Improving our Dopamine Levels

Today we are going to discuss dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that is responsible for transmitting signals between the nerve cells (neurons) of the brain. When dopamine neurons become activated, they release dopamine. Unfortunately, low levels can lead to lack of motivation, fatigue, addictive behavior, mood swings and memory loss. Our goal, in this blog, is to learn ways to increase our dopamine naturally.

There are about 86 billion neurons in your brain. They communicate with each other through a chemical called a neurotransmitter which we call dopamine. It is considered a major neurotransmitter that is a key factor in motivation, productivity and focus. Some may even say it is responsible for providing us with a zest for life or as the French might say, ”Joie De Vivre”. Unfortunately, lifestyle habits, diet, and illness can deplete your dopamine, thereby sapping the joy out of your life. If you aren't living life to the fullest, a low dopamine level may be the reason. Fortunately, there are many ways you can increase dopamine naturally. Hopefully, through this blog, you will discover the effect of dopamine on your brain and the symptoms of dopamine deficiency. We will also review unhealthy ways to increase your dopamine level and lifestyle changes that we hope will help you to harness your brain’s reward system to increase your level of dopamine safely.

To begin, we need to understand, what does dopamine do? Dopamine has been called the “motivation molecule” as it boosts your drive, focus and concentration. Also, it enables you to plan ahead and resist impulses so as to better help you achieve your goals. It gives you that “feeling of accomplishment” when you achieve what you set out to do. Something of a “natural high”, that gets your competitive juices flowing, so to speak. Many claim it provides the “thrill of the chase” in all aspects of life, business, sports and even love. Dopamine is in charge of your pleasure reward system. It allows you to experience feelings of enjoyment bliss and even euphoria. Too little dopamine can leave you unfocused, unmotivated, lethargic and even depressed. Dopamine is so critical to motivation that dopamine deficient lab mice lack motivation to even eat. Without dopamine, they will choose to starve even when food is readily available. If you are dopamine deficient, you will have little joy for life. You will be low on energy and motivation and will often rely on caffeine, sugar or other stimulants to get through the day. Here are some of the most common dopamine deficiency symptoms; lack of motivation, fatigue, apathy, procrastination, an inability to feel pleasure, low libido, the inability to connect with others, sleep problems, mood swings hopelessness, memory loss, inability to concentrate, inability to complete tasks, engaging in self-destructive behaviors, especially addictions. Dopamine deficiency can also manifest itself as certain psychiatric disorders including depression, addiction, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder and Parkinson's disease.

There are many underlying causes of dopamine deficiency. The most common culprits include poor diet, nutritional deficiencies, alcohol and drug addiction, obesity, thyroid disorders and the use of dopamine antagonist drugs. What increased dopamine really means, when we say that a food supplement or activity increases dopamine, it sounds as though more dopamine is being made. This is often the case, but not always. Sometimes, the amount of dopamine has not changed but, it's being better utilized. What's really going on could be one or more of the following. More dopamine is being made, dopamine breakdown is slowing down, more dopamine is being recirculated, more dopamine receptors are being created, or, existing dopamine receptors are working better.

There are several unhealthy ways to increase dopamine. When we take an action that helps to ensure our survival such as; eating, drinking, having sex, or making money, dopamine is released. This helps to ensure that we will continue to do what's needed to survive. Unlike the dopamine deprived lab mice, Neuroscientist John Coates reveals in his national bestseller The Hour Between Dog and Wolf

that natural activities can raise dopamine by fifty to one hundred percent over baseline levels. But, drugs increased dopamine much more. Nicotine increases it by two hundred percent, cocaine four hundred percent and amphetamines a jaw-dropping thousand percent. Few people realize that they are self-medicating to get a dopamine boost when they engage in potentially addictive and self-destructive behaviors through the use and abuse of caffeine, alcohol, sugar, drugs, shopping, sex, video games, online porn, seeking power and gambling are all effective but temporary dopamine boosters.

Fortunately you don't have to resort to sex drugs and rock and roll to boost your dopamine levels. There are many healthy proven ways to increase dopamine naturally. Dopamine is made from the amino acid tyrosine which is commonly found in protein rich foods. Eating a diet, high in tyrosine will ensure you have the basic building blocks needed for dopamine synthesis. Here is a list of forged drinks and spices known to increase tyrosine or dopamine directly: Avocados, bananas, beets,

green leafy vegetables, green tea, lima beans, oregano, peanuts, rosemary, sesame and pumpkin seeds,

turmeric and watermelon. I am going to call out bananas because they are a particularly good source of dietary dopamine. Surprisingly, the health of your intestinal flora impacts your production of  neurotransmitters. An overabundance of bad bacteria leaves toxic byproducts called lipopolysaccharides which destroy the brain cells that make the dopamine. There are dopamine depleting foods to avoid if you

want to increase dopamine. Eating an excessive amount of saturated fat also decreases dopamine receptor sensitivity. Sugar has been found to boost dopamine but, this is a temporary unhealthy boost that is more drug like than food like and ultimately contributes to deficiency. And, don't reach for artificial sweeteners instead as per time it decreases brain levels of both dopamine and serotonin.

