The 5 Habits I Use To Boost My Dopamine Levels…
5 Habits to Naturally Boost Dopamine.
First, let’s talk about dopamine.
What is Dopamine?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter made in your brain. It plays a role as a “reward center” and in many body functions, including memory, movement, motivation, mood, attention, and more.
It is also known as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter.
The brain releases dopamine when it expects a reward. Dopamine levels may be skyrocketed simply by anticipating a pleasure-associated activity. Such as your favorite food, sex, pornography, social media, gaming, shopping, or it could be anything else.
For example, suppose your “go-to” comfort food is pizza. Your brain may increase dopamine when you smell it or see them come out of the oven(anticipating it in any way). Dopamine is released when you eat it, reinforcing your craving for it in the future. It’s a cycle of motivation, reward, and reinforcement.
Now imagine that you’ve been longing for that pizza all day, but you were not able to have it for some reason. Your disappointment might lower your dopamine level and dampen your mood. It might also intensify your desire for pizza. Now you want it even more.
Dopamine is the reason we get addicted to anything in life. You can get dopamine either from rich sources like meditating, exercising, or doing something that is meaningful to you & that serves you in the long run.
Or you can get dopamine from self-sabotaging activities like eating junk food, scrolling social media mindlessly, or anything that provides pleasure instantly or in the short term. The choice is yours.
Here in this article, I will share 5 habits that I have developed for boosting dopamine levels naturally, elevating your mood, and enhancing your overall happiness.
1. Start Working Out
The easiest way to elevate your mood is to physically move your body, even if it’s a simple walk in the park or lifting weights. The idea is to move your body, if you are too busy to do anything then after every 30–40 minutes stretch your body for 5 minutes and you’ll instantly feel better.
Exercising is also recommended for increasing endorphin levels & improving mood. Consistent exercise has the ability to rewire your brain’s reward system thus increasing the number of dopamine receptors in reward areas of the brain.
If you are too intimidated by lifting weights or running, I’ll suggest you start walking, if you can’t walk outside, just walk across your hall or anywhere that is suitable for you. Start small & build gradually. Trust me a lot of your life problems will go away when you start moving your body.
2. Reduce Your Screen Time
Screen use releases dopamine in the brain, which can negatively affect impulse control. Studies have shown screen time affects the frontal cortex of the brain, similar to the effect of cocaine says Premier Health.com
Using excessive social media triggers the brain’s reward system and releases dopamine which is why scrolling through social media is so addictive we can’t seem to get out of it once we start scrolling.
Reducing your overall screen time can get you out of this vicious cycle. It’s common for us to give it our all for once, then miss our screen time so much that we want to get back to it even more passionately.
A more balanced approach is required, again I would suggest you start small, Whenever you have the urge to pick up your phone and watch that funny cat video, stop right there and remind yourself of the ill effects of social media & screen time on your brain. Do it 5 times a day at the start and increase it gradually.
When you keep reminding yourself about it regularly it will rewire your brain to extract dopamine by doing something which is healthy for your mental and physical health. To complement this, redesign your environment and add things that take you away from your screen, it can be books, gardening, or anything that interests you.
3. Get Your Vitamin D
With this new work-from-home culture we haven’t been getting our fair share of sunlight, we wake up late in the morning and work late into the night and then wonder why we are feeling low, sad, depressed, or anxious all the time.
According to Healthline. com, It’s well known that periods of low sunshine exposure can lead to reduced levels of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, including dopamine, and that sunlight exposure can increase them.
One study of healthy adults found that those who received the most sunlight exposure in the previous 30 days had the highest density of dopamine receptors in the reward and movement regions of their brains.
I would suggest you actively strive to spend at least a few minutes in the sunlight as it will boost your dopamine naturally, improve your mood, and raise your level of Vitamin D which helps in strengthening your immune system & your bone health as well.
4. Maintain A Healthy Diet
This habit compliments the first habit in my case because as I started exercising, my bodily cravings to eat junk food reduced drastically. After a workout, I didn’t want to sabotage my efforts by eating junk, so I looked for healthier & nutritious foods which include lots of protein. The food we eat affects our mood or the way we feel.
I started deriving my dopamine from foods that were healthy, nutritious, and less processed. So slowly and steadily I was able to rewire my brain’s reward system. So exercising and complementing it with good food elevated my mood, focus, dopamine, and in some way my self-esteem.
I felt good about not consuming junk and maintaining a diet that helped me in being more productive and less groggy.
It is okay to consume your comfort food once in a while to elevate your mood but if you keep going back to your favorite dessert and get addicted to it, to make you feel good then one day it will make you feel miserable about yourself.
5. Fix Your Sleep Cycle
I can’t stress the importance of sleep enough. To be honest I’ve never had a very good sleeping schedule during the time when I was in college and even after graduating. But I’ve learned its importance the hard way.
I noticed a pattern in the last few years, whenever I slept well. I woke up with a fresh mind, my mood was quite stable and calm. I was able to think straight, and the quality of my thoughts, ideas, and work improved.
And on the opposite side whenever I had a late-night marathon either with my work, a new web series, or a party the next day felt like hell. My mood was quite unsteady, I lacked self-discipline, and I was more prone to indulging in behaviors that were not good for my health & mental well-being.
However not getting enough sleep is celebrated in this hustle culture, but I would advise you to do otherwise.
When people are forced to stay awake through the night, the availability of dopamine receptors in their brains is dramatically reduced by the next morning says Healthline.com
So I always say that the seeds of a good day are always sowed in a good night’s sleep.
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