Dopamine, we’ve all heard of it, but do you really understand what it does for us physiologically? We’re here to help you sort through the basics and feel empowered with how to start helping your dopamine levels stay in balance.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, meaning it helps the neurons, or nerve cells, communicate with one another chemically at their connections that are called synapses. This chemical is involved in:
Synapse (blue) with neurotransmitters illustrated as purple.
Reward
Memory
Learning
Motivation
Pleasure
Lactation
Nausea
Focus and attention
Motor control
Sleep
Mood regulation
Pain processing
Basically, dopamine is a major player in how well we feel and operate on a daily basis. Dopamine is also a precursor to norepinephrine, another powerhouse neurotransmitter that also acts as a hormone that contributes greatly to wellness through regulating sleeping, waking, heart rate, attention, memory, fat metabolism, and blood sugar regulation.
Imbalances in either dopamine or norepinephrine can contribute to mental and physical illness including:
ADHD
Depression
Anxiety
PTSD
Panic Attacks
Substance Abuse
Parkinson’s Disease
Insomnia
Mood Swings
Euphoria
Hypotension
Fainting, dizzy spells
Schitzophrenia
Hallucinations, delusions
So now that you know more about dopamine and how it helps you, here are four steps you can take to help your body have everything it needs to be regulated.
Consume plenty of protein. You have to have enough tyrosine or phenylalanine, two amino acids in proteins, to synthesize dopamine. If you are protein deficient…you’ll be dopamine deficient so consuming enough of these amino acids will help you improve your levels if they’re low. (Pubmed)
Take a yoga class or do it at home! One study showed that taking an hour of yoga 6 days a week improved dopamine levels significantly over a three month period (Pubmed)! Talk about an awesome practice.
Stick to a regular sleep schedule of 7-9 hours a night. Studies show that consistent sleep helps regulate your biorhythms and the associated neurotransmitters…in this case dopamine. (Pubmed)
Meditate on your own or join us for a class! Studies have show meditation to help regulate dopamine levels, but one impressive study of avid meditators showed a full 65% increase in dopamine production after hour long meditations (Pubmed). Talk about a mental health boost!
Try adding some of the following foods into your diet each day to help with dopamine production:
Pro-biotics
Eggs
Velvet Beans
Almonds
Walnuts
Omega-3s (Salmon, Mackerel)
Grass-fed milk, cheese, yogurt
Apples
Bananas
Papayas
Berries
Pumpkin seeds
Chia
Oatmeal
Chocolate
Leafy greens
Beets
If you’re wanting support in your mental health or just health journey, contact us for a consultation or enroll in our Nervous System Reset membership or our 12-Week Coaching Programs to get started on getting yourself feeling more in charge of your health today.