Why do we need dopamines and how to increase their level

What is dopamine? It is called differently: the hormone of joy, happiness, pleasure, and they also say that it is he who controls our passions. Behavior, mood and even the character of a person largely depends on this hormone. It is responsible for attention and motivation, activates the craving for learning. Which of all this is true, and which is an exaggeration, whether it is necessary to replenish dopamine reserves in the body and how to do it correctly – we will talk about all this in the article.

Dopamine: what is it

Dopamine is a chemical substance (neurotransmitter) that is produced by the brain and adrenal glands and is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses, as well as in the synthesis of another well-known hormone, adrenaline. A surge of the latter causes an increase in breathing and heart rate in the body, a rush of blood to the skin and muscles.

The release of dopamine also occurs in situations of shock for a person, during times of severe stress or pain. In such cases, it helps to adapt to extremely difficult conditions – it does not allow you to die from pain or fear. In addition, the hormone is responsible for the regulation of sleep cycles and human cognitive abilities.

Neuroscientists classify dopamine as a transmitter, a substance responsible for transporting signals between brain cells. That is, thanks to dopamine, the impulse is transmitted from neuron to neuron – such a peculiar language of cells.

But why is such a wide range of actions attributed to this hormone? It turns out that the effect of dopamine on the body depends on a variety of factors, including what other transmitters dopamine comes into contact with in the process of impulse transmission.

Dopamine is responsible for the incentive to do something and closely interacts with the so-called reward (encouragement) system that scientists have found in the human brain. To understand how this system works, it is enough to recall the well-known carrot and stick method, when after praise a person has joy and a desire to do something even better. In addition, dopamine affects the centers of the brain responsible for memory, curiosity and learning.

Functions in the body

Experts are still continuing to study what functions dopamine performs in the human body. Below we consider the most famous theories.

1. Responsible for the feeling of pleasure. When dopamine interacts with the center of the reward system, a person experiences a feeling of joy, pleasure and relaxation.
2. Forms motivation. Experts have found that dopamine not only activates the reward system, causing a feeling of pleasure as a result of a certain action, but also gives an impetus to this action. In this way, dopamine helps create and maintain motivation. Therefore, if the body lacks a hormone, a person’s motivation decreases or anhedonia develops (a condition in which the ability to experience pleasure is lost).
3. Improves cognitive functions, learning and memory. Many experts believe that dopamine is one of the key factors responsible for memory and learning processes. It turns out that this hormone helps a person to remember new information more easily. And all because it is able to strengthen the connection between the nucleus accumbens and other centers of the brain responsible for memory. There is also another theory explaining the effect of dopamine on learning ability. It has been proven that some people (especially women) tend to remember information more easily if it evokes certain emotions. And since dopamine affects the centers of the brain responsible for the emotional state, this makes it useful for learning as well. In addition, it has been proven that dopamine is also the basis of associative learning.
4. Awakens curiosity. Curiosity can be regarded as a kind of internal motivator, pushing to seek answers and learn more new things. In other words, due to healthy curiosity, a person develops a craving for learning, research, and self-improvement. And responsible for this desire is also dopamine. Interestingly, curiosity is closely related to a person’s ability to remember. The fact is that in both cases the hormone acts on the same centers of the brain. Therefore, people, as a rule, easily and permanently remember information received due to curiosity (even if it is not so important to them).
5. Unleashes creativity. Scientists have discovered a link between dopamine and creativity. Although it has also been found that in people with very pronounced creative abilities, dopamine receptors are in many ways similar to those of people with schizophrenia. It turned out that the first and second dopamine receptors in the thalamus (the area of ​​the brain that filters the received information and also participates in the processes of reasoning and cognition) have a lower density. That is, due to less filtering, more information enters the brain of such a person. That is why, at the moment of making decisions, creative individuals offer many unusual options, and schizophrenics have associations that are strange for healthy people.
6. Influence on character. According to the results of many studies, dopamine affects the level of impulsiveness of a person, and is also responsible for the desire for new sensations. The higher the activity of dopamine receptors, the more impulsive a person is. Such people are more prone to risky behavior than others, as well as to various kinds of addictions.
7. Helps fight cancer. This opinion was expressed by experts from the Ohio State University (USA). A group of scientists led by Sujita Basu found that dopamine slows down the growth of blood vessels within a malignant tumor. Since the vessels for cancerous growths serve as a source of nutrition, the growth of a malignant tumor also stops along with the stoppage of capillary growth. In addition, the scientists said that dopamine is able to alleviate the negative side effects of 5-fluorouracil, which is used in chemotherapy. In particular, the hormone prevents changes in the blood formula after therapy with this substance.
8. Prevents myopia. A few years ago, a group of experts from Australia stated that the cause of myopia in today’s youth may be a lack of dopamine. According to scientists, in our time people spend more and more time on computers and smartphones, and they are less and less on the street, and this is the main cause of myopathy. The fact is that under the influence of bright daylight, dopamine is produced in the retina of the eye. When a person is less likely to be in the sun, the hormone is produced in insufficient quantities, which causes an elongation of the eyeball and, accordingly, myopia.

