The mental health world was flipped upside-down recently with a study that revealed low serotonin levels are not linked to depression. 

However, it’s important to note that mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are not dependent solely upon serotonin levels. Rather, all the neurotransmitters in the brain work together to help stabilize mood, and when one is off, it can affect the whole brain.

The other neurotransmitters that, when imbalanced, can lead to feelings of low mood include:

• Dopamine
• GABA
• Norepinephrine
• And more

If serotonin is off, it can rock the boat of your mental health.

So, how do you help keep your serotonin levels in the right place so that they can work with your other neurotransmitters to promote good mental health?

One great way to do this is with the help of supplements. 

Supplements for serotonin

Now that you’ve got more information on why serotonin is important to mental health, let’s talk about how you can use supplements to boost your serotonin levels.

1. Omega-3 fatty acids

It’s common to hear that omega-3 fatty acids are important to have in your life, but do you know why?

Scientists have discovered that the areas in the world that have the least depressed people are also the areas in which people’s diets are rich in omega-3s. 

This opened up the doors to further research that determined, scientifically speaking, that low levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the body can lead to an increased risk of mood disorders caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters (i.e. serotonin) including depression, ADHD, and more.  

If the thought of eating fish for every meal doesn’t thrill you, don’t worry – it doesn’t thrill us either. Thankfully, we’ve got a solution. Enter: omega-3 fatty acid supplements, like PYM’s Mood Omegas. 

You want to ensure that your omega-3 supplements are sustainably sourced and also that they don’t come packed with that fishy aftertaste. 

2. B vitamins

There is a whole slew of B vitamins that have shown in studies to provide your body with the essential nutrients it needs to optimize your mood. 

These key B vitamins include:

• Thiamine (vitamin B1)
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
• Niacin (vitamin B3)
• Panthothenic acid (vitamin B5)
• Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)
• Folate (vitamin B9)
• Cobalamin (vitamin B12)

If you’re lacking in these essential B vitamins, then studies show that you may experience anxiety, depression, stress, and other mood issues related to low serotonin and other low neurotransmitter levels.  

While you can get B vitamins from food, it’s often hard to get all of the B vitamins you need, especially if you live a plant-based life.  

And, taking each of the above B supplements can feel like a lot. We’ve made it easy for you by creating Mood B vitamins. This methylated B-complex works to promote the bioavailability of the nutrients that help promote a good mood over time.

3. Magnesium

This nutrient has become more popular in recent years thanks to its ability to help promote better sleep, but there’s much more to magnesium than its sleeping powers. 

Magnesium helps to stabilize mood and when you’re deficient in magnesium, you run the risk of neurotransmitter imbalance which leads to increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, irritability, and stress. 

Since no one wants to feel any of those things, it’s a good idea to supplement with magnesium. 

There are a variety of different types of magnesium, but a few key ones work to calm the brain and the body, hence the nickname of this nutrient: the “chill pill.”

The three types of magnesium that are essential to the body’s response to stress are:

• Threonate
• Glycinate
• Malate

And all of those are included in our Mood Magnesium powder. This yuzu-flavored supplement is enriched with aminos to help your body absorb it more easily and efficiently so that you can feel the benefits of a stabilized mood.

4. Probiotics

The gut-brain connection is real – so real, in fact, that your gut is often called your “second brain.”

The neural connections that exist between your gut and your brain have shown in studies that diseases that reside in the gut can spread to the brain and cause neurotransmitter imbalances. 

It’s important to take care of your gut – not just for your gut health, but for your brain health (which includes serotonin).

A great way to boost your gut health (and thus, brain health) is by taking probiotics. These little (good) bacteria gems help to create neurotransmitters that support your gut-brain connection. This means that they have the power to support your body’s stress response and support the creation of serotonin. 

PYM’s Mood Biotics contain 6 different strains of probiotics that have been scientifically proven to get your gut in the right place to boost your mood. 

5. GABA

This neurotransmitter occurs naturally in the brain but sometimes the amount your brain has just isn’t enough.

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) works to block the signals in your nervous system, which is actually a good thing. This blocking helps slow your brain down and keep you calm. 

But, if you have low levels of GABA, studies show that you may suffer from anxiety. And, remembering from the buddy system concept above, when your levels of the GABA neurotransmitter are off, your serotonin levels are likely to feel the effects, too. 

To help keep your GABA levels high enough to do their job and keep you feeling relaxed, consider turning to supplementation. Our Mood Chews provide you with 250mg of GABA that allows you to feel the effects of relaxation within just 30 minutes of popping a tasty chew. 

Summary

Many different factors play a part in feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress. And serotonin levels are one of them. If your serotonin levels are off, it can wreak havoc on your entire mental hygiene. 

Understanding that makes it more clear to see that serotonin is a piece of the puzzle that is the human mind, and each human mind is unique in the way it thinks, feels, and how it experiences mood.

Thus, even though serotonin isn’t the sole player in mood and isn’t the sole determining factor in depression and other mental health issues, it doesn’t mean that it plays no role at all. 

Serotonin, along with other neurotransmitters, is vital to a stable mood. 

Think of it like a buddy system where multiple things (neurotransmitters) operate together as one single unit (a stable mind). When one buddy gets down (serotonin levels drop), the entire buddy system (stable mental health) gets off track.

But there’s a solution for that: supplements. 

That’s why it’s important to keep your serotonin levels at a stable place in order to promote good overall mental hygiene 

The best supplements to aid with serotonin levels and, thus, overall mental wellbeing are:

• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Vitamin B-complex
• Magnesium
• Probiotics
• GABA