As winter takes hold you notice that you’ve been feeling down. You spend less time outdoors and more time in front of the TV. You want to go to the gym, but when you peer outside, all you can see is rain. And those BBQs and picnics you enjoyed with family and friends over the summer have long passed.
Winter’s a challenging time of year for many people, and it’s common to experience a dip in your mood. However, that doesn’t mean you have to be miserable for half the year. Let’s get into how collagen can boost your mood this winter.
Does collagen really improve your mood?
Collagen, the most abundant protein in your body, mainly gets its golden reputation for its skin and hair benefits. You might even know that collagen helps your gut, but does it do anything for your mood? Read on to find out.
Collagen boosts your happy hormones
Your body produces serotonin, known as the ‘happy hormone,’ and when you don’t have enough, it can trigger a low mood and depression. Serotonin often drops over winter because of the lack of sunlight, which affects your body clock, can confuse the brain, and disrupts hormones.
Collagen contains an amino acid called glycine, which stimulates serotonin levels in your brain and balances your emotions. Therefore, a collagen supplement could lift your spirits, and our collagen supplement contains something a little extra. It’s formulated with vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) to improve serotonin synthesis and elevate your mood.
Read more: How to Get More Vitamin D in Winter.
Collagen improves brain function
You may have noticed that it’s more difficult to concentrate in winter, which can cause stress as you struggle to focus.
Read more: The Best Vitamins for Memory and Focus.
Collagen contains antioxidants that improve brain health by defending against oxidative stress, increasing brain function, and protecting against Alzheimer's. The protein also stimulates blood flow by strengthening artery walls, helping oxygen and nutrients reach your brain for clarity and concentration.
Our collagen supplement also contains Panax ginseng, a herb shown in a 2013 study to increase cognitive activity and enhance memory.
Collagen contributes to better sleep
When you don’t receive good quality sleep, it can severely disrupt your mood, causing irritability and low feelings. Although shorter daylight hours can make you sluggish, sleeping can also be difficult because of the lack of natural light and increased artificial light. Artificial light disrupts the circadian rhythm (your sleep-wake cycle). This is often in the form of blue light, such as screens, which suppress melatonin (the sleep hormone).
Try now: Arella Dream - Calming Sleep Supplement.
Collagen is an excellent contributor to sleep quality because it’s rich in glycine, which lowers the body’s core temperature and induces sleep. Collagen also increases melatonin production, a critical hormone that regulates the circadian rhythm and helps sleep quality.
Read more: Does Collagen Help You Sleep? Everything You Need to Know.
Collagen reduces anxiety
Anxiety is a form of stress, both on the body and mind. When you encounter stress, it triggers the fight-or-flight response, releasing the hormone cortisol. The elevated presence of cortisol increases your heart rate and can make you uncomfortable and nervous.
Signs of anxiety
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Uneasiness
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A sense of dread
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Heightened levels of fear
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Feeling jumpy
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A racing heart
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Trouble sleeping
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Gut issues
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Feeling restless or tense
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Difficulty focusing
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Fixating on the ‘What Ifs’ of the future
What causes anxiety over winter?
Anxiety can slowly creep in during winter due to several factors. A significant reason is the lack of sunlight, which lowers serotonin and can trigger anxiousness. There’s also a culture of consuming more sugary foods and alcohol over winter due to celebrations such as Christmas. The change in diet can cause inflammation, unbalancing hormones, and manifesting as anxiety.
Read more: 5 Reliable Ways to Avoid Christmas Stress.
Serotonin deficiency and inflammation increase the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol restricts blood vessels and increases your heart rate, creating anxiety-inducing symptoms.
Collagen is made from amino acids (Arella Beauty collagen delivers amino acids identical to human collagen). These amino acids help balance hormones, such as cortisol, to regulate your fight-or-flight response.
Our collagen also contains vitamin D to boost serotonin and vitamin C, which defends against the harmful effects of stress-induced anxiety. Research shows that students given a vitamin C supplement displayed reduced anxiety compared to students who took a placebo. The vitamin also lowered mood disturbances and improved students’ overall well-being.
Read more: The Truth About Vitamin C: Do You Really Need It?
Collagen is good for relaxation
You know what makes everyone happy? Feeling relaxed. It’s when you’re free from tension or nervousness. Instead, you experience feelings of bliss, peace, contentment, and calmness.
Now, you can’t be relaxed all of the time - you’d never get anything done! But, nowadays, it can be hard to relax at all. The constant pinging of emails, kids clinging onto your legs, or the endless list of chores make it easy to feel stressed out and negatively impact your mood.
Collagen contains the amino acid glycine (something we mentioned earlier on in this article). Glycine inhibits neural firing in the nervous system, which may sound like a bad thing. However, when you’re in a heightened state of stress, your nervous system is overstimulated, making you feel on edge or irritable.
The magic of glycerin in collagen is that it reduces the number of firing neuron's to encourage a calm state. It also helps sleep and lower anxiety, so you experience relaxation more regularly and more easily.
Boost your winter mood with Arella Beauty’s Collagen Supplement
We’re proud of how many benefits our little liquid collagen sachet contains, and one of those advantages is getting you in a better mood over winter. Try our vegan collagen supplement today and feel the benefits this winter with Arella Beauty.
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