Our brain is an amazing organ, helping us do simple things each day like walking, and even more complex things, like driving a car or understanding the law. Most of these activities are done by neurotransmitters in the brain. One of these neurotransmitters, dopamine, is an important piece of our bodies that helps with our mood. Too much or too little can cause a range of issues, from a simple bad mood to Parkinson’s disease. And although your body creates this naturally, there are many things that you can do to help boost the production of it. When you are producing the proper amount of dopamine, you tend to be happy and in a good mood. It also helps you to become motivated, process pleasure, think more clearly, and move easier. Dopamine is produced in a variety of ways. One of the most natural ways is during stress, where your body will produce more dopamine in order to help adjust your mood. Another great way to have high dopamine levels is to simply wake up early and start your day. I know, many of us are night owls and this is hard to. However, waking up and getting out into the sun helps stimulate dopamine growth and production. Even something as simple as opening your blinds or taking a walk in the sunshine will help. This helps because we often see people more depressed during winter months; this is often called the “winter blues”. If you some tips for waking up early to help your mood, here are a couple. Stay away from the snooze button. Create a sleep schedule that details when you will go to sleep and when you will get up. Follow this each day, including weekends. Keep an alarm, and use it. And one of my favorites, create a morning routine to help you get up and on the go in the mornings. Even if that’s getting out of bed to drag down to get coffee and sit at your desk; in this case, you are up and out of bed. In closing, dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that helps with mood. Do what you can to increase its production, and live a happier life.
