How to Increase Dopamine
in Your Brain Naturally?
Low dopamine levels can
lead to lack of motivation,
fatigue, addictive behavior,
mood swings and memory loss. Tyrosine is the building block of dopamine, so make sure that you have enough of this protein in you. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to find this. Here are some common foods that have loads of tyrosine: http://helloendless.com/10-ways-to-increase-dopamine-to-boost-your-productivity/ PRODUCTIVITY TIPS
10 Ways to Increase Dopamine to Boost Your Productivity
By Glenn SantosApril 20, 201511 Comments
Psst, hey you. Want some dope? What do you mean you don’t do drugs? Hey hold on, don’t call the cops on me!
Okay, I see the confusion. I actually meant dopamine. Isn’t dope short for dopamine? No? Huh, you learn something new everyday.
Increase Dopamine = More Productivity
What’s dopamine? Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that our brain produces to nudge us into doing stuff. It’s the main reason why we can focus and achieve great things even if the payout isn’t immediate or obvious.
And don’t worry, you can’t even take dopamine since it’s something your brain produces for itself. But what you can do is increase dopamine in your system to help you stay focused, productive and motivated. If you want to be productive and get things done, here’s a few ways to boost your dopamine levels.
1. Discover New Things
Dopamine production is actually triggered when we find something new and exciting in front of us. Our ancestors would experience it when discovering new herds to hunt or new plants to harvest. Unless you’re a naturalist, it’s probably going to be hard to do those things. But we do have the internet.
The internet is a treasure trove for discovering new music to new videos. A simple dopamine booster is browsing Pinterest or even Amazon for new products and items. A word of caution: it will get addictive so make sure to limit your time on sites like these.
2. List Down Your Small Tasks
Dopamine is also released after you finish something, whether it’s a big job or a small task. So it follows that To get more hits, break down those big jobs into smaller ones.
And as I said above, you need to list down those tasks. It’s not that I don’t trust you to remember your todos, it’s just that it’s much more satisfying, dopamine-wise, to check stuff off a list physically. Nothing is more satisfying than ticking off something as done.
3. Listen To Music
Studies have shown that if you listen to music you really enjoy, the brain releases dopamine as a response. Even the anticipation of hearing that music also increases dopamine levels, which is probably why you see all these crazy lines in front of music stores.
4. Increase Your Tyrosine
Tyrosine is the building block of dopamine, so make sure that you have enough of this protein in you. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to find this. Here are some common foods that have loads of tyrosine:
Almonds
Avocados
Bananas
Beef
Chicken
Chocolate
Coffee
Eggs
Green Tea
Milk
Watermelon
Yogurt
I’m pretty sure you have enough of these in your diet, and some of these are foods you actually enjoy.
5. Reduce Your Lipopolysaccharides
Lipolypo, lipopopoly, lipoly-what again? It’s a hard word to pronounce (and write for that matter) but that’s a good thing because you want to avoid it. These are also called endotoxins and yes, it is indeed a toxin. Basically, if you have too much of these, your immune system will go haywire. More importantly, it inhibits the production of dopamine.
The best way to combat this is by having more good bacteria than bad in your gut. How do you do that?
Eat lots of probiotic foods, mostly fermented foods like yogurt, kefir and kimchi.
Get enough sleep so your gut can keep up with you.
Don’t overindulge in fatty and sugary foods. The name says that it’s built from lipids and polysaccharides, so less of those means less endotoxins.
6. Exercise Often
I’ve already written a lot about how exercise helps you destress and makes you super-productive. It’s because physical activity is something your body craves (even if your conscious brain hates it sometimes). To make it fun for you, your brain actually releases fun chemicals like serotonin, endorphins and yes, dopamine.
The great thing is even non-strenuous exercise can help increase dopamine levels. Try taking the dog out for a walk, climbing some stairs, or busting out the Wii Fit.
7. Establish A Streak
A streak is just a visual reminder of how many consecutive times you achieved something. In games, it’s often used to track wins but you can also use it in everyday activities for the added dopamine boost.
The easiest way to do this is to take a calendar and put an X in the box everyday you do something, like cleaning your desk or eating a healthy lunch. Soon enough, you’ll have a neat row of X’s there to show off as your streak.
Having a streak increases dopamine production in the same way completing a task does. While you haven’t completed the entire goal, just knowing that you’re going in the right direction makes your brain give you enough of a dopamine burst to keep on going.
8. Take Dopamine Enhancing Supplements
While you can’t pump your brain with dopamine, at least not until we have home brain injection kits, you can take supplements that encourage your brain to produce more dopamine. Here’s some of them:
Curcumin, the active ingredient in our favorite curry spice turmeric, helps increase levels of dopamine.
