Читать книгу Sleep: The secret to sleeping well and waking refreshed - Prof. Idzikowski Chris - Страница 23

Serotonin as a precursor of melatonin is one of the brain’s chemical messengers and has a major effect on the way the brain works, specifically affecting mood and sleep. (Other chemicals in this group include noradrenaline, dopamine and histamine.) It is produced in the brain from trytophan, an essential amino acid found in certain foods, and levels in the body are negatively affected by poor diet and stress. Lack of serotonin may lead not only to insomnia, but to anxiety and depression, which are in turn two of the greatest disruptors of sleep. Often known as the ‘feel good’ hormone, serotonin is Nature’s own Prozac, and is a crucial in the way many of the more recent antidepressant drugs, known as Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), work.