.png)
The human body is complex.
Your nervous system is a vast network of nerves that send and receive signals all over your body, controlling everything from your mind, muscles, and organ functions. In other words, everything you do, think and feel.
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that carry messages throughout your body and between nerve cells in the brain. Your body can’t function without them. And serotonin is just one of these chemicals.
Below, we’ll be exploring serotonin and mood regulation, how to increase serotonin naturally, and the relationship between medical cannabis and serotonin. Since 2018, medical cannabis has been legally available on prescription through licensed clinics like Alternaleaf for 50+ conditions. You can find out if you’re eligible by completing the quick questionnaire on our website.
Serotonin & Dopamine: What’s the Difference?
Dopamine and serotonin are both neurotransmitters, but they have different functions. Serotonin is sometimes referred to as your body’s “feel good” chemical. When levels are normal, it helps you focus, and feel more emotionally stable, happier and calmer. Dopamine is associated with feelings of rewards, motivation, and productivity.
Both are considered ‘happy hormones’.
What Does Serotonin Do To The Body?
Serotonin plays a key role in regulating lots of different body functions, such as:
- Mood: As we mentioned above, serotonin is associated with feelings of happiness, focus and calm.
- Sleep: Serotonin, alongside dopamine, contributes to how well and how long you sleep. Serotonin is also needed to make melatonin, a hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle.
- Digestion: Your gut can use serotonin to speed digestion. It also helps rid your body of irritating foods or toxic products. Serotonin also helps reduce your appetite as you eat.
- Nausea: You’ll feel nausea if serotonin is released into your gut faster than it can be digested.
- Wound healing and blood clotting: Serotonin causes tiny blood vessels, called arterioles, to narrow. This slows blood flow and helps form clots. This is an important part of wound healing.
- Bone health: When serotonin levels in your gut are too high, it could lead to weak bones and bone breaks.
- Sexual desire: Serotonin interacts with dopamine to increase your desire for sex.
- Learning
- Memory
- Happiness
- Body temperature
- Hunger/Appetite
Signs of Low Serotonin Levels
When someone has low levels of serotonin, it’s usually because:
- The body simply isn’t producing enough
- The body isn’t effectively using it, usually because there aren’t enough serotonin receptors or the receptors aren’t working properly
Although there’s still a lot to learn, when serotonin levels are too low or too high, it can potentially lead to physical and physiological health problems. Low levels of serotonin could possibly be associated with:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Sleep problems
- Tiredness/lack of energy
- Digestive problems
- Suicidal behavior
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Panic disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Phobias
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
And that’s where medical cannabis comes in.
CBD vs THC for Serotonin Boost: Which One Works Better?
The cannabis plant produces over 100 cannabinoids, or compounds, and two of these are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning it doesn’t make you feel ‘high’. THC is psychoactive, so can be behind that ‘high’ feeling recreational cannabis use is sometimes associated with.
There’s some evidence to suggest medical cannabis can help increase serotonin. So, let’s dive into how medical cannabis affects serotonin, and any evidence we have that supports that.
CBD and serotonin interaction
CBD has shown to have anti-anxiety effects, and as we mentioned above, this condition can be associated with low levels of serotonin. So, CBD could potentially reduce symptoms of anxiety and anxiety disorders. And this is potentially partly due to its interactions with the serotonin (5-HT) receptor.
THC and serotonin boost
THC and CBD work by interacting with the central nervous system, the immune system, and your endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a messenger and receptor system that is integral to homeostasis (the management of balance) within the human body. It influences and modulates pretty much every single function within your body, directing, correcting and managing your overall health.
One of the core components of the ECS are the cannabinoid receptors, which includes CB1 and CB2. They’re one of the main reasons behind why medical cannabis might work so positively on so many different conditions. Many experts believe that, by consuming cannabinoids, it’s possible to interact with these receptors.
THC is chemically similar to your body’s endocannabinoids which is why it can interact with your cannabinoid receptors. It binds with the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors and releases neurotransmitters in your brain. This is what can produce a ‘high’, but it depends on the dosage level, individual and symptoms being treated. If you’re worried, have a conversation with your clinician to decide what the best dosage or form is for you.
The CB1 receptors are primarily found in the central nervous system (CNS). When THC binds to the CB1 receptors in the CNS, it can affect appetite and pain. And when we experience less pain, it can affect our overall mood and quality of life.
But more clinical evidence is needed to fully understand the relationship between medical cannabis and serotonin.
Natural Ways to Increase Serotonin
Changing up your lifestyle could give you the serotonin boost you need. There are plenty of natural serotonin boosters that you can try alongside medical cannabis treatment, and we’ve explored some below for you.
Foods that increase serotonin
Serotonin can be made from the amino acid, tryptophan, and this just so happens to be naturally found in lots of foods. So, eating things like salmon, eggs, cheese, turkey, tofu, pineapples, nuts, oats and seeds, could possibly increase serotonin levels.
More research is needed on this though. Tryptophan has to compete with other amino acids to be absorbed into your brain. It’s quite complex, which is why scientists are still studying it.
Sunlight
For some people, a lack of exposure to sunlight can lead to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Increasing serotonin levels can help. Even if it’s just 10 to 15 minutes of sunlight every day, you’ll find you’re boosting not only serotonin levels, but also vitamin D.
Supplements
Dietary supplements like tryptophan (which we discussed above) and probiotics can increase serotonin. As can herbal supplements, like nutmeg and ginseng.
Exercise
Regular exercise, whether it’s stretching, aerobics, strength training, or going for a walk in the sun, is known to increase serotonin levels.
Summary
So, you could change your lifestyle to boost levels of serotonin. Or you could look to THC and CBD for anxiety and depression, and lots of other conditions that can be affected by low or high levels of serotonin. But whatever you do, one thing is clear. Serotonin can play a huge role in mood regulation. And sometimes, a mixture of medical cannabis, sunlight, exercise and a good diet all together will have the most pronounced effect.
The best thing to do is speak to your Doctor or clinician, or seek the help of a licensed medical cannabis clinic like Alternaleaf if you’re considering medical cannabis treatment. Find out if you’re eligible by heading to our website and completing our 30 second questionnaire.