Of all the chemicals in the brain, dopamine is one of the most complex. It is often described as the “feel-good hormone” because it is associated with positive feelings like motivation, lust, pleasure, addiction, euphoria, and focus. And once you experience it, you always want more.
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Conversely, cases of low dopamine levels often contribute to feelings of fatigue, lack of motivation, and even addictive behavior. The good news is that we don’t just depend on a nice holiday or a party like Carnival, synonymous with joy, to feed your brain with dopamine.
Check out some natural ways to increase your dopamine levels, according to the Care2 website:
1. CUT SUGAR CONSUMPTION
Do you know that confusing and happy feeling you get when you bite into your favorite chocolate bar or indulge in a sugary treat? That’s because sugar alters your brain chemistry and dumps a huge amount of dopamine into your system upon consumption.
What seems like a solution becomes a problem. Because as soon as your dopamine levels drop a bit, you will start to crave even more sugar. Your brain associates sugar with pleasure and increasingly relies on it to feel good. By cutting down on sugar consumption, you also reduce the after-consumption side effects and the craving for sugar.
2. INCREASE TYROSINE INTAKE
Tyrosine is one of the 20 essential amino acids for the body. It promotes alertness, focus, and attention, causing an increase in norepinephrine and – as you can guess – dopamine in the brain. Among the foods that provide a rich dose of tyrosine are: soy, bananas, Florida beans (Mucuna pruriens), pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, and avocados.
3. GET HIGH-QUALITY SLEEP
The human brain typically releases dopamine in larger amounts in the early day, to ensure the motivation and energy necessary to accomplish everything you want during the hours people spend awake. Later, the brain releases smaller amounts at night when it’s getting close to sleep time.
When this natural sleep cycle is interrupted, the brain’s dopamine receptors become compromised. In other words, the body doesn’t know when or how much dopamine to produce. Regular and high-quality sleep helps keep dopamine levels balanced.
4. ENJOY THE SUN
Have you heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? It occurs during the winter seasons in places where there is little natural light, causing feelings of depression or unhappiness. There are studies (like this one) that have shown that sun exposure strongly correlates with higher density of dopamine receptors in healthy adult brains.
5. GET MOVING
The beneficial effects of physical exercise on the brain are many. Physical activity leads to an increase in serum calcium levels, which in turn “increase dopamine synthesis in the brain”, according to this study. In other words, a good sweat session has the power to activate your brain’s pleasure circuit. In fact, regular exercise helps to balance your body’s hormone levels so that you feel happy without so many mood swings.
