Dopamine: What is it and how do you increase it?
Dopamine. The word alone gives people the warm and fuzzies.
But do you know what it is and what role it plays in your mental health?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that uses your nervous system to send messages between nerve cells. It helps with pleasure, focus, and motivation. It’s thought that most mental health disorders are caused by too much or too little dopamine. They’ve learned too much Dopamine in certain parts of the brain may be the cause of Schizophrenia. And depression is caused by a shortage of it.
Long-term misuse of alcohol or recreational drugs can stifle natural dopamine levels. But so can the long-term use of certain prescription drugs.
In layman's terms: Our brains make natural opioids. And opioids are like a key that unlocks a door where we store our Dopamine. But when we use synthetic opiates, like medication or recreational drugs, it tricks our brain into thinking it no longer needs to produce its own “keys”. Meaning we lose the ability to get that Dopamine release naturally.
Once a person loses the natural ability to feel pleasure, they will naturally try to find it, generally through a substance that will “make keys” to unlock our Dopamine door.
Alcohol also affects Dopamine but in a different way.
Alcohol basically breaks the doors down of the locked room and lets too much dopamine out. It floods the pleasure center and gives you a sense of euphoria. The problem with that is after long-term use, the pleasure center being saturated with dopamine will become normal and that “flood” will no longer be enough.
A person will need an even bigger and bigger flood in order to feel that euphoria again.
Think of it like a really good-smelling candle. It’s your favorite smell, it brings back a bunch of great memories and just makes you feel good just smelling it. Eventually, you’ll become nose blind to it. So then if you lit two of those candles you’d probably be able to smell it a little. Eventually, you’d become nose blind to that too and probably faster than the first time. Before you know it you could have 50 of those candles lit and you still wouldn’t be able to smell it. Not to mention that you’d have one hell of a fire hazard on your hands…
But anyway, this is how addiction works. We aren’t addicted to the substance itself. We are addicted to how it makes us feel.
But there are plenty of other reasons for dopamine levels to be off too. Certain medical conditions, obesity, lack of sleep, poor diet, and stress just to name a few.
So how can a personal naturally increase their dopamine levels?
SLEEP
One way to combat low dopamine is by getting good sleep!
Sleep is one of the most overlooked issues in our fast-paced American culture. According to Scientific American, it’s less about sleeping and more about being fully awake (which is a product of good sleep). Although science doesn't have a concrete understanding of why wakefulness is linked to dopamine, they have a hunch that the awake feeling you have is a release of a different chemical that helps unlock those dopamine doors.
In 2001 a study was done and found obesity and dopamine levels were also connected. It found that dopamine was decreased in proportion to individuals' BMI. Which led them to the hypothesis that obese individuals were using food to get to the reward keys to unlock that pesky dopamine door. According to Scientific American foods high in fat trigger overeating which can activate a rush of dopamine to the reward center. If it’s done enough it increases the likelihood of fatty diets becoming habitual. It’s unclear if obesity causes low dopamine, or if low dopamine can cause obesity. The science community actually believes it can go both ways. But just like with any other addiction, the user will need to eat more and more in order to feel pleasure from it which can cause extreme weight gain.
EATING WELL
Diet and mental health are far too often overlooked. Without getting too sciency or wordy, there’s a thing called Tyrosine. And your body has the ability to turn that into dopamine. It’s actually important to have Tyrosine for dopamine production.
Medical News Today breaks it down more science-y for you science nerds.
Foods like fish and white meat, soy products like tofu and soy milk, beans like white beans, split peas, and lentils, dairy products and seeds all can help naturally deliver Tyrosine. My Food Data has an extensive list.
You can also take Tyrosine supplements, which can be purchased from your local health food store or online. Just make sure to check with your doctor before starting any new supplements.
MUSIC
Outside of food another great way to naturally release dopamine, according to a 2011 study, is listening to your favorite music.
When a song you love opens with a badass riff, or if you prefer when the crescendo of Hamilton on Broadway is at its peak, or your favorite line from a rap song goes off, scientists have found that a rush of dopamine is triggered by the emotional arousal cause by music. So turn it up!
MEDITATION
On the flip side, a nice quiet meditation was found to have similar effects in this 2002 study. They found participants released 65% more dopamine during deep meditation than when just at rest. If you’re a meditation noob you’re not alone. Zen Habits is a great starting point.
MOVEMENT
Exercise is a huge natural boost to your feel goods. It uses your brain's reward center and can actually readjust it. Over time you could have not only more dopamine being released, but more receptors to take in all that joy.
In fact, according to this study completed in 2016, there was a “significant increase” of dopamine receptors in a random group of adults in treatment for meth addiction after just 8 weeks of walking and strength training.
There are many ways to naturally boost dopamine levels but hopefully, this list is a good start to understanding what it is, what it does, and how to get it.
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