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Dopamine, also known as the ‘happy hormone’, is a chemical massenger that gets activated at the time of reward or motivation. This hormone is responsible for creating memories, and regulating body movements. It leads to feelings of pleasure and reward. On the other hand, low levels can make a person nervous, confused and depressed. This hormone may be released by the brain, but there are some things that you can do to naturally increase its levels.
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Consume protein: Proteins are made from amino acids. Some amino acids like tyrosine are linked to production of dopamine. Enzymes inside your body convert tyrosine into dopamine. Just like tyrosine, an amino acid called phenylalanine is also linked with increasing the level of dopmaine. These amino acids can be found in turkey, beef, dairy, eggs, soy and legumes.
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Reduce your intake of saturated fat: According to a study in National Institue of Health (NIH), USA, consuming high amounts of saturated fats can affect the dopamine signaling in the brain. Found in beef, pork and lamb, saturated fats can increase inflamation in the body, which could lead to changes in the signaling process of the reward area of the brain.
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Eat lots of probiotics: A human gut contains nerve cells that produce and transmit signals to the brain, including the signal to produce more dopamine. Along with sending signal to the brain, studies have shown that certain gut bacteria can also produce dopamine on their own. Consumining probiotics keeps the gut bacteria in check.
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Go to sleep: According to studies conducted by NIH on animals, huge amount of dopamine are released when a the animal wakes up. The level of dopamine decreases with time, in the evening. Dopamine is released in the body by the brain to wake the person up. Lack of sleep could disprupt the release of dopamine causing dopamine deficiency in body.
