Dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for providing motivation, drive, productivity and focus. It plays a role in many mental disorders including depression, and addictions.

Dopamine boosts our drive, focus, and concentration. It enables us to plan ahead and resist impulses, so we can achieve our goals. It gives us that “I did it!” lift when we accomplish what we set out to do. It makes us competitive and provides the thrill of the chase in all aspects of life — business, sports, and love.

Dopamine oversees our pleasure-reward system. It allows us to have feelings of enjoyment, bliss, and even euphoria. Low levels of dopamine- unfocused, unmotivated, lethargic, and depressed.

Dopamine Deficiency Symptoms
People low in dopamine lack a zest for life. They exhibit low energy and motivation, and symptoms are similar to those of depression, and often rely on caffeine, sugar, or stimulants to get through the day. They can also boost their levels with drugs, shopping, video games, sex, power, or gambling.

Dopamine deficiency symptoms:

Lack of motivation, fatigue, apathy, procrastination, inability to feel pleasure, low libido, sleep problems, mood swings, hopelessness, memory loss, and inability to concentrate.

How to Increase Dopamine Naturally

Foods That Increase Dopamine
Dopamine is made from the amino acid tyrosine. Eating a diet high in tyrosine will ensure you’ve have the basic building blocks needed for dopamine production.

Here’s a list of tyrosine-rich foods:
All animal products, almonds, apples, avocado, bananas, beetroot, chocolate, coffee, fava beans, green leafy vegetables, green tea, lima beans, oatmeal, sea vegetables, sesame and pumpkin seeds, turmeric, watermelon, wheat germ.

Foods high in natural probiotics such as yogurt, kefir, and raw sauerkraut can also increase natural dopamine production. The health of your intestinal flora impacts your production of neurotransmitters.

An overabundance of bad bacteria leaves toxic by -products called lipopolysaccharides which lower levels of dopamine. Sugar has been found to boost dopamine but this is a temporary boost.

Dopamine Supplements
•    Curcumin is the active ingredient in the spice turmeric. Curcumin has also been found to alleviate obsessive actions and improve memory loss because of its ability to increase dopamine levels.

•    Ginkgo biloba is traditionally used for a variety of brain-related problems such as poor concentration, forgetfulness, headaches, fatigue, mental confusion, depression, and anxiety.

•    L-theanine is a found in green tea which increases levels of dopamine, and improves recall, learning, and positive mood. Boost dopamine with theanine supplements or by drinking 3 cups of green tea per day.

•    L-tyrosine, the precursor to dopamine, taking acetyl-l-tyrosine which is a more absorbable form that readily crosses the blood-brain barrier.

•    Phosphatidylserine acts as your brain’s “gatekeeper,” regulating nutrients and waste, in and out of your brain. It can increase dopamine levels and improve memory, concentration, learning, and ADHD.

Boost Dopamine with Exercise
Physical exercise is one of the best things you can do for your brain. It boosts the production of new brain cells, slows down brain cell ageing, and improves the flow of nutrients to the brain. It can also increase your levels of dopamine and the other “feel good” neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine.

Running, taking walks, or doing gentle, no-impact exercises like yoga, tai chi, or qi gong all provide powerful mind-body benefits.

Increase Dopamine with Meditation
Regular meditators experience an enhanced ability to learn, increased creativity, and deep relaxation. It’s been shown that meditation increases dopamine, improving focus and concentration.

Crafting hobbies of all kinds — knitting, quilting, sewing, drawing, photography, woodworking, and home repair — focus the brain similarly to meditation. These activities increase dopamine, ward off depression, and protect against brain ageing.

Using Your Brain’s Reward System to Balance Dopamine

Dopamine functions as a survival mechanism, by releasing energy when a great opportunity is in front of you. Dopamine rewards us when our needs are met, it’s a feel-good sensation.

Create Both Long and Short-Term Goals
Dopamine is released when we achieve a goal. Set both short term and long-term goals. Short term goals don’t have to be anything major. They can be as simple as trying a new recipe, catching up on emails, cleaning your wardrobe, or finally learning how to use a new app for your phone. Break up long term goals into small short-term goals to give yourself dopamine boosts along the way.

Take on a New Challenge
Create your own dopamine rewards by starting a new exercise program, learning French, or challenging yourself to drive home from work a different way every day.

How to Increase Dopamine in a Nutshell
Dopamine is our “motivation molecule.” It’s also in charge of our pleasure-reward system. There are both healthy ways and unhealthy ways to increase dopamine. Unhealthy ways to increase dopamine can be gateways to self-destruction and addictions. Healthy ways include eating the right foods, taking dopamine boosting supplements, physical exercise, and meditation.

Harness your reward system for a healthy stream of dopamine. Enjoy the quest, set both long term and short-term goals, and take on new challenges. You’ll feel more alive, focused, productive, and motivated.

 

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