Hi, I'm Dr Janelle Sinclair. In today's video we're going to discuss how
to increase dopamine with supplements and food, and we're going to cover 8 helpful tips
including tyrosine doses. If you're interesting in learning about natural
remedies for depression and anxiety, subscribe to this channel, as I create weekly videos
on this important topic. How to increase dopamine naturally: Tip number
1: Increase protein levels and specifically tyrosine rich foods
Dopamine is made from the amino acids Phenylalanine and tyrosine. We get these amino acids from our diet in
the form of protein. So to increase dopamine you need to make sure
you're eating enough protein. Protein rich foods include meat, poultry,
fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes. Other tyrosine rich foods include seaweed,
pumpkin, spinach, avocado and banana. For most people, that aren't in competitive
sports or trying to loose weight, you should aim to be eating around 1 gram of protein
for every 1 kilogram of body weight, every single day. Or that's 0.36gm of protein for every pound
of body weight. So an average 60 kilogram or 132 pound adult,
will need to be consuming 60 grams of protein every single day. Now improving your dopamine levels through
diet is not going to be adequate for some people with very low dopamine, so make sure
you keep listening to learn about how to supplement with Tyrosine. How to increase dopamine naturally: Tip number
2: Support digestion. This tip is related to Tip #1, because if
you are eating protein and tyrosine rich foods, but you're not breaking down and absorbing
the amino acids, then your dopamine levels are going to be reduced, serotonin levels
are going to be impacted and so is the quality of your skin, hair, and muscle growth. To help support your digestion you could take
a pancreatic enzyme, betaine HCl or apple cider vinegar with meals daily. I have a simple little test that I suggest
my clients do to check their stomach acid levels. To get the directions for and the interpretation
of that test, download the pdf file by accessing the link in the description below. How to increase dopamine naturally: Tip number
3. Check iron levels and supplement if necessary
So last week I did a video on dopamine deficiency symptoms and I included a section about how
dopamine was made, if you haven't already you might want to check out that video. In it you'll note that there's some key cofactors
or nutrients that the body needs to be able to make dopamine. One of the key ones is iron. And iron is so important for mood and energy
levels. Because women loose it every month when they
have their period, making sure your iron levels are optimal is so key, and for guys too. So I suggest that you go to your doctor and
ask them to check your iron and ferritin levels. Make sure that your iron or iron store levels
aren't at the bottom of the normal reference range. You want them to be optimal, giving you good
energy and also helping your body make dopamine. Supplement with iron if you need to. How to increase dopamine naturally: Tip number
4. Increase folate and vitamin B6. Folate and vitamin B6 are two other nutrients
needed for dopamine production. You can increase folate and vitamin B6 through
food or supplementation. Some folate rich foods include spinach, asparagus,
broccoli, beans, lentils, avocado, nuts and seeds. And vitamin B6 rich foods are chicken, beef,
salmon, avocado, sunflower seeds and molasses. Another option is to take a vitamin B complex
supplement which includes both of these nutrients. B vitamins including folate are so key in
making neurotransmitters, and they help support adrenal function and stress management too. How to increase dopamine naturally: Tip number 5. Manage Stress and support the adrenal glands. What you may not know is that dopamine is
made both in the brain and the adrenal glands. It is converted into noradrenaline and adrenaline,
that is norepinephrine and epinephrine. When the body is under stress, and is creating
these stress hormones, it can actually deplete dopamine. So anyone with adrenal fatigue or with adrenal
stress, dopamine deficiency is very relevant to this situation. So to increase dopamine levels in the body,
you need to reduce stress levels and support your adrenal glands. Creating boundaries in your life, taking more
time for rest and restoration, and supporting good sleep are great strategies. Daily diaphragm breathing for 10-20 minutes
once or twice a day also helps lower stress hormones. Taking supplements to support the adrenal
glands should also be considered. And I've created a video that discusses the
5 best supplements to support adrenal fatigue so check that out. How to increase dopamine naturally: Tip number
6: Decrease caffeine intake So if you have low dopamine levels, it's likely
that you've got low mood, poor motivation and fatigue. And some of you will reach for coffee or maybe
a energy drink to give you a bit of energy first thing in the morning or during that
3pm slump. Am I right? Well caffeine is one of those catch 22s, it
gives you that short-term improvement in dopamine, but long-term it depletes your body of dopamine. My suggestion? Check you iron levels, take a vitamin B complex
and maybe some adaptogenic herbs to support your adrenal glands & dopamine levels, and
start decreasing your caffeine intake over the next 2-3 weeks. The improvement in B vitamins, iron and your
adrenal function, should mean that you can go without the caffeine. How to increase dopamine naturally: Tip number
7. Balance your blood sugars
Unbalanced blood sugars can lead to anxiety, panic attacks and fatigue. It can lead to adrenaline or epinephrine surges
and this puts stress on the adrenal glands, and also depletes the body of dopamine. Insulin, one of the hormones that regulates
blood sugars in the body, needs to be working well for tyrosine to get into the brain, so
that the brain can make it into dopamine. So the key here. Make sure your blood sugars are balanced. And a major way to do that is to stop eating
sugar or any processed foods. I know that many of you will struggle with
sugar cravings. Well there's some key supplements to help
reduce sugar cravings and they also balance your blood sugars. I've got a full-length video on how blood
sugars can cause anxiety and depression, and dietary and supplement advice that you will
want to watch. So check that out. How to increase dopamine naturally: Tip number
8: Tyrosine Supplementation Now the last strategy that I want to discuss
is using Tyrosine supplementation for improving dopamine levels. As we've discussed already dopamine is made
in the body from tyrosine. If you take tyrosine as a supplement you can
increase dopamine levels. The standard dose for tyrosine is 100-150mg
per kilogram of body weight. That means for a 60 kilogram adult a total
daily dose of 6000-9000mg daily. These high doses have only been used for up
to 3 months in studies, so I'm not comfortable recommending these doses for long-term use. My suggestion would be to start low and increase
slowly, taking the minimum amount of tyrosine that you need to feel an improvement. Because some people can have an improvement
with as little as 500mg per day. You also need to monitor your thyroid function,
as tyrosine can impact this. Consider starting on 500mg one to two times
a day, and increasing doses by 500-1000mg each week. I would suggest that you do not take more
than 5000mg daily without the oversight of a natural medicine practitioner. And don't take tyrosine if you have a diagnosis
of bipolar disorder. To get the best absorption of tyrosine into
the brain, you need to take tyrosine in between meals, on an empty stomach. If you are on thyroid medication, an antidepressant
that increases noradrenaline or dopamine, or have high blood pressure talk to your doctor
or naturopath before starting Tyrosine. And if you've found this video helpful, like
it, subscribe. Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the
next video.