How To Boost Dopamine Naturally And Why You Should

Why wouldn’t you want to increase your Dopamine levels when Natural Dopamine Boosters are available? Often times the first brain chemical we think about when it comes to dealing with a problem focusing and concentration, as well as not being motivated is serotonin. Low serotonin is definitely an issue that many folks who battle depression and other issues face. The thing that researchers also know is that when it comes to how the brain handles depression and other issues, is that the other neurotransmitters in your brain play a role as well. These studies prove that folks with a diagnosis of clinical depression have much lower levels of dopamine neurotransmitters in their brains. This initial finding leads to a lot of learning about how Dopamine Levels impact our brains, and what happens when people experience a deficiency of it.

Upping the levels of dopamine in your brain should definitely give you an overall cognitive boost, especially when it comes to things you have to remember or have to detailed attention to. This is why when dopamine is given to folks with neurodegenerative issues often show a great deal of improvement. It’s also why many students have turned to various nootropic substances to boost their cognitive levels, utilizing dopamine boosters to study longer and harder, and be able to perform better in class.

We now know that when we lose out ability to focus, or concentrate, and stop enjoying things that we typically do, it can be a key indicator of not having enough dopamine in our brain. Dopamine deficiency can also account for the sluggishness that is often associated with many folks who suffer from depression. For many years, the immediate answer from doctors was to turn to pharmaceuticals. While there are some pharmaceuticals that work really well, they also can induce some really adverse side effects. Luckily, there are now a number of well tested natural supplements that raise dopamine levels safely and typically don’t present any unwanted effects. Many naturopathic practitioners are successfully treating patients with dopamine deficiency symptoms, helping them live more fulfilling, better lives.

What Is Dopamine And What Does It Do?

Dopamine is a brain neurotransmitter. That means it is a chemical that passes brain information from one neuron to another neuron.  How this dopamine effects us, depends on where the dopamine came from, as well as where it’s going, along with several other variables of where its coming and going.

Dopamine is highly involved in your brain activities. When dopamine is released and travels through your brain, you get a rush of energy, because dopamine is your brain response to setting a reward based goal, and that energy is what motivates you to reach that goal. Dopamine is what lets you know that you are satisfied by something, and is the underlying brain chemical behind our drive to complete goals and feel rewarded. When that dopamine isn’t present, that is when you start to notice the things that should provide reward based pleasure, like music, or your hobbies, or exercise. Dopamine deficiency can definitely be a reason that you continually feel down.

We took a look at four individual supplements that have each been found in various studies to raise dopamine levels, and/or even out the function of the Dopamine in our brains to a more balanced level. People who have true dopamine deficiency aren’t the only people who can benefit from these. Anyone seeking a boost in their mood, motivation, energy or just general life interest could experience many of the positive effects these natural dopamine boosting supplements offer.

5 Natural Dopamine Boosters:

1. L-Tyrosine

Tyrosine is an amino acid and one that is essential to brain function. You can get Tyrosine in your diet, and it is also created inside our bodies. Tyrosine forms a precursor that gets converted to dopamine in the brain and forms a different neurotransmitter (norepinephrine) that helps control our moods. Given what it does, L-tyrosine can be a great place to start for better sleep, a more even keel on your mood, better focus, and really any type of mild dopamine deficiency symptoms. One of the great things about tyrosine is that you will feel the effects in your brain rather quickly. Start with one capsule, and in thirty minutes if you feel no cognitive response, you can take another, and the same again in 30 minutes. We all have different needs in our brain and respond differently to amino acids. As with all of these supplements, talk to your Doctor before taking them, as we are not giving any sort of medical advice. Tyrosine is best taken 2-3 times a day.

2. Mucuna

Mucuna is a plant-based supplement that contains up to five percent of the same brain chemical that is synthesized inside our bodies as L-tyrosine and then is turned into dopamine. When you take it as a supplement to your daily routine, Mucuna is able to enter your brain via the bloodstream and is shown to increase the levels of dopamine in the brain. In the Indian medicine culture, Mucuna has been a long standing staple, used to treat many different illnesses, including neurological issues such as Parkinson’s. Studies have shown that dopamine deficiency conditions like depression and anxiety can also benefit from taking Mucuna as a supplement, and that also effects other mood oriented brain neurotransmitters like serotonin.

3. L-theanine

Theanine is another amino acid, this one found mainly in teas, both green and black. Theanine (along with caffeine) is a contributing factor to the way tea can affect your mood or energy. Studies show that it has an effect on multiple neurotransmitters in the brain, and produces a calm, mellowing feeling that works to balance out the stimulus from the caffeine in the tea we drink. It also works in conjunction with the caffeine, delivering the energy in a more focused manner, one in which you won’t experience the jitteriness or crash that is typically associated with drinking something caffeinated.

4. Rhodiola

Rhodiola is a plant that has been quite popular in Eastern Europe and through Asia for helping with depression, as well as knocking out fatigue while increasing performance at work. One of the reasons these effects take place is due to the way it controls and enhances dopamine stability, while also supporting its consumption and reuptake. When compared to a placebo in humans, studies show a reduction in anxiety, fatigue related to stress, as well as depression. Taking 170mg of this extract twice a day could definitely have a positive impact.

5. B-Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamin B6, as well as Zinc and Folate, are crucial for dopamine creation and synthesis, as well as the firing of the neurotransmitters. These are quite commonly depleted in our bodies because of our diet, or because we live and work in high-stress environments or ones with exposure to toxic environmental variables. While these aren’t direct contributors to Dopamine in your brain, a high-quality multivitamin and mineral daily pill can renew and replenish your levels, which will lead to your neurotransmitters operating at an optimal level, and support your emotional well-being.

Precautions When Taking Dopamine Supplements

When it comes to brain chemicals, balance is key. If you overdo it, you’re going to have negative effects just as bad, if not worse than had you not taken it at all. Don’t ever try adding more than one dopamine enhancing supplement at a time to your routine unless you’ve worked with your healthcare provider on a specific plan to do so. Be sure to check with your Dr. on how any of these supplements might interact with medication as well as other supplements you are already taking, and if you’re a pregnant or lactating woman, you should probably steer clear of these all together for the time being.

Increasing Dopamine In The Brain Without Supplements

Along with supplementing your diet and supplement routine with new items to increase dopamine levels, there are a handful of ways to do it naturally. Examining your diet can be a great place to start with this. One thing that has been found is that your gut health can play a role in your dopamine levels. When you have too much of the bad types of bacteria in your system, it can lower your dopamine levels. Foods which are high in natural probiotics like Kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir and others are definite must haves when you are eating with the intent of boosting dopamine levels.

Another way to naturally spark your dopamine levels is to get engaged in something that has an end goal, associated with intrinsic reward. In other words, give yourself something to achieve, in which achieving it will bring you pride and satisfaction. By accomplishing smaller goals and giving yourself that winning feeling, you can retrain your brain on how to use its dopamine.

Exercise and meditation are two other fantastic ways to boost your dopamine production. Working out has shown in many studies that it increases neural growth, slows your brain from aging, and helps optimize the way nutrients are delivered to your brain. You may be familiar with runner’s high which typically is associated with endorphins which have a painkilling aspect, however, dopamine is also responsible for playing a part in that bulletproof feeling.

The Bottom Line On Dopamine

It’s quite apparent that dopamine is the source of our motivation and our reward based logic system. When you approach increasing dopamine is a healthy manner, you will feel more productive and in some cases, a new zest for living your life. Keep it natural and food based, and stay away from the many unhealthy methods of increasing your dopamine, and you will reap the rewards!

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