Unlike feelings and emotions, moods are less exact. They are not as intense and not usually something that you can incite. Moods are not always connected to a cause, and although moods are not usually as powerful as many of your feelings, they have sway. How can I lift my mood naturally? Here’s how you can boost your mood.
Major Factors that Affect Mood
Our moods are guided by two key elements, which are our inner concentration and our bodily processes. Inner concentration is basically our attitude. For instance, it’s how we explain what happens to us and how we talk to ourselves. Bodily processes are biochemical elements such as hormones, brain function and nutrition.
Mood can be tied to the body’s microbiome, the group of microbes that live in the gastrointestinal tract. According to healthline, the gut produces an estimated 90% of the body’s serotonin. This means that when your gut is healthy, your mood may be healthy as well.
In some cases, how you feel is the result of a temporary situation like losing a job, breaking up with a partner or experiencing the death of a loved one. The way that you feel may also be because of lasting challenges such as health problems or mental issues. Regardless of if a gloomy mood is recent or lengthy and constant, changing it requires you to modify your inner dialogue and body processes.
Why You Need a Good Night of Sleep
Mental stress and a lack of quality sleep are two major elements that impact mood. What is the best natural mood stabilizer? One of the fastest ways to heighten your mood is to improve your sleep hygiene. As much as researchers have studied human sleep, it is a body process that remains somewhat mysterious. However, sleep is valuable to your health and your ability to function well.
When people experience impaired sleep, modified sleep patterns and deprived sleep, they may become depressed. Sleep issues can also impact you physically and mentally.
The Connection Between Food and Your Mood
The connection between food and a person’s mood is so powerful that the word “hangry” was invented. If you suffer from nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances or blood sugar issues, you may have mood swings. The human brain is just 2% of the body’s overall mass, but it is your body’s most metabolically active organ. Your brain requires a constant influx of hormones, nutrients and other elements to operate at its best.
If your body is lacking even one nutrient, it can cause decreased mood levels and mental function. This is especially the case when your body is deficient in folic acid, B vitamins or omega-3 fatty acids.
The brain needs a regular stream of blood sugar to operate as it should. This means that you should avoid hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. The symptoms of hypoglycemia include irritability, depression and anxiety.
Several studies confirm that hypoglycemia is a common cause behind low mood ratings. If you become hypoglycemic, it may be your body’s reaction to eating a meal with a high amount of sugar.
How can I naturally uplift my mood? You may be able to naturally uplift your mood by purging refined carbohydrates and caffeine from your diet.
The structural makeup of the brain, how it functions and mood are also connected to your body’s nutritional condition. Omega-3 fatty acids are especially important to the function of your brain. Studies show that when a person has higher omega-3 fatty acid levels in their brain, they experience better brain function as well as a more elevated mood.
Making sure that your diet is rich in nutrients is one of the most effective ways to battle your stress levels and improve your mood. When you eat the right foods, you’ll be providing your brain and body with the nutrition that they need to respond to situations quickly and properly.
Keep in mind that healthy eating doesn’t have to be tedious. You’ll find countless healthy and delicious foods that provide a boost to your brain and work to improve your mood.
In the past, medical professionals recommended that people eat a low-fat diet. However, in the last 10 years or so, new research has found that healthy fats are vital in helping humans maintain an elevated mood. Healthy fats also help you physically and cognitively. Along with giving your body the support that it needs, healthy fats also add flavor to your meals.
Healthy Foods that May Improve Mood
Healthy foods that may improve your mood include:
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate contains many mood-enhancing compounds. It features sugar that may put you in a positive mood because chocolate is a fast source of brain fuel.
Bananas
Bananas are high in vitamin B6, which is a nutrient that helps produce happy neurotransmitters in your body, ones like serotonin and dopamine.
Berries
Studies have found that there are decreased rates of depression in those who eat more fruits and vegetables. While the details of why aren’t entirely known, diets that are full of antioxidants may help you manage the kind of inflammation that’s connected to depression and other mood issues.
