How To Restore Dopamine Receptors Naturally
We live in a high-pressure world that requires us to perform at our best at all times.
However, this is not the way the body or brain, was meant to function, and often a type of “burnout” ensues.
We’re not talking about mere adrenal fatigue, or constant low energy levels, but rather dopamine burnout – a condition characterized by both poor mental and physical performance, and indifference to life.
Why Is Dopamine So Important?
Dopamine is one of the body’s primary neurotransmitters, performing important functions in the body which involve maintenance of focus, promotion of energy levels, and of course; sex drive and mood.
Arguably, the most important of these traits is the ability to kick start motivation, which is necessary for us to get things done.
Dopamine is usually released when we perform or experience any activity or emotion which is deemed pleasurable.
Think of falling in love, having sex, drifting off to sleep after a hard day’s work or just getting public recognition for a task well done.
This euphoric feeling is what makes dopamine so good, and so bad at the same time.
For one, dopamine helps to keep your brain functioning the way it should.
But on the other hand, it carries a great risk for abuse, as its effects are so desirable and noticeable on performance.
The Dopamine Receptor Problem
By now, you’ve probably seen how important dopamine can be to ensure your health and well-being, but as with anything else in life; too much can become a bad thing.
The risk of abuse is compounded by the fact that dopamine inherently controls the brain’s reward pathway – it is what makes you feel good when exposed to certain stimuli.
At its basic core, this is what an addiction is. You indulge in your poison of choice (drugs, gambling, porn), get a hit and a “high”, a temporary euphoric rush, which then quickly subsides and leaves you eager for the next one.
And so, the cycle goes. You eventually need to get your fix in rapid fashion, worsening the dopamine desensitization at the site of the dopamine receptor.
So unless you expose it to more and more intense stimuli, you will no longer experience the same rush of pleasure.
In terms of drugs, this is why some are referred to as gateway drugs, as they elicit a smaller dopamine rush than stronger ones (think of marijuana, and then compare it to heroin).
Likewise, is the desensitization caused by porn.
What may start out as a cheeky habit can turn into full on obsessive fetishes, where unless you are exposed to more and more extreme sexual acts, you do not experience sexual arousal and are disinterested in having sex.
All this stems from dopamine receptor desensitization and is the exact problem you need to fix if you ever want a semblance of normalcy back in your life.
We say normal, meaning in the way the body was meant to function without these external dopamine rushes.
This is starkly different from “functional addicts” who appear quite normal on the surface, often masking their addictions under the surface.
You may be surprised out of your wits to discover some of the most respected people you know are dopamine addicts!
The Fix – Restoring Your Dopamine Receptors
Though there exists multiple fixes that you can institute to help regain normal functioning of your dopamine receptors, don’t underestimate the difficulty of doing so, as you will virtually be fighting addiction.
Even if you don’t believe that dopamine desensitization is because of an addiction, you need to be quite aware that it really is.
Something as simple as popping those Adderall pills to help you study equates to addiction and tolerance, as you will need more and more of it to elicit an effect, and you will become unable to function at peak efficiency without it.
So, what can you do? Let’s explore some of the most effective fixes:
Get Enough Sleep
It has been preached hundreds upon hundreds of times, but the benefits of sleep are so important and essential for optimal brain health and chemical balance. Dopamine influences sleep, and vice versa.
During sleep, dopamine production is initiated, along with “receptor cleansing” which is the act of keeping their sensitivity high.
Ironically, one of the reasons people start using supplements/ drugs that increase dopamine artificially is because they cannot focus sufficiently. The reason?
You guessed it. Not getting enough sleep. Had they received enough sleep, the need for exogenous dopamine boosters probably would not have been needed.
Circadian disruption is very serious, though most people don’t realize it.
We understand, if you work evenings you may be justifiably worried, but don’t be. The key is to adhere to a cycle, regardless of when that is.
Yes, night sleep is ideal, but if you can’t, just ensure that you sleep during the day (in a dark room) in a routine manner.
As this pattern resumes, you will feel noticeably better, physically and mentally.
Stop Relying On Caffeine
Coffee has become more of a crutch than a health beverage today, as people cannot seem to function without first consuming some.
The energy boosting get up and go effects of coffee are well known to be attributed to caffeine, which elevates levels of the hormones adrenalin, cortisol, serotonin, and dopamine.
While adrenalin and cortisol are what gives you that jolt of physical energy, serotonin and dopamine is what makes you get things done.
Do you have midafternoon brain fog? It’s not normal.
People that don’t rely on coffee/ caffeine earlier in the day don’t necessarily experience the mid-afternoon crashes of heavy coffee drinkers, since the lethargy is associated with diminishing blood values of caffeine.
Caffeine last approximately 5-6 hours in people assuming normal rate metabolism of the compound, though this can be sped up to as little as 2 hours in fast metabolizers of the neurotransmitters produced (COMT gene mutations).
