plate?
In addition to the strategies offered above, which include foods off- plate, in this section, I'll share how to nourish your good mood hormones on- plate.
Oxytocin supporting foods:
Home cooked meals
Warming Soups, like: Nourishing Minestrone Soup
Nourishing Strews, like Sweet Potatoes and Chickpea
Nourishing Bowls, like Nourishing Green Bowl
Warm bread and butter
Hot chocolate / Tea
Dopamine supporting foods:
Apples,
Avocados,
Beets,
Fava beans,
Green leafy veggies,
Oregano,
Turmeric
Melatonin supporting foods:
Almonds,
Tart Cherries,
Goji Berries,
Pistachios,
Mushrooms,
Legumes and Seeds,
Oats,
Walnuts
My favorite way to support melatonin production is to savor a small handful of pistachios and dried tart cherries as a night-time nourishment snack.
In addition to all the resources provided here, be sure to check out Sleep Saboteurs: foods that reck your night's rest. Before adding more in, it's a good idea to crowed-out any foods that may be recking your sleep.
In summary, give one of these strategies a try, weather it's food on your plate or food that surrounds your plate, and support feel good hormones naturally. Thinking about the connection between foods off your plate and on your plate, because your lifestyle and hormones influence your mood.
If you're ready to implement these strategies and get support in evaluating areas where you that can gain the greatest impact on your health, let's connect.
During your complimentary health audit, we will explore areas that can be adjusted to help support hormonal balance naturally, and to feel great.
Unlock your full potential and reclaim your greatest wealth, your HEALTH with personalized health and nutrition coaching tailored for you.
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