Top 10 Happy Pills For Better Mood
For most of us, we associate food with terms like comfort, reward, and pleasure. Food plays a complex role in regulating our physiology and mental health. It plays a part in helping to balance our emotions. Happiness is associated with the influence of four chemicals in our body: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins.
Eating releases these chemicals in our bodies and gives us a sense of content. Some foods that we eat have vitamins and minerals that help in the production of these chemicals and uplift your mood. It is like eating your feeling of happiness that’s where Happy Pills comes into play. Here are some of the chemicals based happy pills, that uplift your mood, improve your energy levels, calm your body, and promote cognitive functions :
1. 5-HTP
5-HTP, also known as 5- Hydroxytryptophan, is an amino acid produced in the body. It is a happy pills constituents and a chemical by-product of a protein block called L-tryptophan and the precursor of a neurotransmitter called serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is a chemical messenger in the body which is associated with mood modulation, cognitive function, learning, memory, and other numerous physiological functions.
5 – hydrocrypthon is a chemical produced commercially from the seeds of a plant around in Africa called Griffonia simplicifolia. The 5-HTP supplements produced from the seeds of this plant is a pill that can boost the level of serotonin. This pill is used to increase serotonin levels and treat conditions like depression. The anti depressing effect of this pill is more when it is taken in conjunction with other antidepressants. In addition to this, 5-HTP also reduces migraine frequency, helps in weight loss, and promotes sleep.
Required Dosage: 100-300 mg
Advised Frequency: as advised by a physician
Side Effects: heartburn, nausea, sexual problem
Natural Sources: turkey, chicken, milk, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, seaweed
2. IU Vitamin D3
Vitamin D, also known as calciferol, is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is naturally present in food and also produced in the body endogenously when the UV lights from the sun are absorbed by the skin. This naturally produced vitamin undergoes two hydroxylations in the body before being used in the body. This vitamin promotes calcium absorption and maintains calcium-phosphorus balance in the body. The deficiency of this vitamin causes bones to become brittle. Hence works best as happy pills.
In addition to this, it also has a hole in cell functioning, neuromuscular function, and regulates mood. It has been seen that vitamin D supplements or sunlight therapy have been shown to improve depression and other mental health conditions. Low levels of vitamin D cause impairment of cognitive function and thus increases the risk of depression. Vitamin D uplifts the mood of a person by increasing the sensitivity of neuroreceptors and improve cognitive function. This causes a person to feel happy.
Required Dosage: 400-800 mg
Advised Frequency: as advised by the physician
Side Effects: elevated calcium, blood pressure, kidney failure
Natural Sources: fatty fish, liver, egg yolk, sunlight
3. L-tyrosine
L-tyrosine is a naturally occurring amino acid in the body. It is a precursor of catecholamines that influence the synthesis of dopamine and norepinephrine, important neurotransmitters as a happy pills. A depletion in the production of L-tyrosine is caused due to stress, lack of sleep, and other illnesses.
This depletion in the production of this amino acid causes acute effects like a decline in cognitive function due to inadequate functioning and the number of neurotransmitters. An elevation in mood is therefore seen once one starts including enough L-tyrosine in their diet. It helps in better mental conditions by increasing the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, including a transmitter related to happiness – Dopamine. It improves alertness, gives a better resilience to stress, and thus gives a sense of satisfaction.
Required Dosage: 100-300
Advised Frequency: once a day
Side Effects: overproduction of thyroid hormone
Natural Sources: soybeans, fish, chicken, nuts, dairy, beans, whole grain
4. Glutathione
Glutathione is a tripeptide composed of cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid. It is found in high concentrations in most of the animal cells. This tripeptide is required for metabolic activities and has anti-oxidizing properties. Glutathione’s anti-oxidizing property plays a key role in oxidative damages like cell death in the brain hence a preventive happy pill.
Thee oxidative damages can cause a series of serious ailments and disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, depression, and more. The ability to protect these damages caused by oxidation makes glutathione an important component in maintaining functions like removing toxins, repairing DNA, increasing the supply of oxygen, and protection from cell death in the body. It is a stabilizing mood agent in the body mail due to its protection of neurotransmitters.
