Hi and welcome back to our channel.
Today we're going to talk about 5-HTP.
So first we'll just kind of, I'll introduce you to what 5-HTP is, talk about how it works to support anxiety and our mental health. Kind of give you the science behind how 5-HTP works in the body and all the benefits it can provide.
Today I will answer some of these questions of is 5-HTP good for your anxiety?
But before we dig into the topic, my name is Marcie Vaske and I'm a licensed nutritionist with Flusso Nutrients. And at Flusso Nutrients we do work really hard to educate you on different types of supplements that can help support you.
The more better educated you are on making choices to support your health. It's always important to know that we aren't diagnosing, we aren't suggesting this one is going to be perfect for you because we don't know you.
So making sure that you do if you have questions to talk to a supplement literate practitioner or of course asking questions in the comments below.
[Video Transcript Below + Supplement Links Discussed In Video]
So let's dig back into our topic.
5-HTP for Anxiety
And 5-HTP is been really helpful and been around for many years as something that has been supportive for anxiety. 5-HTP is an amino acid that helps to build up our neurotransmitter, specifically serotonin.
So not only does serotonin reduce our anxiety, but it also helps to improve our sleep and just our overall calmness. Now, anxiety has been a very much of an issue and we hear about it more and more in the last few years.
Different types of anxiety, generalized anxiety, acute anxiety, just a kind of an underlying current of anxiety and it can be caused from many things. But today we're going to really dig into how neurotransmitter our serotonin, if it's low, can really create more anxiety, heightened anxiety, and talk about how 5-HTP supports it.
So what is the science behind 5-HTP?
What happens here is that we have tryptophan, which is another amino acid that breaks down from the proteins that we consume. So we consume protein, we get all the amino acids and one is called tryptophan. Tryptophan then turns into 5-HTP and from here, 5-HTP turns into serotonin in the brain. And here, when we have more serotonin in the brain, we have more mental calmness and more even physical. So therefore, by increasing the serotonin in our brain by using 5-HTP supplementally, it can help improve your anxiety symptoms.
Benefits of using 5-HTP
So the benefits of using 5-HTP are of course and improve mood. By increasing those serotonin levels, we are going to feel more calm, less anxious, just kind of even better able to focus on our tasks at hand. By increasing our serotonin levels using 5-HTP, we can even have physiological changes. So when our anxiety is really high, we often see our cortisol go high.
So by using 5-HTP and bringing up that serotonin, we see a decrease in our cortisol levels. We also see a decrease in even just physical pain tightness that all can be supported by having more serotonin levels. We also see a change in sleep patterns or sleep quality. So by using 5-HTP increasing their serotonin, you typically can sleep deeper and longer.
So if you're really struggling with worrying thoughts or when you go to bed, it's just like everything is moving fast in your mind and you can't fall asleep. Sometimes 5-HTP taken at night can really help support serotonin levels and helps you sleep more soundly.
Also by using 5-HTP, it really just increases our overall wellbeing because we know and if you're struggling with anxiety, if you're anxious, things hurt more, your stomach doesn't feel good, you can have more headaches, you're feeling like your muscles are tighter.
It's just a mountain of different things. And so by using 5-HTP to increase those serotonin levels, we often overall just feel so much better If you're thinking, okay, well I am struggling with some anxiety, nothing's really touching it and I think I just want to start trying some different things, 5-HTP is going to be a good choice.
So how would you take 5-HTP?
The recommended dosage is 50 milligrams to 300 milligrams. And as with all supplements, pretty much I always recommend starting on the low end and working yourself up because if you don't then you can find what you really need.
Also, taking 5-HTP in divided doses can also be really beneficial. So sometimes, as I mentioned, if you're having a lot of ruminating thoughts at bedtime, you can take your 50 milligrams before bed and I would say take it a couple hours before you go to bed and see how that works for you.
If you're taking more than 50 milligrams, then of course you're going to divide those doses up.
So you might want to do 50 in the morning, 50 at lunchtime, 50 at dinner, kind of depending on where you are at and how you're feeling with the amount. As I said, everybody is going to be different and always start on the low end.
Side effects of 5-HTP
There can be some side effects when taking 5-HTP and some of those things look like GI disturbances, so some nausea, sometimes just headaches or dizziness. You can even just have more GI discomfort like bloating or gas.
So just be on, just watch for that. And I think that will also clue you into how much you kind of need. If you take 50 milligrams and you feel great, you sleep better, you feel less anxious, you're at a good spot. If you think that wasn't enough and you try more and you have a few of these side effects, give it a couple days. Sometimes it's just like your body getting used to more serotonin and just really fill it out because you can always take less.
So again, 5-HTP can be super helpful for serotonin, but also we need to be very mindful not only with how much we take when we take it, but also if you're taking any other medications, different types of medications can be contradictive to 5-HTP, and one of them is going to be antidepressants.
So if you are taking an antidepressant, 5-HTP is not going to be your friend. You just want to stay away from that because it just doesn't support the medication. And sometimes you can end up with serotonin syndrome. Also, they're contraindicated with blood thinners. So if you're on a blood thinner medication like Coumadin or whatnot, then you'll want to stay away from 5-HTP.
Also, medications that help to support Parkinson's disease can also be contraindicated.
So it's always the very best way to do anything is to look at your medications. You can talk to the pharmacist about is there any contraindications? They're well versed on obviously pharmaceuticals and so they're going to be the best person to ask with that. And then just do your own research or ask questions. If you don't know, don't do it until for sure. That's kind of the way I always think about it, especially with medications and supplements.
So if you are taking a medication and you're still having a lot of anxiety and you're thinking, well, I just want to, it'd be nice to try it, but I can't.
Foods that are higher in 5-HTP
So there are foods that are higher in 5-HTP and of course proteins. And number one, which you've probably heard about often is going to be Turkey because Turkey has a lot of tryptophan. Tryptophan turns into 5-HTP and then we get serotonin from that.
So Turkey is going to be a really good option for supporting serotonin. Also eggs, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, even whole grains and dairy products, anything that has a good amount of protein in it and amino acids, those are going to help support your mental health.
So I've given you how much 5-HTP to take, what kind of foods you can consume and if none of those really resonate with you or you feel like are going to work. There's also other supplements and one I'll just highlight here with 5-HTP can be magnesium.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that about 85% of us are deficient in. Could be even higher now, but magnesium is something that we really run through on a daily basis because it is water soluble. But magnesium helps to keep calmness in our body. It helps to reduce muscle tension, it helps to reduce blood pressure, it helps to calm our mind.
So always making sure if 5-HTP isn't an option, maybe magnesium can be for you. And there's several different types of magnesium and you can find, we've talked about several of them on our YouTube videos, but I think for brain health in general, Magnesium L-Threonate is going to be a really a very good one to take. And then of course there's just magnesium glycinate, which is kind of an overall fast absorbing, well absorbing type of magnesium.
So if you're struggling with anxiety and you're trying to find just natural simplistic ways to deal with anxiety, trying 5-HTP can be really helpful. Myself, I do struggle with anxiety and over the years I have used 5-HTP. I do find it helpful and it just really comes down to the dosing to making sure that you're taking enough but not too much. And that's just like I said earlier, starting low and working up to it.
So I hope this video was helpful for you. I will link a 5-HTP supplement down below where if you're interested, you can easily purchase it. And of course, like always, please comment down below. We're happy to answer questions.
Thanks for taking the time to watch the video today. Bye-bye.
Check out the high-quality supplements we discussed in this video - links below for your convenience!
2) ALL PROFESSIONAL QUALITY SUPPLEMENTS: https://flussonutrients.nutridyn.com & https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/flussonutrients