The fact that I made the title of this article to go along with the beat of Salt-N-Pepa’s song Let’s Talk About You and Me shows I'm a little too over zealous when it comes to talking about the fascinating things I’ve learned about the human body. Before you start throwing shade, i’m gonna give you an all-access pass to my geeky world so I can slowly blow your mind.
Dopamine in simplest terms is a chemical neurotransmitter in the brain that transfers information from neuron to neuron effortlessly. Although its actions can get pretty complicated, it is important to know that Dopamine is released when a person does something that they expect to be rewarding, whether it be cocaine, eating a slice of watermelon, or jamming out to their top secret favorite singer Brittany Spears. Once Dopamine is released, most feel an overwhelming sensation of pleasure or inspiration, both of which are exciting and make us feel terrific. Due to the fact that dopamine is associated with the reward and pleasure circuit in the brain, it is common for actions that trigger the release of dopamine to become predictable reactions, although that isn’t always the case.
There have been studies on daily activities that stimulate production of dopamine to help invigorate people that are stressed, showing signs of minor depression, or just need a daily pick-me-up to rejuvenate themselves. It’s important to understand that these activities aren’t guaranteed to make you feel 100x better, they’re merely suggestions to help stimulate production of dopamine. After all, happiness has to be affected by more than just several neurochemicals swishing around in our brains, right?
Without further ado, here are 4 daily habits that can naturally increase dopamine production:
1. Exercise
I know what you’re thinking, but just like the word exercise doesn’t always have to be followed by a sign of remorse, being active doesn’t always have to include a 5k or not being able to walk right for days after a workout. Physical activity can be a 20-30 minute walk around town with a friend, or a hike with a beautiful view at the top that makes the trip up even more motivating. Finding something you enjoy doing in the realm of physical activity will make you feel even better about doing it, no matter how sore you are the next day.
2. Nourish your body
Those foods that we all love and crave constantly with no nutritional value that are filled with sugars, artificial flavors, and fat need to be consumed in moderation. Instead, opt for fruits, vegetables, and whole grains because of their naturally high dopamine levels. Take the challenge of nourishing your body with healthy foods and it will return the favor by stimulating feelings of pleasure and happiness.
3. Cut the Caffeine
I know that caffeine is all the craze today, but it really does more harm then good in the long run. Caffeine is a stimulant that shortly increases levels of dopamine and then when the levels drop, causes withdrawal symptoms such as headache, irritability, anxiety, and lack of concentration. Increasing the amount of coffee that you consume increases tolerance, which means you need more caffeine to reach the same pleasurable effects, which causes even worse withdrawal effects. If you do decide to caffeine up, go for tea because it has less caffeine and health benefits such as preventing heart disease and cancers, as well as helping with asthma and inflammatory disorders.
4. Get that eight-hour shuteye
Going to bed early enough to get that 7-8 hours of sleep wasn’t just so that your mom didn’t have to watch you take selfies for Myspace all night. Not getting enough sleep as well as getting too much can deprive the brain of getting the proper amount of time to refresh itself and its neurotransmitters. This can result in feeling kind of off all day due to the fact that your brain’s chemicals aren’t exactly in tune with one another. So when choosing between that fire selfie and functioning well, I would go with the latter.