Required Dosage : 50-600mg
Advised Frequency: Once or multiple times
Side effects: Difficulty in breathing
Natural Sources: asparagus, cabbage, spinach, broccoli
5. Theanine
Theanine is also known as L-y-glutamythylamide. It is an amino acid that is usually found in fungus and a few other plants like tea. It is a unique non-protein that is associated with many health benefits in humans. Theanine resembles the structure of L-glutamic acid and therefore its mechanism of action is through glutamate receptors.
A boost in the Theanine level causes a boost in the level of mainly GABA, dopamine, and serotonin. These chemicals are neurotransmitter which regulates emotions in the brain. It also influences concentration, alertness, and sleep. These chemicals also mitigate the effects of stress and prevent stress-related psychic conditions. It calms the body and helps with sleep and has become a part of a happy pill.
Required Dosage: 12-200 mg
Advised Frequency: As advised by the physician
Side effects: Nausea and irritability. It also reduces the efficiency of chemotherapy.
Natural Sources: Green tea, coffee, mate, cola
6. Zinc and Copper Orotate
Zinc is an essential macronutrient in the human body. It is an essential component of more than eighty enzymes and plays an important role in numerous physiological functioning of the body. It is an antioxidant that plays an important role in behavior, learning, and mental functions. A deficiency of zinc serum has been observed in patients suffering from mental conditions like depressions or mood disorders.
When this zinc serum level is normalized using natural or artificial supplements, the patients have an improves the mental condition. Zinc affects the mental function (emotions and cognitive function) as it is prevalent in glutamatergic neurons in the body including the hypothalamus and amygdala. It, therefore, acts as a happy pill and has a hand in modulating the neuronal activity in the brain.
Zinc supplements are often taken with copper orotate to increase zinc absorption.
7. Modafinil
Modafinil is a drug sold under the brand name Provigil. It is a medication used to treat sleepiness or sleep apnea. It is a synthetic stimulant that affects the central nervous system ad has been seen to enhance cognitive function. This central nervous system stimulant inhibits dopamine reuptake which causes an increase in the concentration of extracellular dopamine.
In healthy adits, it has also shown to increase one’s resistance towards fatigue and vigilance. These benefits have caused this smart drug to increase its popularity. It does not have an addictive property like other smart drugs and has fewer side effects comparatively.
Required Dosage: 100-200mg
Advised Frequency: Once a day
Side Effects: Headaches, nausea, decreased appetite, abdominal pain
Natural Sources: no reported natural sources
8. Methyl Folate + B12
Methyl Folate is also known as Levomefolic acid. It is a biologically active form of folate used in the cells for DNA reproduction, regulation of homocysteine, and other physiological functions. Good folate quantity in the body has shown increased efficiency in the working of antidepressants.
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. It is also known as Cobalamin and plays an important role in the production of red blood cells and the functioning of the human nervous system. A deficiency in the levels of vitamin B12 causes a decline in folate too.
Deficiency in these two important chemicals in the body may cause mental problems and emotional instability as these chemicals are required to form serotonin and other mood affecting neurotransmitters.
Required Dosage: 7.5mg to 15mg of folate + 2.4mcg
Advised Frequency: Once a day
Side Effects: Altered Sleep, weightless, overactivity
Natural Sources: Egg, beef, chicken, tuna, spinach, turnip, greens
9. KetoPrime
KetoPrime is a powerful product that supports a keto diet. It mimics the calorie restriction diet and works at a cellular level to increase healthy energy production. It is primarily made up of oxaloacetate or OAA which helps in healthy weight loss. It modifies glutamate, which is a neurotransmitter that makes a person feel foggy and disturbed and makes a person more alert.
Required Dosage: one pill/lozenge
Advised Frequency: once a day
Side Effects: Increased thirst, sweating, lightheadedness
Natural Sources: No reported natural sources
10. Neuromaster
Neuromaster is a pill formulated to boost brain-derived neurotrophic factor – BDNF. BDNFs support brain health, increase memory and focus on a person. This pill is made from the extracts of an Arabica coffee fruit to influence to major parts of the brain: hippocampus and the frontal cortex. This causes increases neuron sensitivity and decreased stress.
Required Dosage: 200mg pill
Advised Frequency: Once a day
Side Effects: Nervousness, increases heartbeat, restlessness
Natural Sources: Coffee berries
