Increase Dopamine Naturally
low levels of dopamine can get you depressed, lower your
sex drive give you mood swings and weight change. on the other side of the coin
if you have too much dopamine being released you can have difficulty sleeping,
mood swings on the other end and muscle cramps.
like most other things in life the idea is to have
a balance. balance levels of dopamine get you concentrated give you more energy
and sex drive while also motivating you to crush it in any endeavour.
so how exactly do you do it? how do you have a
health balanced level of dopamine and is there really anything you can do
about it? the good news is that dopamine has been so studied that we know a ton
about it. so of course humanity has found a way to manage dopamine levels.
Let's go over the seven ways to boost dopamine levels
No 1. Exercise
there's just no getting around it, there's just no health subject that doesn't include exercising in his tips. the reason is that it's just that great exercising gets your blood pumping and helps you carry oxygen to every part of the body. in regards to dopamine, your body releases dopamine when you exercise to reinforce the positive behavior. not only that but exercising has been proven to improve your mood and get you to overall be more health, which also boosts dopamine.
you don't need to become
an Olympic champion to be able to do this. more research still needs to be done
in order to know exactly what type of exercise and how much you need to stress your
body while exercising for optimal dopamine release. so there aren't many rules
regarding how much or how little you can exercise. the idea is that you just
have to do it and even if you just do 10 push-ups today is better than not
moving around at all.
a study showed that doing yoga specifically can
significantly boost your dopamine levels, but not many studies have been done on
other activities. so it's hard to tell this is specifically related to the yoga
itself. do what you will just make sure it gets you moving and you'll be set.
No 2. eat well
you've probably heard the saying no exercise can
replace a bad diet. this is true in this case as well, while exercising is great. don't think this lets you off
the hook from eating a health diet. well it's true that you can have the best
training routine. but if you eat junk food all day, you won't see the benefits
much.
it's also true that if you lay in bed all day but
eat incredibly health is still not optimal. the best thing you can do is combine
these first two tips and you'll see your health skyrocket in no time. but back
to dopamine what does eating well mean in this case, if you're following a well-balanced
diet you've probably got this down already. but let's break it down just a bit
for raising dopamine levels eating a lot of protein is essential.
protein is made up of amino acids and one of these
amino acids is called tyrosine then your body does the work for you and turned
tyrosine into dopamine. another diet tip related to dopamine is to not eat too
many saturated fats. these are foods like butter, animal fats, coconut oil and
full fat dairy products. fats like these can cause disruptions in the dopamine release
in the brain if consumed in large amounts. so in one sentence eat well and
you'll feel well there's not much more to it.
No 3. get enough sleep
dopamine itself has a natural rhythm throughout the day. if you've ever studied will power you'll know that it's like a magic meter. in a video game as soon as you wake up in the morning it's full after going through your day with the many obligations. right before you go to bed there's not a lot left your dopamine throughout today follows the same pattern. it gets released in big amounts in the morning and by night you don't really have as much.
when you have a good night's sleep you get more dopamine
released in the morning and feel more energetic and youthful throughout the day. likewise when it gets time for bed your body knows to reduce the hormone
release and you'll feel sleepy at night. dopamine itself is also associated with
the feeling of wakefulness.
so you'll be able to wake up and get out of bed easier. but also fall asleep easier at night when you don't get enough sleep. these rhythms get disrupted and you're either
sleepy during the day or uneasy during the night. a sub tip you can use here is.
if you don't have enough time to sleep in a single night, you can maximize the quality
of the sleep itself by getting an eye mask or having good curtains. so it's
completely dark that way you'll sleep deeper and will feel way more refreshed
in the morning.
No 4. listen to music
one of the more fun ways to stimulate dopamine
release in the body is to listen to music that you love. every time a song
either gives you chills or makes you feel any strong emotion, your dopamine
levels rise up to 9% just from that. this happens because music itself
stimulates activity in the brain making is subconsciously recognize all the
different notes and harmonies and it's like exercise for your brain.
but it
doesn't just work with music, another type of exercise for your brain can be
reading any book that triggers a strong emotion in you is a great way to get in
a little extra dopamine. it's like when you watch a movie that really motivates
you that's because dopamine is released in your brain. this is also the reason
why people listen to music in the gym.
No 5. stay in the sun
dopamine is called the happy hormone. for a reason
all of these tips are not only to raise dopamine but to be happier. in general
another such tip is to get enough sunlight exposure, if you've ever heard the
expression you brightened up my day that's the reason the sun literally
brightens up your day which in turn raises dopamine levels.
studies have shown that in countries with less
sunlight a substantial amount of the population is more likely to be closed off
or depressed. while in brighter countries people are way more open and
communicative. you can probably guess that being more open leads to more pleasure
and dopamine gets released. that way sunlight also boosts most neurotransmitters.
if you've noticed there's a pattern here
most of these stimulate dopamine either directly or by raising your mood and
energy levels which in turn stimulates it. the interesting part is that it's
not just the sunlight. studies have shown that people who go to tanning beds
also have an increased dopamine level.
it's hard to say whether it has any connection to
the type of light you're exposed to or just the fact that you're happy for
getting more tan. so you want to repeat the behaviour but whichever it is if it
works it works.
No 6. supplements
the truth is some people are born with the type of
brain chemistry that makes it easier for them to release dopamine. there are
types of people that struggle with the management of dopamine levels more than
others. for these kinds of people if all else fails there are always
supplements.
let's repeat supplements not medicine. if you pop a
few pills of medicine to increase dopamine levels you'll soon find yourself to
be even worse off in the long term. but food-based supplements and some
probiotics from time to time won't do you harm. dopamine is affected by some nutrients
more than others.
for example vitamin b6, iron, niacin and foliate. it's a good idea to take some supplements in these if you have a deficiency. as
this could help your situation. iron deficiency is especially dangerous. so you
might want to keep an eye open for it.
No 7. Meditate
Meditation like exercising is also one of the things that are mentioned a lot when
it comes to health. that's because it just plain works. remember how listening to
music that gives you the chills increases dopamine levels by 9%.
studies have shown that if you're experienced
enough an hour of meditation can increase your dopamine levels by 65%. meditation
is used to calm the mind and ground yourself and it's a great tool not only to
raise dopamine, but to rest and connect with your inner self as well and there
you have it health lovers. this is what you need to know about dopamine and how
to manage it.