Naturally Boost Your Feel-good Hormones with Neuroplasticity

By

Diana

Published on

December 7, 2023

Updated on

February 23, 2024

Medically reviewed by

Ben Ahrens, HHP

Neuroplasticity

What are feel-good hormones?

Feel-good hormones are generally known as happy hormones. These feel-good hormones act as neurotransmitters, maintaining various feelings corresponding to the body’s well-being. Feel-good hormones are released into the bloodstream through the glands, which act on several organs and tissues for controlling different brain functions. As a part of their function, feel-good hormones produce happy and euphoric feelings.

Among the spaces between the nerve cells, messages are carried through these neurotransmitters such as dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins, which are chemical messengers or natural antidepressants. These happy hormones can change one’s mood and reduce depression. For major depressive disorders, some people use pharmaceuticals. The therapeutic classification is known as antidepressants. Furthermore, there are several options when it comes to increasing these neurotransmitters naturally. To enhance happy hormones in the body, these include exercise, mood-boosting foods, regular sexual and physical activities, meditation, time in nature, listening to music, and more.

Dopamine

Dopamine is also a happy hormone, and it is considered a neurotransmitter. This neuromodulator controls various roles in the cell. This feel-good hormone allows a person to feel pleasure and satisfaction. Furthermore, it helps to increase the catecholamine content in the brain, which triggers various events like shopping, sex, smelling the cookies baking.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter and a hormone involved in breastfeeding and childbirth. Various factors are associated with this special hormone: trust, empathy, cuddling, relationship-building, and sexual activity. Moreover, it is known as a love hormone, and the release of Oxytocin levels is increased upon hugging and orgasm. In the case of anxiety and depression, and intestinal problems, Oxytocin release has some effective ways to manage health benefits.

Serotonin

Serotonin is also a feel-good hormone, and it is found in the digestive and central nervous systems. In muting depression and anxiety, serotonin plays a significant role. Dietary sources include red meat, nuts, and cheese to increase tryptophan’s amino acid. The amino acid can increase the available serotonin level. In addition, serotonin is a natural mood stabilizer that aids in eating, sleeping, and digesting.

Endorphins

Endorphins are a kind of feel-good hormone released by the pituitary and hypothalamus glands to respond to stress and pain. A secretion process is done during the release of Endorphins. This hormone is especially part of peptide hormones that relieve pain and manage well-being.

How neurotransmitters affect mental health

Neurotransmitters control the brain’s reward system and decrease stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. As a result, neurotransmitters regulate feelings in the human mind and psyche. These include love, memory, mood-boosting, sexual activities, and mental problems.

Reciprocal inhibition and how boosting feel-good hormones counteract the effects of stress hormones

Reciprocal inhibition is mainly a neuromuscular reflex and opposing muscles on movements. For example, if an individual contracts their elbow flexors, it inhibits elbow extensors. In the case of neuroscience, neural antagonist activity is reduced through the neural drive of muscle. Hence, people have to increase mood-boosting activities like exercises, reciprocal inhibition for reducing the taking of huge medicine, and active muscles where the body movement system is developed.

How positive neurotransmitters lead to positive feelings and sensations

A positive neurotransmitter helps to influence brain functions and leads to sensations and positive feelings in three different ways: inhibited, excited, and modulated. For example, GABA or y-aminobutyric acid is the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter, and it’s positive polar helps to manage glutamate to the chemical messenger. Moreover, by containing GABA, the brain cells will work actively, and the brain is switched on.  

Pain relief – they can even block pain neurons

Neural blockades or nerve blocks help produce pain relief activities and prevent several types of pain. Different types of blocked pain neurons can manage pain relief through injections of medicines. But several biological activities like exercise, running, and others help reduce various body pain naturally. Moreover, the inhibitory interneuron helps to block the signal regarding the projection neuron, which aims to connect the brain. In this kind of situation, meditation, relaxation, positive thinking, and others help decrease the taking of pain medication. Hence, people have to retrain the brain naturally.

Feel-good hormones and neuroplasticity

Neural connections blended with life’s stimulation increase the capabilities of the brain. In addition, neuroplasticity permits the nerve cells in the brain to self-healing various diseases and injuries and adjustment of brain activities to handle new situations.

Feel-good hormones and neuroplasticity rely on different processes for brain plasticity and adaptability. Several mind-body practices correspond to neuroplasticity, including positive emotion, repetition and practice, visualization, and meditation. Positive emotions help the goals, which need to be practiced for enjoyment. Furthermore, good thinking and repetition play a significant role in creating good habits. People should have to spend some time visualizing themselves to achieve their goals. Along with that, people should have to focus on the in-breath and out-breath through meditation to strong the nervous system.

As a result of it, people should focus on

  • Positive emotion
  • Repetition and practice
  • Visualization
  • Meditation

Through these processes, feel-good hormones can be increased naturally  

8 Ways to elevate your mood and change your brain

There are many positive integrative alternatives to self-affecting your mood and changing patterns in your brain. Lifestyle choices are fundamental. These include savoring, practicing gratitude, regular exercise, enjoying nature, day-framing, bestowing random acts of kindness, journaling, and a neuroplasticity program. Let’s break these down.