What is the danger of dopamine deficiency

With a lack of dopamine in people, as a rule, anxiety increases, motivation disappears, they suffer from boredom and depression, they no longer feel the pleasure of life, enjoy things that used to bring pleasure. Such individuals have a lack of ambition and healthy drive, they are not characterized by the ability for long-term attachments. Against the background of dopamine deficiency, libido decreases, erectile dysfunction is possible, the risk of diabetes and obesity increases, sleep problems, forgetfulness, and fatigue appear even in the absence of physical exertion.

Dopamine deficiency can be the cause of various diseases, including phobias, major depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Parkinson’s disease, and several other disorders associated with impaired cognitive abilities. But if the cause of Parkinson’s disease is the degradation of the parts of the brain that are responsible for the production of dopamine, then the rest of the disorders are the result of a direct deficiency of the hormone itself. Therefore, therapy for such disorders involves the use of drugs that increase the level of dopamine. But in medical practice, increasing the hormone is a strictly controlled process. Improper therapy can cause addiction in the patient and bring the amount of the hormone in the body to toxic levels.

Excess dopamine is also harmful

It would seem that happiness does not happen much, which means that the hormone that causes this feeling is useful in any quantities. But this is an erroneous opinion. Excessively high levels of dopamine can cause various mental illnesses. The most common are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. For the treatment of such patients, drugs that inhibit the activity of the hormone are used. In addition, an excess of this substance makes people overly impulsive, aggressive, prone to mania, psychosis, fetishism, unhealthy risk-taking, sexual addiction.

Dopamine and Addiction Formation

The basis of any kind of addiction always lies in the brain and, in particular, in the activity of dopamine. It takes a certain amount of time to form an addiction. A person first performs some action, which is associated with a surge of dopamine, and he feels pleasure. If this chain is repeated several times, a person becomes addicted – he repeats the same actions that are a source of pleasure for him. Interestingly, this circuit was incorporated into the human brain during evolution as one of the mechanisms that promote self-preservation. For example, eating food is necessary to maintain viability, sex is necessary for procreation.

But if dopamine is synthesized in excess, the brain eventually stops responding to it. As a result, the pleasure from this or that activity decreases. Therefore, people with bad habits in the desire to experience pleasure of the same strength must constantly increase the dose of the source of joy. But what is important to understand is that dopamine itself does not cause addiction to, for example, drugs. This hormone keeps you motivated to find the source of joy. And several other mechanisms are directly responsible for the formation of dependencies.

Something similar (but without the physical addiction) happens to people who try to fight stress or bad moods through food, shopping, or other enjoyable activities. But as scientists have noticed, in such cases, the level of dopamine is rarely able to rise to a dangerous level.

Why Dopamine Deficiency Occurs

Various factors can lead to a lack of this hormone. For example:

• improper diet;
• chronic stress;
• hormonal imbalance;
• taking drugs that suppress the production of dopamine;
• drug addiction.