Another important mind boosting neurotransmitter that can aid in increased dopamine is to lead a healthy lifestyle. There are plenty of healthy lifestyle activities that will also do the job. Physical exercise is one of the best things you can do for your brain. It helps boost production of new brain cells, slows down brain cell aging and improves the flow of nutrients to the brain. It can also increase your levels of dopamine along with both serotonin and norepinephrine. A dual purpose stress hormone and neurotransmitter that helps you respond to stressful situations. Dr. John Rati, a renowned psychiatrist and author, has extensively studied the effects of physical exercise on the brain. He found that exercise raises baseline levels of dopamine by promoting the growth of new brain cell receptors in combination with natural pain killing endorphins. Dopamine is responsible for giving you a “runner’s high” but, you don't need to exercise beyond your physical ability to help your body in dopamine production. Taking walks or doing gentle, no impact, exercises like yoga or Tai Chi all provide powerful mind-body benefits. And, if you can get your exercise outdoors, that's even better. Sunlight can increase the number of dopamine receptors and create vitamin D which activates the genes that release dopamine. You can also increase dopamine with meditation. The benefits of meditation have been proven in thousands of studies. Regular meditators experienced an enhanced ability to learn increased productivity and deep relaxation. It's been shown that meditation increases dopamine improving focus and concentration. Creative hobbies including knitting, quilting, sewing, drawing, photography, woodworking and home repair bring the brain into a meditative state as well. These activities increase dopamine that can reduce depression and help protect against brain aging. Music gets dopamine flowing. Brain scans show that the release of dopamine causes the brains pleasure Center light up similarly to when we eat, make love, or take drugs. Oddly, you don't even have to hear music to get this neurotransmitter flowing. Just the anticipation of listening can do that. Pleasurable touch increase dopamine. A therapeutic massage increases dopamine and serotonin and reduces the stress hormone cortisol. Stroking your dog can give both you and your pet a boost of dopamine and a slew of other feel-good brain chemicals. There is evidence that having sex increases dopamine. In laboratory tests focusing on sleep, it was found that dopamine plays a bigger role in sleep regulation than previously believed. It controls the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Research suggests that lack of sleep may reduce the number of dopamine receptors. There is also a dopamine weight loss connection as well as a strong link between obesity and dopamine dysfunction. Interestingly people who are obese have fewer dopamine receptors than average. In fact, their brains behave much like that of a drug addict. Thus, since dopamine is in charge of the brains pleasure center, obese people will receive less pleasure and satisfaction from eating making them want to eat more. If you struggle with your weight, you may be caught in a vicious circle. Utilizing the tips you have learned in this blog can increase your dopamine level and help you lose weight. Sometimes something as simple as taking a cold shower can increase dopamine production. If nothing else, ending your shower with a cold blast of water can increase dopamine production substantially. Proponents of cold showers swear it boosts their mood and productivity all day, even more than drinking coffee. Harness your brains reward system to increase dopamine as 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. According to Dr. Loretta Graziano-Breuning, author of Habits of a Happy Brain, you need to retrain your brain to boost your serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphin levels. We are not designed to experience a non-stop

“dopamine buzz”. The constant hunt for your next dopamine boost can turn you into a “wolf on Wall Street” driven by addictions, greed and lust. Here are some healthy ways to regulate your dopamine level that work with your brain's built-in reward system and improve rather than ruin your life. Enjoy the quest.

Our distant ancestors were on a constant quest to survive. They got a dopamine surge every time they spotted a new patch of berries or a better fishing spot because, this meant they would live to see another day. While you can still pick berries and fish, they are in endless supply. Other healthy ways you can enjoy the quest in modern life, you can forage for new music to download, specialty ingredients to cook with, a bargain to purchase, find a travel package, a hard-to-find collector's item or that gift for a loved one. Or better still, engage in deep introspective meditation you can engage in. Specifically quest oriented hobbies like geocaching, genealogy, bird-watching, and collecting of all kinds these kinds of hobbies are ideal for keeping up dopamine levels. Since there is always something new to be discovered, each discovery provides a dopamine boost. Do the victory dance every day. You have seen football players slam the ball and do a victory dance after scoring a touchdown. The thrill of victory feels sensational. Why, because it releases a flood of dopamine. Unfortunately those touchdown moments don't happen often in everyday life but, you can intentionally stimulate dopamine release by challenging yourself with a new goal. Dopamine is released when you achieve a goal large or small. If your big goal is to get organized, break it down into many small goals. Each goal can be as simple as organizing your emails, cleaning a closet or emptying your junk drawer. Every time you cross one item off your

to-do list, it gives you a nice spurt of dopamine. Ideally, your goal should be hard like quitting a bad habit or sticking with a budget to pay down your debt. The harder your goal, the more accomplishment you

will feel and that translates into more dopamine.

Well, that’s it for now and once again, thanks for reading our blog…CBD Doctor