If you've suffered from depression before, whether a mild and temporary or chronic, clinical depression, you might be interested in learning the connection between amino acids and depression.
Although feeling sad and despondent is usually triggered by an unhappy event, what you eat or don't eat will likely contribute to how long the unhappiness lasts. This is down to this connection between amino acids and depression and is connected to how levels of various amino acids in your body relate to how the chemicals operate in your brain.
Once you understand the connection between amino acids and depression, you'll be able to know which foods or supplements you should be eating in order to stop the cycle of sadness.Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for making you feel happy, and eat and sleep well. Serotonin is made both in the brain and in the digestive tract. An amino acid called L-tryptophan is the building block of Serotonin. In your digestive tract, L-tryptophan is transformed into 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and then into 5-hydroxytryptamine, which is the scientific name for Serotonin.
Unfortunately, our bodies aren't able to manufacture this amino acid by themselves, so we have to get it from food, such as potatoes or turkey, or in supplement form. Try eating a baked potato or a turkey sandwich before going to bed. The L-tryptophan can go to work while you sleep, and have you waking up looking forward to a new day.