In addition, the production of the pleasure hormone worsens with old age. And this partly explains the decline in cognitive function in the elderly.

How to increase dopamine levels

It has been scientifically proven that any activity that brings pleasure to a person is a good way to increase the amount of dopamine in the body. The exception is drug addiction, alcoholism, tobacco addiction, outbursts of aggression and violence, even if a person experiences pleasure from this.

Doing what you love and the amount of dopamine in the body is a kind of vicious circle. For example, a person is fond of floriculture. This activity causes a surge of dopamine in him. In turn, an increase in the hormone of pleasure encourages him to repeat the actions associated with his favorite thing again and again.

A similar thing happens in the body of gourmets. Eating your favorite treat activates the production of dopamine. But what is interesting, as a rule, the active production of the hormone is far from being the most beneficial food for health and figure. Few people get an increase in dopamine from eating broccoli or steamed meatballs, but most will enjoy chocolate, smoked meats, and other not-so-healthy foods. But this does not mean that in order to increase the hormone, you should become a slave to your harmful gastronomic preferences. If you know some secrets, you can try to deceive the body and increase the amount of the hormone not with the products that the brain requires, but with more useful ones.

For the synthesis of dopamine, the body needs the amino acid tyrosine. Hence the first advice – to increase the amount of dopamine, you need to eat foods rich in tyrosine. But the body can get tyrosine in another way: from another amino acid – phenylalanine. That is, in order to maintain the level of the pleasure hormone in the norm, it is not necessary to go on about your addictions. It is enough to eat foods rich in these amino acids.

Plants

Green tea also helps to increase dopamine levels. But it is important to note that its effect in this regard is very short. In addition, some medicinal plants will help to increase the production of the hormone:

• vitex (prutniak);
• Red clover;
• mukuna
• spirulina;
• gingko biloba;
• pink rhodiola.

dopamine-boosting drugs

There are actually quite a lot of them both among dietary supplements and more serious drugs. But it should be noted that some funds from this group cannot be taken without consulting a specialist.

Substances that increase dopamine:

• vitamin bxnumx;
• L-tyrosine;
• beta-alanine;
• barber;
• phosphatidylserine;
• citicoline and similar drugs from the nootropic group.

Other useful tips

It is possible to activate a surge of dopamine with safer methods than taking drugs, methods that do not have side effects. These are some habits that will benefit everyone.

1. Walk more in the fresh air. Even a 15-minute walk will help you get a charge of vivacity and improve your mood. It is best to take a walk during the day in sunny weather, as the sun activates dopamine receptors.

2. Avoid physical activity. Moderate exercise increases the production of dopamine and serotonin. It can be training in the gym, running or physical work in the country.

3. Review your lifestyle. It has been proven that the ability to relax makes a person happier. Breathing exercises and yoga classes will help maintain the hormone of pleasure in the right amount.

4. Keep a sleep schedule. Proper sleep should last at least 7-8 hours. During this time, the body will have time to fully relax and recuperate, including the production of the necessary hormones.

5. Start the day with a contrast shower. This procedure invigorates well, gives a surge of strength, improves mood, and after it, the production of dopamine almost doubles.

6. Reward yourself for accomplishments. It can be pleasant little things in the form of a cup of your favorite tea, a serving of sweets, watching your favorite movie, walking or traveling. The main thing is for the brain to understand: after the work done (especially the one that you don’t want to do at all), he will receive his well-deserved reward.

7. Get a massage. The pleasant touch of the masseur’s hands also causes a surge of pleasure hormone. By the way, scientists say that ordinary hugs give almost the same effect – after them, dopamine also rises.

8. Have sex. After physical intimacy, the level of the hormone rises sharply in both partners. By the way, regular sex life helps to maintain normal not only dopamine, but also other hormones.

People whose bodies do not have enough dopamine, over time, lose the ability to enjoy life, their cognitive abilities are impaired, they become more irritable and aggressive. And to maintain the amount of this hormone is not difficult at all – you just need to follow the advice of specialists and you will be happy.