neuroscientist reveals
5 signs of a dopamine deficiency – and what helps against it
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Neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine play an important role in our well-being. How you notice a lack of dopamine and how you can stimulate the body’s own production.
Neurotransmitters are messenger substances that transmit information between our brain and the rest of the body. Serotonin and dopamine in particular play an important role in our mood, memory and attention. The two work together, which is why it is all the more important that the balance between the messenger substances is right.
Neuroscientist and psychiatrist Daniel Amen has a few on Instagram reels published on the subject and explains how a lack of dopamine in particular becomes noticeable – and what we can do about it.
Dopamine deficiency: This is how it can show itself
Many assume that irritability and excessive worrying and rumination are signs of dopamine deficiency. In fact, these symptoms tend to indicate a low serotonin level. Decreased dopamine production is more likely to be identified by these signs:
- fatigue
- listlessness
- sadness
- “Brain fog”, i.e. difficulty concentrating, difficulty finding words, etc.
- Little energy
How to boost your dopamine levels
In his videos, Daniel Amen also gives tips on how we can naturally stimulate the body’s own dopamine production.
1st movement
We’ve probably all felt it first hand: Sport makes you happy. One of the reasons for this is that exercise raises our dopamine levels. Amen recommends high-intensity interval training, or HIIT for short, to give us a boost with the neurotransmitter. But according to the neuroscientist, brisk walks or classic jogging are also great.
2. Nutrition
What we eat also plays an important role for the balance in our brain – and thus also for our mood and our energy level. For example, Amen names the amino acid tyrosine, which is an important building block of dopamine. Tyrosine is found in large amounts in legumes such as kidney beans, nuts, avocado and dark chocolate, as well as animal foods such as eggs.
“If you eat a high-protein diet that’s low in simple carbohydrates, your brain will have more tyrosine, and therefore dopamine, available,” explains Daniel Amen. Simple carbohydrates include, for example, foods with industrial sugar such as sweets, white flour products, fast food and the like. According to the brain expert, we should prefer these “empty carbohydrates”, which quickly raise blood sugar levels but do not provide us with sustainable energy only enjoy in moderation – or ideally remove it from the menu altogether.
3. Dietary supplements
If you have the feeling that you are not producing enough dopamine despite regular exercise and a balanced diet, you can try dietary supplements. Amen recommends L-tyrosine – the dopamine building block – as well as the amino acid L-theanine, turmeric or omega-3 fatty acids. Before you resort to these remedies, you should definitely consult your doctor and seek his advice.
Sources used: mindbodygreen.com, instagram.com