What to drink to relieve depression

Let me pour cold water on you first. Currently, there is no drink that can directly treat depression, and there is no "magic water" that can make low mood disappear immediately after drinking it. The various drinks you can search for that claim to "relieve depression" can only play a slight supporting role in mood regulation without conflicting with your own medication or being allergic to the ingredients. They absolutely cannot replace formal treatments such as drugs and psychological counseling.

I met a girl in a patient group before. She was diagnosed with moderate depression and was taking sertraline. She saw a short video saying that St. John's wort tea can be a "natural antidepressant", so she secretly stopped taking the medicine and drank it every day. As a result, she developed severe dizziness and anxiety attacks within two weeks. After she was sent to the emergency room, she learned that St. John's wort interacts with antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which in turn aggravates symptoms, and the gain outweighs the gain.

Of course, this does not mean that all drinks are completely useless. I have been living with depression for five or six years and have tried many. Some of them can really help when my mood is so bad that my chest feels heavy. For example, when the sun goes out for a week in autumn and winter, I always like to make a cup of hot cocoa. I want to choose the sugar-free version with more than 70% cocoa solids. The flavanols in it can help the brain improve the utilization efficiency of serotonin. A small sip will warm me from the stomach to the fingertips. The nerves that have been tense for a long time will slowly relax, and I will not always be stuck in the weird thoughts of "I can't do anything well." If you buy instant cocoa with more than half a cup of sugar added, don't try it. After drinking it, your blood sugar will rise and fall quickly, and your mood will be even lower half an hour later.

When I have trouble sleeping, I often drink light chamomile tea. Don’t make it too strong, otherwise it will be bitter and make you upset. The flavonoids in it can soothe the nerves. During my previous relapse, I often woke up suddenly at three or four in the morning, lying with my eyes open and my mind full of messy negative thoughts. I got up and brewed a cup of warm chamomile tea, holding it in my hand and drinking it slowly for more than ten minutes. The anxiety in my chest was much lighter, and I could at least sleep for a few more hours without having an emotional breakdown until dawn. Oh, by the way, those who are allergic to Asteraceae should not touch it, and pregnant women should not drink it, so please pay attention to this.

As for γ-aminobutyric acid drinks and various emotional energy drinks that have been heavily promoted online recently, they are actually quite controversial. A patient of mine said that after drinking it for more than half a month, her inexplicable irritability has improved a lot, and she no longer gets angry at the smallest things. ； I've been drinking it for almost a week, and I feel nothing but a little sleepy. Some people also feel dizzy and nauseous but can't sleep after drinking it. The current research conclusions on this type of ingredient are not unanimous. If you are taking medicine, be sure to ask your attending doctor before drinking it, and don’t buy it blindly.

Having said that, I have to mention again, don’t overestimate the role of drinks. It is more like the folding umbrella you put in your bag when you go out on a rainy day. It can protect you from the drizzle and prevent you from getting wet as soon as you go out. But if it is really pouring, you still have to hide under the eaves of a regular treatment.