Nature’s Anti-Anxiety Pill: 5-HTP
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Are you prone to anxiety and want a natural way to curb it?
Yes, yoga classes are great, and eating a well-balanced diet filled with nutrients helps, but let’s be real – sometimes we all need a little extra boost. And unless it’s an extreme case, we’d probably all prefer to try a supplement rather than a prescribed solution.
**Please understand that I am not a physician or mental health specialist – I am only sharing something that has helped me as a high anxiety person! Please consult your doctor if you are overwhelmed and before you take any supplement.
The women in my family notoriously have a lot of anxiety, to the point where we have named our little crises. (We are very good at recognizing each other’s Dellana moments.) That is why I am always looking for ways to help destress.
A few months ago I read about 5-HTP in a magazine, discussing its anti-anxiety properties. Since it was a short blurb, I decided to do some research to see if it was legit and something that could help me.
From what I found, it sounded like it could. (Spoiler alert: AND IT DID!)
5-HTP stands for hydroxytryptophan. It comes from an amino acid your body makes that creates serotonin. Here you might notice two things:
1. Serotonin. We all hear about this in relation to depression and anxiety.
2. Tryptophan. Did you catch that in the full name? The little guy that makes you sleepy after your Thanksgiving turkey is a part of this equation.
Basically, tryptophan begets 5-HTP which begets serotonin. Which begets melatonin.
Why is serotonin important? Low levels of it are linked to depression and anxiety.
A lot of anti-depressants aim to boost your serotonin levels to correct this. 5-HTP does something similar, except it helps your body create new serotonin rather than preserve what you already have in you. This is how 5-HTP naturally calms you. Please remember that it does not take the edge off as much as a prescription medication would, but it is a noticeable difference.
While any supplement can have side effects, they tend to be less severe and overall bad than for prescription medications (think tummy discomfort as opposed to addictive effects, for example).
One particular application for this supplement is PMS and other hormone-related mood fluctuations.
If you get angry at everything once a month for absolutely no reason, you may find no relief except yelling (yes, I’m talking about myself). However, I noticed a difference with 5-HTP – I am definitely less irritable when I take it!
Another benefit to serotonin is that it converts to melatonin. In other words, it can help you sleep longer! For this reason, you may want to try it for the first time in the evening, not a big meeting at work. I take this during the day as well and haven’t had any problems (but hey, I drink a ton of coffee), but you have to see how it affects your body.
Others take 5-HTP because it can reduce appetite by tamping down on hormones that increase hunger, and it can be effective in managing pain related to migraines!
Once I added 5-HTP into my daily routine of vitamins and supplements, I noticed I was less edgy. While it’s not a miracle pill that makes you forget everything (quote Moira Rose from Schitts Creek), it does help you not sweat the small stuff. I highly recommend you consider discussing it with your doctor and adding it into your routine as well!