Berries have a variety of antioxidants as well as the type of compounds that work to prevent oxidative stress.
Oats
Oats are a great fiber source. In fact, there are 8 grams of fiber in one raw cup. Since oats are a whole grain, they’ll work to keep your mood elevated throughout the morning. When you have fiber in your system, it will slow down how quickly your body digests carbs. This decreases the amount of sugar released into your bloodstream.
A great thing about oats is that you can eat them in a variety of forms including overnight oats, granola, oatmeal and muesli.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds have high amounts of plant-based proteins, fiber and healthy fats. They give your body tryptophan, which is an amino acid that generates serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin is a mood enhancing chemical. Following a 10-year study with almost 16,000 participants, researchers determined that a moderate intake of nuts resulted in a 23% lower risk of developing depression.
When you’re feeling down, you might crave high calorie foods that are also high in sugar like cookies, donuts or ice cream. Eating these types of foods could give you a sugar rush, but they are unlikely to help you for long. Eating high calorie and high sugar foods may come with negative consequences that won’t help your mood.
To improve your mood with food, fill your diet with wholesome foods that include the nutrients that you need to heighten your mood and aid your overall health.
Supplements and Vitamins Impact on Mood
What vitamins, dietary supplements, herbs or lifestyle modifications work best for enhancing your mood? The best vitamins, dietary supplements and herbs for boosting your mood include:
Vitamin D
The human body uses vitamin D for things like keeping your bones strong and healthy as well as decreasing inflammation, metabolizing glucose and helping with cell growth. This makes vitamin D a vital nutrient. There are studies showing that when humans lack this critical nutrient, they may develop a depressed mood.
Creatine
Creatine is commonly known as an exercise supplement, but there is research showing that the supplement may also be a mood booster. Some studies show that it can improve a person’s mental clarity and function.
St. John’s Wort
St. John’s Wort is a flowering plant that people have used as a mood booster for thousands of years. The herb may help promote a positive mood.
Zinc
Zinc is a mineral that is essential to many of your body’s processes. Zinc supports the health of your brain and your body’s cellular metabolism. The mineral is in food like red meat, crab and oysters.
Researchers have also studied zinc’s impact on depressed moods. Intervention studies appear to show that zinc encourages a more uplifted mood..
Magnesium
Magnesium is also a mineral, and your body uses it in more than 300 different processes. It supports your immune system, helps keep your heart rate stable and aids nerve function.
While research on magnesium for depressed moods has resulted in mixed results, some studies show that it may be helpful against them.
Lifestyle Modifications
Exercise can be a powerful mood enhancer. After taking a walk in the woods or a brisk jog, you may experience higher energy levels and be in a more positive mood.
Researchers are still studying how much activity people need to heighten their mood. If you’ve ever headed to a hot yoga class following a stressful day, it’s likely that you left the studio feeling better.
The connection between people’s mood and exercise is powerful. However, the impact of physical activity extends past temporary results. Research has found that working out may prevent people from experiencing long-term depression.
Researchers have collected data confirming that active people are not as depressed as inactive people. There’s even evidence showing that when people who used to be active stop exercising, they are more likely to experience depression than people who keep up an exercise program.
In one study, a research team separated participants into four groups. One group participated in supervised workouts, another was assigned to exercise at home, the third group attended antidepressant therapy and the last group took a placebo.
The team studied the groups for four months. After the test period ended, they found that the people who exercised and attended antidepressant therapy experienced higher remission rates than the ones taking the placebo.
According to Psychosomatic Medicine, individuals who have high anxiety and work out regularly are not as likely to panic as those who work out infrequently.
In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that an estimated 25% of the country’s population enjoyed zero physical activity when they had leisure time.
Naturally Improve Your Mood
The best mood enhancers include healthy eating, vitamins, supplements and exercise. To find your best mood enhancer, you may need to experiment with different types or combine several enhancers at the same time. Your body might respond with higher energy levels after you begin a healthy diet, exercise and take a few supplements.
