Irritable Bowels and Serotonin

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a disruption of the function of the gastrointestinal tract, especially the colon. It is a common chronic intestinal disease. It is estimated that it occurs in more than 10% of the Dutch population. In IBS, the bowel makes too many or too few movements. IBS is characterized by abdominal pain, abdominal cramps, problems with defecation, a bloated stomach or flatulence due to gas. People with IBS often experience diarrhea or constipation. Massage can significantly reduce IBS complaints and contribute to a structural recovery.

What Causes IBS?
Possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome is impaired communication between the brain and the gut. People with IBS are more sensitive to painful stimuli in the intestines. A possible explanation for this is that the intestines transmit too many or too strong signals to the brain, after which the brain returns too many or too strong signals to the intestines. The substance serotonin may play an important role in this.

What is Serotonin?
Serotonin is a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter: it affects the way your brain works. When you produce enough serotonin in your brain, you feel happier and better rested. Apart from that, serotonin also has essential functions elsewhere in your body.
Serotonin affects our mood, sleep, emotion, appetite, memory and self-confidence. A shortage or too much of serotonin disrupts these processes.

For example, about 90% of your supply of serotonin is in your intestinal tract, where it plays an important role in regulating digestion. It also keeps your blood pressure at a good level and strengthens your immune system. So we are definitely talking about a hormone that is vital!

How does serotonin deficiency develop?
As with many hormones, the balance in your body can be disturbed relatively easily. With serotonin, for example, too much stress and a lack of sleep can be enough. Your body will then produce too much cortisol, causing an imbalance. The production of serotonin then comes to a low level.

This can also be caused by a lack of movement. Finally, food is very important for the production of serotonin. Serotonin is produced in the brain from tryptophan, an amino acid. If this occurs too little in the proteins of your diet, it can also lead to you no longer producing enough serotonin.

Once a serotonin deficiency develops, your diet often only makes it worse. An important symptom is that you have an increased appetite for sugar and sweets. Very explainable in the short term, because sugar activates the 'reward center' in the brain. So you will feel better for it. The problem is that the production of insulin also rises quickly. If that production is always too high, your body is less able to produce and absorb serotonin. So you will feel more gloomy, so you eat more sugar, which will make you feel gloomy

Can massage contribute to a healthy serotonin balance?
Yes. Massage activates the autonomic nervous system and helps trigger the release of the positive hormones. According to a research from 2005 massage therapy can effectively increase serotonin levels by an average of 28%. This is due to a decrease in cortisol, known as your "fight-or-flight response," or built-in alarm hormone, which lets you know when you're in danger. In other words, it keeps you alert and with a fast heart rate. Massages are able to lower cortisol and increase serotonin, making you calmer and thus helping to regulate your mood.

The levels of endorphins, serotonin and dopamine increase in the body. These hormones all have a positive effect on body and mind. Endorphins, serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters released when the autonomic nervous system is stimulated. Endorphins, serotonin and dopamine can give us feelings of happiness and motivation. Endorphins are responsible for relieving anxiety and are also often released when feelings of pain occur. Serotonin can give a person a sense of well-being while preventing depression and the feeling of loneliness. Finally, dopamine provides a sense of motivation and reduces lack of enthusiasm and self-doubt. A massage helps to stimulate the release of the positive hormones to reduce stress and increase relaxation.

How can I increase the production of Serotonin?
It is wise to get more exercise, especially if you are not very active now. This enhances the processing of tryptophan, and thus the production of serotonin. It is also very important to get enough rest. Schedule moments to relax, whether you do it with meditation or a brisk walk.
Make sure you eat enough tryptophan through protein-rich foods. Soy products, ginseng, bananas, seeds, etc. all contain tryptophan. That tryptophan must be able to be processed correctly in the body. B vitamins are strongly linked to your energy level and resistance. Sufficient B6 and B12 are especially important for the production of serotonin: you can find them in animal products, legumes and potatoes, for example. And make sure you eat slow carbohydrates instead of sugars.

Can too much serotonin be released in the body?
A high serotonin level in your central nervous system, eg through ecstasy use, can be recognized by sweating, being excited, large pupils, shivering, rapid heartbeat and rapid breathing. For most people, these complaints are not too serious. There may also be tingling in your fingers, after which the fingers pull inward or your entire arm curls inward. You can also grind your teeth and chatter your teeth.

Serotonin Syndrome
In those cases, there may be serotonin syndrome. Serious symptoms of serotonin syndrome include fever, restlessness, agitation, anxiety, confusion, unusual cramp-like muscle spasms in arms and/or legs, and stiff muscles. The complaints often disappear after 24 hours, but there are also people who die of serotonin syndrome, for example due to heart failure. The risk of serotonin syndrome is higher when high doses of ecstasy are used, especially in combination with some medications, such as AD(H)D drugs (dexamfetamine, Ritalin) or L-tryptophan (during XTC use instead of after). Combining XTC with antidepressants, MAO inhibitors and SSRIs is life-threatening. The combination of XTC with speed, cocaine, or other drugs also poses a risk of serotonin syndrome.