How To Increase Dopamine Naturally?

How to increase dopamine naturally? Eating protein foods can help with building your dopamine naturally. Protein is made up of smaller building blocks which is called amino acids.  What people don’t realize is 20 different amino acids is needed to make all the proteins in the body. Studies have shown that tyrosine plays an important role in the production of dopamine.

How To Increase Dopamine Naturally? Photo Credit: iStock

Amino Acids and Protein

Research studies show that the increase of tyrosine and phenylalanine in the diet can increase dopamine levels in the brain. And at times the direct result of that is deep thinking and memory improvement.  Those amino acids of tyrosine and phenylalanine can be obtained from eating protein rich foods.

Those protein rich foods are:

• Chicken
• Turkey
• Fish
• Beef
• Salmon
• Eggs

There has been animal research that has been found that saturated fats such as animal fat, butter, palm oil, coconut oil can disrupt dopamine signaling in the brain when consumed in large amounts.

There was a study that showed that rats that consumed 50% of their calories from saturated fat reduced dopamine compared to rats who received the same number of calories from unsaturated fat. All the research was done in animals and more research really needs to be done on humans, but it gives great insight and data in this area.

Probiotics

Research studies and scientists have discovered that the gut and the brain are closely linked together. Studies have shown that bacteria that is found in your gut can produce dopamine which can impact your mood and behavior. Several studies have shown that certain strains of bacteria can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in animals and human beings.

The gut is sometimes referred as the second brain because it contains many nerve cells that produce neurotransmitter signaling molecules that is dopamine. Probiotic supplements have been linked to improving the mood in human and animals based off numerous research studies.

Exercise

Exercising regularly can impact your mood and dopamine levels based off research studies. There was a 3-month study in humans that found that performing 1 hour yoga sessions 6 days a week significantly increased their dopamine levels.  

There were some studies that showed that exercise improved the motor control skills in people who had Parkinson disease.

Sleep

Getting proper high-quality sleep can help with keeping your dopamine levels balanced.  For optimal health the National Sleep foundation recommends that adults get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.

Music

Studies have shown that listening to music that you enjoy increases dopamine levels. There was a 2011 study that showed that listening to music increased your dopamine levels in the brain by 9%. Also, studies have shown that several brain imaging x rays have found that listening to music increased activity in the reward and pleasure areas of the brain.

Sunlight

Studies have shown that being exposed to sunlight can increase dopamine levels. There was a study in 68 healthy adults that showed that those who received the most sunlight exposure over the last 30 days had the highest dopamine receptors in the reward and movement receptors in the brain.

Supplements

The type of supplements that your body needs to increase your dopamine levels are iron, niacin, folate, and vitamin B6.

“Exercising regularly can impact your mood and dopamine levels based off research studies.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike

The Bottom Line is there are many ways to increase your dopamine levels naturally. And that is exercising regularly, getting proper sleep, following a protein rich diet, taking probiotics supplements to increase good bacteria levels in your gut and getting some sunlight.

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References

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