Dopamine is one of the hormones known as happiness hormones. It is responsible for the feeling of well-being after performing an activity or behavior, that is, it is responsible for the feeling of reward. In addition, it participates in memory, learning and motivation processes, among others.
Having the right amount of dopamine is very important, since too much can cause diseases such as schizophrenia or Parkinson's disease. On the other hand, in default it can produce diseases such as depression and a multitude of problems at a physical and psychological level. Some symptoms of dopamine deficiency are drowsiness, low mood, craving for sugars or loss of interest in things, among others.
In this Psychology-Online article, we tell you how to increase dopamine with natural remedies, food and medicines.
If you wonder how to increase dopamine, let's see different remedies to increase dopamine naturally:
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Do sport: The first way that everyone turns to increase dopamine is to play sports. With physical activity, a multitude of substances are released in our brain, including dopamine. This occurs to a greater extent when it is also a physical activity that we like. Ideally, try several and see which one you enjoy the most.
- A good rest it is essential for dopamine levels. Studies have shown that more dopamine is released in the morning than at night. If the body is forced to be awake at night, in the morning it will be more difficult for the body to be active and to produce that release of dopamine.
- Music It is a great ally to increase dopamine, being able to do so by up to 9%. Also being social and being active helps this increase.
- Small goals every day: planning daily goals helps increase dopamine. Make a list and cross out those goals that you meet: cleaning the bathroom, playing sports, studying for an hour, etc. The fact of achieving them causes these feelings of reward to be activated, which means that dopamine increases.
- Sunbathe increases the number of dopamine receptors. If we realize it, in times when there are fewer hours of daylight it is easier to feel depressed or dejected. Therefore, especially in winter, whenever you can, let the sun shine for a few minutes.
- Do activities that relax youFinding different ways to relax is very useful to increase dopamine, since the lower the stress, the greater the amount of dopamine. Try to do breathing exercises or to focus on an activity that you really enjoy like painting or reading. The idea is that for a moment you forget about what causes you tension and stress and relax your body and your mind. Try that in each day there is a moment for you.
At a general level, when we talk about foods that increase dopamine or a diet rich in dopamine, we are referring to foods rich in its precursors: tyrosine and phenylalanine. In general, foods to increase dopamine are of animal origin, especially protein, which we can ingest by eating meat and fish. On the other hand, there are also other vegetarian food as the following:
- Bananas
- Apples
- Green leaves.
- Nuts.
- Vegetables.
- Turmeric.
- Dark chocolate.
- Green Tea.
- Blueberries
- Coffee.
There are some natural supplements that can also help increase dopamine such as turmeric root and the ginkgo biloba. Regarding the aforementioned green tea, especially L-theanine is effective.
How to increase dopamine? As we have seen, there are different ways to increase dopamine. Next, we will look at drugs to increase dopamine:
- One of the most used drugs when there is a dopamine deficit and, therefore, depression problems, are the dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (IRDN). In addition, these medications are also used in the treatment of attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD). In this article, you will see what the ADHD in adults: symptoms and treatment.
- Bupropion: the best known drug to increase dopamine. It is also used for the treatment of smoking. Discover the effects of tobacco on the brain.
- Dopaminergic agents: one of them is commercially known as Grifols dopamine It is used as a cardiac stimulant to regulate hemodynamic imbalances produced by a myocardial infarction or trauma, among other ailments.
- Levodopa: it is the most commonly used drug for the treatment of Parkinson's. It is a precursor of dopamine that, upon entering the brain, is transformed into this substance.
- Dopamine agonists: they increase dopamine receptors in neurons and, therefore, circulate more of it in the brain.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
