Dopamine, we’ve all heard of it, but do you really understand what it does for us physiologically? We’re here to help you sort through the basics and feel empowered with how to start helping your dopamine levels stay in balance.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, meaning it helps the neurons, or nerve cells, communicate with one another chemically at their connections that are called synapses. This chemical is involved in:

• Reward

• Memory

• Learning

• Motivation

• Pleasure

• Lactation

• Nausea

• Focus and attention

• Motor control

• Sleep

• Mood regulation

• Pain processing

Basically, dopamine is a major player in how well we feel and operate on a daily basis. Dopamine is also a precursor to norepinephrine, another powerhouse neurotransmitter that also acts as a hormone that contributes greatly to wellness through regulating sleeping, waking, heart rate, attention, memory, fat metabolism, and blood sugar regulation.

Imbalances in either dopamine or norepinephrine can contribute to mental and physical illness including:

• ADHD

• Depression

• Anxiety

• PTSD

• Panic Attacks

• Substance Abuse

• Parkinson’s Disease

• Insomnia

• Mood Swings

• Euphoria

• Hypotension

• Fainting, dizzy spells

• Schitzophrenia

• Hallucinations, delusions

So now that you know more about dopamine and how it helps you, here are four steps you can take to help your body have everything it needs to be regulated.

1. Consume plenty of protein. You have to have enough tyrosine or phenylalanine, two amino acids in proteins, to synthesize dopamine. If you are protein deficient…you’ll be dopamine deficient so consuming enough of these amino acids will help you improve your levels if they’re low. (Pubmed)

2. Take a yoga class or do it at home! One study showed that taking an hour of yoga 6 days a week improved dopamine levels significantly over a three month period (Pubmed)! Talk about an awesome practice.

3. Stick to a regular sleep schedule of 7-9 hours a night. Studies show that consistent sleep helps regulate your biorhythms and the associated neurotransmitters…in this case dopamine. (Pubmed)

4. Meditate on your own or join us for a class! Studies have show meditation to help regulate dopamine levels, but one impressive study of avid meditators showed a full 65% increase in dopamine production after hour long meditations (Pubmed). Talk about a mental health boost!

Try adding some of the following foods into your diet each day to help with dopamine production:

• Pro-biotics

• Eggs

• Velvet Beans

• Almonds

• Walnuts

• Omega-3s (Salmon, Mackerel)

• Grass-fed milk, cheese, yogurt

• Apples

• Bananas

• Papayas

• Berries

• Pumpkin seeds

• Chia

• Oatmeal

• Chocolate

• Leafy greens

• Beets

If you’re wanting support in your mental health or just health journey, contact us for a consultation or enroll in our Nervous System Reset membership or our 12-Week Coaching Programs to get started on getting yourself feeling more in charge of your health today.