A small amount of the hormone serotonin in the brain can lead to depression and similar problems. When serotonin is secreted in the brain, blood vessels contract and contract. As the level of serotonin decreases, they expand again. Insomnia, the desire to eat carbohydrate foods, anxiety, decreased mental function, weakness and fatigue, digestive problems, increased sexual desire but decreased ability to establish emotional relationships can be indicators of low serotonin. Excessive amounts may cause a high level of nerve activities, resulting in a fatal outcome. This condition is called serotonin syndrome. In migraine attacks, it was determined that serotonin level was high and decreased after migraine attack passed.
In all our moods with ups and downs, we are not guilty, in fact, our serotonin levels. If it finds the balance, we will be in peace but in any way it's going to bear down on us.😪
Despite its relatively simple chemical structure, serotonin plays a complex role in biological systems. Again, high serotonin activity reduces appetite. This activity is stimulated by carbohydrate intake. Therefore, it is thought that there is a relationship between obesity and low serotonin activity.
Serotonin deficiency may occur for three reasons: low production of brain cells, insufficient receptor sites, or deficiency in the tryptophan substance used to make serotonin. Although it is generally accepted that serotonin deficiency plays an important role in depression, it is not possible to measure the level of serotonin in a living brain. Therefore, there is no study to prove that depression or a mental disorder is a deficiency of serotonin or other neurotransmitters. However, the level of serotonin in the blood can be measured, and when this ratio is measured in patients with depression, the level of serotonin has been found to be lower than other people (of course, serotonin levels in the blood and brain may differ).
Serotonin and Sleep
Despite the 21st century, sleep is still not fully understood. But serotonin definitely plays an important role in the sleep cycle. High levels of serotonin are associated with wakefulness and low levels associated with sleep. Along with melatonin, serotonin controls the circadian clock and is affected by daylight. As daylight serotonin level increases, melatonin decreases.
The neurons that produce serotonin are active during wakefulness, and the serotonin and rafe core trigger sleep. These results create a paradox. How can serotonergic neurons active while awake cause sleep?
As a result of all this, I hope that more questions will appear in your mind rather than answers, and I think the beauty of science is here. An endless curiosity…