Ginkgo Biloba is a popular wonder drug and though it’s not proven, it might help increase dopamine levels by making it stay in your brain longer.
L-theanine increases neurotransmitter production in your brain, one of which is dopamine. Green tea has lots of this, though it can also be taken as a theanine supplement.
Acetyl-l-tyrosine is a production-ready version of tyrosine which will make it easier for your brain to create dopamine.
9. Make Stuff
Have you noticed that when you’re deep into a creative work, you enter a state of hyper-focus where you feel you can do anything? That state is called flow and it’s something that dopamine helps you achieve.
Increasing dopamine can be as simple as taking up a creative hobby like photography, crafting, auto repair or drawing.
10. Meditate
Sometimes the best way to do something is by doing nothing. Specifically, you do nothing physically but in your mind you’re trying to sort out your thoughts. Whether you meditate, pray or do simple self-reflection, all these activities are linked to increased dopamine levels.
Dopamine is an addictive chemical but in a good way. It’s helps motivate you in doing things you need to do, even if you don’t want to do them. And have you noticed something? Most of the things I mentioned above are actually activities that also make you more productive, since that’s essentially what dopamine does.
Almonds
Avocados
Bananas
Beef
Chicken
Chocolate
Coffee
Eggs
Green Tea
Milk
Watermelon
Yogurt
I’m pretty sure you have enough of these in your diet, and some of these are foods you actually enjoy.
Learn how to increase
dopamine naturally.
There are about 86 billion
neurons in the human brain.
They communicate with each
other via brain chemicals
called neurotransmitters.
Dopamine is a major
neurotransmitter thatís a
key factor in motivation,
productivity, and focus.
Itís dopamine that provides
the zest for life.
Unfortunately, lifestyle habits,
diet, and illness can deplete
your dopamine, sapping the
joy out of life.
If you arenít living life
to the fullest, a low dopamine
level may be the reason.
And there are many ways you
can increase dopamine naturally.
In this video youíll discover:
The effect of dopamine on
your brain and the symptoms
of a dopamine deficiency.
Unhealthy ways to increase
your dopamine levelHow to increase dopamine with
food and lifestyle changes?
How to harness your brainís
reward system to increase
your level of dopamine?
Let's now watch this video.
What Does Dopamine Do?
Dopamine has been called
the ìmotivation molecule.î
It boosts your drive,
focus, and concentration.
It enables you to plan
ahead and resist impulses
so you can achieve your goals.
It gives you that
ìI did it!î lift
when you accomplish
what you set out to do.
It gets your competitive juices
flowing and provides the thrill
of the chase in all aspects
of life ó business, sports, and 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 eat.
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Walnuts have earned their superfood status in part because of their fats. They are one of the few foods to deliver alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 fat thought to protect against heart disease. Toast them to bring out their flavor and extra crunch, then sprinkle about a tablespoon on yogurt or fold some into muffins or your morning oatmeal.
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Olive oil is a great way to get monounsaturated fats in your diet, but so are olives. They also deliver plant sterols — compounds that can lower “bad” LDL cholesterol. Olives can be pretty high in sodium, but you can take away some of that salt by soaking them in fresh water. Avocados
Avocados get their creamy texture from heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. They also deliver fiber, which helps you feel full, as well as potassium and vitamin C. For a heart-smart and delicious breakfast, smash an avocado onto whole-grain toast. Canola Oil
Canola oil is an excellent heart-healthy choice for cooking. It’s loaded with monounsaturated fats, which can raise your “good” cholesterol (HDL) and lower your “bad” cholesterol (LDL). It’s particularly good for cooking at high temperatures, since it has a higher smoke point than olive oil. Peanut Butter
Smear some toast or apple slices with peanut butter and you have a breakfast or snack with staying power. The unsaturated fats in peanut butter help make the meal satisfying by making it take longer to digest, and it’s also packed with protein. Stick to natural peanut butter to avoid the added sugars and unhealthy partially hydrogenated fats that are added to other kinds of peanut butter. Salmon
As an “oily” fish, salmon has lots of DHA and EPA — two kinds of omega-3 fats that can reduce inflammation, lowering risk of skin cancer and heart disease. Want an alternative to salmon? Trout, mackerel, sardines and herring are all good choices for getting DHA and EPA into your diet. Flaxseed
Flaxseed is high in a plant-based form of omega-3 fatty acids: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is linked to heart health by improving blood pressure. Grind up 2 tablespoons or so in a clean coffee grinder and sprinkle it over cereal or yogurt. Almonds
Almonds are particularly high in monounsaturated fat, the kind that helps improve your cholesterol levels. They’re a smart choice for snacking; in addition to those healthy fats, almonds provide fiber and protein, which help keep you feeling satisfied. About a dozen is an appropriate serving.