You can think of caffeine as a milder form of the potent illicit stimulant drugs, well known to cause a loss of dopamine receptor sensitivity and function.
Quit Your Addiction
This is too easily said but is exactly what your body needs if you hope to regain normal function of dopamine receptors.
The best way to regain dopamine sensitivity is to starve the receptors of this exact ligand (dopamine in this case), so that once normal production resumes (in lower amounts), they are once again primed to respond to it.
Withdrawal symptoms will occur. Days to week of very low drive, motivation and loss of desire in the most basic human desires will be expected.
Ever wondered why people check into specialized rehab facilities? This is the reason.
To be away from the stimuli that cause the dopamine surges and without the added pressure of needing to get things done.
If you have a job, this can be tough, so it may make sense to start off by slowly weaning.
Take advantage of natural adjuvants that can help to preserve dopamine function at this time, such as magnesium, as you do not want to artificially influence your recovery.
Have Real Sex
Masturbation to pornographic stimuli can have serious implications on a relationship, as the desire for “docile” sex becomes non-existent, only being fulfilled by extreme fetishes.
If your sex life is diminishing due to excessive porn consumption, you can start right now by reducing the frequency of what you view.
If it has become a daily occurrence, reduce to every other day, and then following that, every 3-4 days.
Eventually, you will be able to go a week without the influence and are more likely to become stimulated from real sexual stimulation.
Nothing beats actual sex when trying to regain your natural primal instinct.
Eat Tyrosine Rich Foods
Natural dopamine production is diminished if you constantly use artificial means to force synthesis at any cost.
While in the process of withdrawal, one of the reasons you lose all desire is because your body has not been brought up to speed with its normal production, in effect having a deficiency of dopamine.
The amino acid tyrosine is one of the precursors of dopamine function, usually accomplished via consumption of the amino acid l-phenylalanine.
Bananas are great for boosting dopamine as they contain the amino acid tyrosine, skipping the step of conversion from phenylalanine.
Other notable sources of the other precursor phenylalanine include apples, watermelon, eggs, meat, and almonds.
Low tyrosine levels result in decreased dopamine production.
Lift Weights
Exercise in general, but more specifically weight bearing exercise is a great way to boost the natural production of endorphins, which include dopamine amongst them.
The hormone cortisol, induced by high-stress states, is known to reduce levels of dopamine in the brain.
This is why you are more likely to exhibit pleasure-seeking activities when you are stressed.
Resistance exercise boosts testosterone production, which has the added benefit of cortisol suppression.
Testosterone and the stress hormone share an inverse relationship, which means that as one goes up, the other goes down.
This is why weight lifting exerts a two-pronged approach to helping you naturally recover dopamine receptor sensitivity and endogenous production.
Follow An Intermittent Fasting Diet
Intermittent fasting is a unique diet style brought into the limelight in the past few years thanks to its ability to help you build muscle while losing body fat, a double feat very hard to accomplish.
The basic premise of intermittent fasting is to schedule “feed sessions” to just 8 hours per day, the following 16 of which you fast, or don’t consume anything except water.
The beauty of this diet style is its ability to actually help increase the number of dopamine receptors in your brain, which is a very hard thing to influence as many people with dopamine disorders will testify to.
Low calorie diets, or those that mimic the biological effects that starvation has on the body seem to increase intrinsic levels of “satisfaction” as displayed by increasing the number of these dopaminergic receptors.
Intermittent fasting also helps to control excessive hunger and cravings (after a short initiation period), which are also known symptoms of a dopamine tolerance/desensitivity problem.
Emotional eating/ cravings/ overeating is another complication of dopamine receptor desensitization, as your brain’s satiety center does not indicate that you are ok, and instead the desire to eat and eat continues unabated.
Supplement With Magnesium
Magnesium is one of those minerals that flies under the radar most of the time, often coming in second fiddle to the big boys like calcium.
However, unknown to many, magnesium is diligently at work, influencing many body processes and helping to keep brain chemistry normal.
Magnesium appears to have an effect on inhibiting the mono-amine oxidase (MAO) family of enzymes, which are responsible for contributing to the breakdown and removal of many neurotransmitters, including dopamine.
When trying to restore your dopamine receptor sensitivity, after exposure to stimuli that caused the desensitization, unless you take control of minor variables, your recovery will be harrowing.
Action Plan
The prevalence of dopamine based disorders is absolutely massive, even though most people that suffer from it have no clue what is going on.
Many people merely attribute it to being “stressed”, accepting that it is their fate, and nothing can be done about it.
Starting today, if you suspect dopamine receptor desensitization, you need to make as many changes as you can.
Regardless of your specific cause, there are universal steps you can take now to start employing a fix:
Try the following things to restore your dopamine receptors naturally