5 Ways To Increase Your Dopamine Naturally

November 18th, 2020

Before diving into how you can naturally increase your
body’s Dopamine levels, let’s define exactly what Dopamine is and why it is
important. Dopamine, often referred to as a chemical messenger, is a type of
neurotransmitter, meaning it sends messages between your nerve cells.  Dopamine plays a lot of big roles, including
effecting how we all feel pleasure, our ability to focus, our ability to think
and plan, and even our ability to find things interesting.

If your body is deficient in dopamine levels, this can cause
in imbalance in your life. A lack of Dopamine can be associated with the
following concerns:

• Lack of Focus
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Sugar Cravings
• Moodiness
• Forgetfulness
• Low Motivation
• And More

As with many things, too much or too little of Dopamine can
leads to a vast range of health issues. Often times, too much or too little
Dopamine in varying areas of the brain is often linked to mental health
disorders – which affect many of those who struggle with addiction.

Dopamine also plays a key role in the lives of those who
struggle with addiction. When someone misuses or abuses drugs it has a big
effect on your body’s ability to produce Dopamine. For instance, if someone is
using cocaine, it can cause a large and quick increase of Dopamine to your
brain. Repeated use of this drug would raise your threshold for pleasure,
meaning you would need to take a larger amount of the drug each time in order
to receive the same amount of pleasure (or high).  At the same time, the drug use is making your
body less capable of producing Dopamine naturally, leading to emotional lows
when you are not using the drug.

If you’re someone who simply feels like you don’t have
enough energy to get through the day or you simply get easily distracted, it
may be a sign that your Dopamine levels are too low. Thankfully, there are some
natural ways that you can work to improve and increase your body’s Dopamine
levels.

1. Exercise Regularly

Physical exercise is
one of the best things you can do for not only your physical health, but your
mental health as well. Physical exercise increases your body’s production of
new brain cells, reduces cell aging and increases your body’s Dopamine levels.
Physical Exercise has also been proven to improve your mood. It is recommended
that in order to see an effect, you need to be getting at least 20 minutes of
exercise a day, but 30 minutes per day is always a good goal to have. Even
doing something as calm as yoga six days per week can significantly increase
your body’s Dopamine levels.

2. Get Plenty of Sleep

Lack of sleep can
disrupt your body’s natural rhythms. Your body naturally releases large amounts
of Dopamine in the morning when it is time for you to wake up and lets your
levels naturally decrease in the evening when it is typically time to go to
sleep. If you’re forcing yourself to stay away or going to sleep at
inconsistent times, you’re throwing off this natural rhythm in your body. You
should be getting high quality, regular sleep in order to ensure your Dopamine
levels are balanced.

3. Consume Probiotics

Probiotics, aka good
gut bacteria, are live microorganisms that line your digestive tract and allow
your body/digestive system to function properly. Some people may not realize
that your gut and your bran are closely linked. In recent years, it has become
clear that some species of bacteria that reside in your gut are capable of
producing Dopamine. Therefore, when these healthy bacteria are consumed, it can
reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

4. Enjoy Music

Believe it or not, listening to
calming music can improve your mood, reduce feelings of stress, increase
pleasure, and assist in concentration. By increasing the activity in the reward
and pleasure areas of the brain, listening to music is actually assisting to
increase your body’s Dopamine levels in a natural way.

5. Take Time To Meditate

Meditating is the
practice of clearing one’s mind and focusing inward – allowing your thoughts to
be released. There have been hundreds of studies that point to meditations
effectiveness on improving overall health. Meditation increases your Dopamine
levels and helps to improve focus and concentration throughout the day. If
you’re someone who has never attempted meditation before, there are so many
free apps and online guides that can help walk you through a guided meditation
and make the process that much simpler. It doesn’t hurt to give it a shot for
yourself!

Overall, Dopamine is something that is key to our overall
mental health, influencing our mood and feelings of motivation. Typically, your
body is pretty good about regulating Dopamine levels on its own, but diet and
lifestyle changes such as the ones we discussed can help boost these levels
naturally.