Savoring

Slow down and take the time to smell the roses along the way. Savoring is a significant model of a positive experience. The savoring experience regulates several emotional components. These blend with the positive events of cognitive or behavioral responses and expand the feeling of happiness or contentment.

Gratitude

Practice gratitude daily. Through gratitude, our heart shifts into a healthier rhythm. One exercise is to catch yourself being grateful for something during the day. As you progress, this will become easier, and you will notice more things that need your appreciation. Furthermore, gratitude is an effective positive activity target, which can create happiness and positive emotions in the brain.

Exercise

It can be as gentle easy as a stroll after dinner. Exercise plays an important role in affecting several neurotransmitters like serotonin, cortisol stress hormones, and endorphins in the brain. A side benefit is people who exercise sleep better in length and quality.

Ecotherapy ~ spend time in nature

Take time out and let nature breathe life into your being. According to Dr. Richardson, “there is already research evidence that exposure to nature can reduce hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure), respiratory tract and cardiovascular illnesses; improve vitality and mood; benefit mental well-being issues such as anxiety, and restore attention capacity and mental fatigue.”

How can nature benefit my mental health? It improves your mood, reduces stress or anger and helps you take time out and feel more relaxed.

Nature moderates mental health problems like anger, anxiety, stress, and depression. This is called ecotherapy. Whether hikes, walking, or gardening, the activity is your choice; nature calms our very essence and soul.

Routines & rituals

A routine is essential for contentment. When possible, have similar activities during the day or evening. Whether making your bed each morning or taking your pets for a walk, a routine regulates our well-being, mood, and sleep cycles. “Routines can liberate your mental health, and it can have incredible psychological benefits, including alleviating symptoms of mental disorders and insomnia. Creating a daytime routine for yourself or a loved one can promote better sleeping cycles.” Routines and rituals can also include early rising, meditation, healthy foods, planning your day, running errands, and playing with pets.

Kindness is free

Random acts of kindness connect us to humanity and the earth. Simple gestures may mean the world to another person. The by-product for use is enhanced self-esteem, compassion, empathy, and mood. It builds on our connectivity with others and boosts serotonin and dopamine. Being self-aware and accountable physically changes our bodies. Some activities can include putting your phone away, planting a tree, walking a neighbor’s pets, free babysitting, baking someone treats, or paying for someone’s coffee. You will find your levels of contentment and mental happiness rise.

Journaling

Active journaling promotes mood improvement as a mechanism to vent negative emotions. While not a substitute for other treatments, journaling helps manage your mental health condition stressors and allows you to examine your thoughts and actions. Keep a diary of your thoughts, feelings, self-awareness, and insights. By observing your thoughts, you may shift a perspective, reduce repeated negative self-talk, assess your options, and produce an action plan if necessary. All the while, you are improving cognitive function and elevating your mindset.  

Neuroplasticity retraining

There are several kinds of neuroplasticity retraining for improving mood. These can comprise-

  • different memory tasks and games
  • learning a new instrument playing,
  • new language learning,
  • daily exercise,
  • yoga
  • multiple brain activities such as crosswords and sudoku juggle learning and others.

FAQ

What hormones make you feel good?

The feel-good hormones, generally known as the happy hormones, help to feel goods, which are used as neurotransmitters for signaling the feelings of the well-being of the body. Dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins are the primary happy hormones.

What are the four feel-good hormones?

There are four main feel-good hormones, and these are helpful to manage pain and brain activities in critical conditions. These are such as oxytocin, endorphin, dopamine, and serotonin.

Are endorphins a feel-good hormone?

Yes, Endorphin is one of the most popular feel-good hormones, and it is released from the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to manage pain and stress. All the receptors in the brain are useful to provide feeling-good hormones.

What is the chemical that makes you feel good?

Some chemicals of brain functions are really good to make an individual feel good: Dopamine, Endorphin, and Serotonin are primary.

What is the function of oxytocin?

Oxytocin is called the love hormone. This hormone aims to clear the way of childbirth. Besides, this hormone is produced from the hypothalamus, and the pituitary gland releases it into the bloodstream.

Wrap-up

Various neuroplasticity retraining is available, and these refer to several games, memory tasks, playing instruments, reflection, daily exercise, and many more. After that, Endorphins mainly came from endogenous morphine. Additionally, the class of endorphin consists of three major factors: alpha-endorphin, beta-endorphin, and gamma-endorphin.  Brain retraining with re-origin’s® program

Brain retraining with re-origin’s® program

As one element to manage your mental health and create contentment, empathy, and love by releasing several hormones like endorphin and dopamine, consult with various experts and doctors of re-origin. Their expertise is in re-origin’s program that manages the brain’s retraining.

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By

Diana