What to drink to relieve depression

No drink can directly treat depression, nor can it replace formal treatment methods such as drugs and psychological intervention. However, according to clinical research and the actual experience of many friends who are depressed or mildly depressed, there are several types of drinks that can indeed help ease mood swings and reduce short-term depression, which can be regarded as a good auxiliary adjustment method.

A young girl who just graduated from a depression mutual aid group I met in the past fell into an offer scam last fall. When renting a house, a rogue agent stole her entire deposit. She stayed in the rental house for three weeks in a row and did not want to move. She didn't even have the strength to brush her teeth. She went to the Jingwei Center to be diagnosed with mild depression. The doctor did not prescribe medication, and asked her to adjust her life by doing the little things she could. She blindly tried various "happy waters" spread online for almost half a month, and finally settled on making a cup of warm chamomile tea at three o'clock every afternoon, adding half a spoonful of linden honey. She said that within ten minutes of drinking it, the stuffy feeling of a piece of wet cotton pressed against her chest seemed to be relieved. When she lay down at night, she no longer had to worry about those bad things in her mind, and she fell asleep an hour faster than before. In fact, this is not a mystery. The flavonoids and magnesium in chamomile have a soothing effect on the nerves. I have read a foreign clinical study before and found that people with mild depression who drank chamomile extract for more than 4 weeks could reduce the frequency of depression episodes by about 30%.

Of course, not all drinks are useful for everyone. Take black coffee, which many people say "can boost mood". It is indeed quite controversial. There are indeed studies showing that a small amount of caffeine can promote dopamine secretion and help improve short-term feelings of lethargy and depression. I used to have a friend who was a designer. He was mildly depressed and had to catch up on a big project for three months. He didn't dare to take drugs with drowsiness side effects. He drank a small half cup of iced Americano every morning. He said that it could really get him out of the state of being "paralyzed at the workstation and unable to move" and prevent him from crying in front of the computer all afternoon. But on the other hand, if you are a depressed person with anxiety symptoms, drinking caffeine may actually aggravate your heartbeat and restlessness. Last month, a netizen complained to me, saying that he was diagnosed with moderate depression and had anxiety symptoms. He heard others say that drinking coffee can improve his mood, so he drank two cups of iced Americano every day. As a result, he had insomnia until 4 o'clock for three consecutive days, and his mood hit rock bottom. He went to the hospital for a review and was scolded by the doctor.

There are also many people who drink warm milk when they have trouble sleeping. In fact, it is also useful in relieving poor sleep and emotional instability caused by depression. After all, the tryptophan in milk can help synthesize serotonin that regulates emotions. However, be careful not to drink it too hot or add too much sugar. The happiness brought by high sugar is temporary. After the blood sugar drops, the mood will drop even more, which is not worth the gain.

After all, these drinks are just auxiliary. Just like if your hands and feet are cold from the cold in winter, drinking a cup of hot cocoa may relieve your pain, but if you really have a cold, cold, and fever, you still need to take medicine and see a doctor. If you are just feeling depressed due to recent stress and are not at a pathological level, there is nothing wrong with trying these drinks. However, if you have been diagnosed with depression, do not place your hopes on what you drink. The most effective intervention is to follow the doctor's advice.