When we dive deeper into finding out why we feel intense emotions such as depression, we have a better understanding on how to deal with it. Knowing exactly what causes depression is important because this could help out vulnerable groups, specifically teengers. Teenagers going through dysregulation, the imbalancement of certain chemicals that relate to emotions in our brain, makes emotions going haywire and leading to the “no one understands me” phase. This can cause anxiety and depression to develop if not treated.
Our brains contain different levels of brain chemicals called opioids that are used in three places: the limbic system, the brain system, and the spinal cord. Specifically when dealing with depression, we need to turn our attention to the limbic system. Whenever we have episodes of depression or any emotional distress, it means we have an irregular level of opioids. When we get sad, our level of opioids increases in order to cancel out the distress, since the opioid’s job is to relieve pain, or in this case, emotional pain.
However, there is only so much natural opioids can do when each part of the brain only has a certain number and doesn’t reproduce more until the job is done. While opioids are doing their job, they may have a negative impact on your body, specifically the immune system. Opioids sometimes release an inflammatory protein that weakens your immune system, causing you to become sick or fatigued.
Other chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are important factors in depression. Serotonin moves through the nervous system and helps regulate sleep, metabolism, energy, calming down, and has an overall role coronating the nervous system. The best way to keep serotonin levels healthy is by exercising, which helps immensely since exercise soothes muscles and gets energy levels going.
Dopamine is considered the love drug and one of the main causes for positive feelings because it sends signals from the nervous system. To put it shortly, when you feel happy because of a person, food, or activity, it’s dopamine at work. To keep dopamine levels healthy, it’s advised to have a hobby and a schedule that isn’t the same every day so life doesn’t become predictable and dull.
Finally, there’s norepinephrine, which is a chemical that is released in response to stress. It triggers the “fight or flight” response, which means you either confront the problem or run away. When someone becomes depressed it’s usually over emotional strain. When dealing with emotional strain, take time to relax, drink tea, go for a run, or even scream into a pillow if it makes you feel better.
Scientifically, now that we know all about which chemicals trigger depression, the best ways with balancing these chemicals are by: exercising, eating healthy and getting a good amount of sleep for your age. These simple things can really make a difference. By exercising you release endorphins that raise your mood and gives you a positive outlet to release stress. By eating healthy, getting more greens in your diet help clean out your system and giving you more energy to spare. If someone were to eat a lot of fibers and grains, such as pizza and chips, they are more likely to become depressed because certain vitamins found in vegetables and fruit are a necessity to keep yourself more alert and energized. Lastly, by sleeping is a no brainer, since teenagers are constantly going through the rollercoaster known as puberty we constantly burn energy worrying over little things or stressing over our next grade. It’s important to get a good night's rest so we can face more problems the next.
Teenagers do get depressed, either out of nowhere or to due problems they are facing. However, when knowing the key factors that cause depression, it is easy to overcome. It’s important to take some time and take care of yourself.
Our brains contain different levels of brain chemicals called opioids that are used in three places: the limbic system, the brain system, and the spinal cord. Specifically when dealing with depression, we need to turn our attention to the limbic system. Whenever we have episodes of depression or any emotional distress, it means we have an irregular level of opioids. When we get sad, our level of opioids increases in order to cancel out the distress, since the opioid’s job is to relieve pain, or in this case, emotional pain.
However, there is only so much natural opioids can do when each part of the brain only has a certain number and doesn’t reproduce more until the job is done. While opioids are doing their job, they may have a negative impact on your body, specifically the immune system. Opioids sometimes release an inflammatory protein that weakens your immune system, causing you to become sick or fatigued.
Other chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are important factors in depression. Serotonin moves through the nervous system and helps regulate sleep, metabolism, energy, calming down, and has an overall role coronating the nervous system. The best way to keep serotonin levels healthy is by exercising, which helps immensely since exercise soothes muscles and gets energy levels going.
Dopamine is considered the love drug and one of the main causes for positive feelings because it sends signals from the nervous system. To put it shortly, when you feel happy because of a person, food, or activity, it’s dopamine at work. To keep dopamine levels healthy, it’s advised to have a hobby and a schedule that isn’t the same every day so life doesn’t become predictable and dull.
Finally, there’s norepinephrine, which is a chemical that is released in response to stress. It triggers the “fight or flight” response, which means you either confront the problem or run away. When someone becomes depressed it’s usually over emotional strain. When dealing with emotional strain, take time to relax, drink tea, go for a run, or even scream into a pillow if it makes you feel better.
Scientifically, now that we know all about which chemicals trigger depression, the best ways with balancing these chemicals are by: exercising, eating healthy and getting a good amount of sleep for your age. These simple things can really make a difference. By exercising you release endorphins that raise your mood and gives you a positive outlet to release stress. By eating healthy, getting more greens in your diet help clean out your system and giving you more energy to spare. If someone were to eat a lot of fibers and grains, such as pizza and chips, they are more likely to become depressed because certain vitamins found in vegetables and fruit are a necessity to keep yourself more alert and energized. Lastly, by sleeping is a no brainer, since teenagers are constantly going through the rollercoaster known as puberty we constantly burn energy worrying over little things or stressing over our next grade. It’s important to get a good night's rest so we can face more problems the next.
Teenagers do get depressed, either out of nowhere or to due problems they are facing. However, when knowing the key factors that cause depression, it is easy to overcome. It’s important to take some time and take care of yourself.