Dopamine detox – What is it?

Before getting into dopamine detox, let’s start with the information about the dopamine hormone.

Dopamine hormone is produced in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area and hypothalamus of the brain. The dopamine hormone is a neurotransmitter that sends signals from one nerve cell to the target nerve cells. The brain needs neurotransmitters to perform necessary functions, like regulating and stabilising the body.

Dopamine hormone also goes by other names, such as pleasure hormone or feel-good hormone. Dopamine handles your happiness or pleasure activities. This hormone gets released when you perform activities that make you feel happy.  

For example, if you are receiving a surprise gift on your birthday, the dopamine hormone initiates sudden excitement while receiving the gift.

What is dopamine detox?  

Dopamine detox is widely regarded as a kind of fasting. Anyhow, eating habits are not restricted here; rather, there will be a change in the daily routine. Fasting aims to regulate the production of dopamine hormones. Initially, dopamine detox can be practised for a few hours; then, overtime can extend to weeks or months.

Why do you need Dopamine detox?  

As mentioned earlier, the dopamine hormone regulates pleasure or happy emotions. Once the happy activities are completed, it leaves a satisfaction or feel-good emotion. This is not a problem unless it turns into an addiction.

If you are addicted to it, then it becomes a cyclic movement of an urge to do happy activities. Gradually the happy actions increase, followed by satisfaction and anticipation to perform more happy activities. When this cycle becomes more frequent, it transforms into an addiction, such as playing video games.

If you are addicted, you should find a way to get yourself out of this addiction. In such a way, dopamine detox helps to ease cyclic movement. Dopamine detox helps to detach yourself from unhealthy practices to lead a better lifestyle.  

Why is dopamine detox necessary?   

Dopamine detox becomes necessary when the addiction turns serious about controlling the health complications of unhealthy practices.  

For example, if you like to watch a series, it is fine to watch when time permits and to stop it at the time of rest. The problem arises when the excitement of knowing the climax leaves you to complete a series within a night. This results in sleepless nights, which spoil work in the daytime.   

This may also be the reason for headaches and work stress. Sleepless nights lead to various health complications, and it is not a healthy practice. These practices can lead to an imbalance in health and career.

This is where dopamine detox comes to the rescue to reduce unhealthy habits and regulate dopamine hormone production.

How to do dopamine detox?  

In simple words, dopamine detox is practised to get out of addiction. To do dopamine detox, note the following points:  

It is highly important to identify addiction (for example, playing video games all day); only then is the restriction possible.

First, try to calculate how much time is spent on it; if the time exceeds six hours a day, try to limit it.  

Shift the concentration towards other activities, like reading or drawing or going for a walk.  

If the progress is positive, then try to increase the time.  

You can also analyse yourself to shift your focus during your leisure time.  

It is challenging to comply with the dopamine detox since it requires the coordination of both mind and body. Remember to note the progress, as it will act as a catalyst to increase progress.  

Does a dopamine detox work?

Yes, it works. But a person should abstain from dopamine triggers for a predefined period of time, ranging from an hour to several days during a dopamine detox.

However, it is crucial to understand that a complete dopamine detox, in which the brain’s production of all dopamine is stopped, is not feasible in all cases, and sometimes, it causes stress.

Effects of dopamine detox

The following are considered to be some of the effects of dopamine detox.

Learning

Dopamine is a brain molecule that regulates pleasure and memory, which can be utilised to boost learners’ attention span and increase motivation. When employed properly, it can even make your learning effective.

Motivation

Dopamine controls motivation causing people to start and work hard to get what they want. The primary brain chemical in charge of motivation is dopamine. However, a low dopamine level causes numerous mental problems in addition to making a person feel worn out and irritable.

Sleep

Dopamine detox helps to get better sleep. It deters the overproduction of dopamine molecules and regulates good sleep for individuals.

Mood

Dopamine and serotonin are frequently referred to as the “happy hormones” due to their ability to enhance mental health. Dopamine causes pleasure feelings. Serotonin helps to boost happiness by reducing anxiety and despair.

Attention

Dopamine levels in the brain need to be within a relatively small range for someone to be able to stay attentive and concentrate on their work. In general, dopamine levels typically rise in response to stimulant substances like caffeine or amphetamines.

6 behaviours of excess dopamine

Emotional eating 

Eating in unpleasant feelings like tension, anger, anxiety, boredom, melancholy and loneliness is known as emotional eating. Negative emotions are often said to be the main reason for the cause of emotional eating.

Emotional eaters release significantly more dopamine than non-emotional eaters.

Dopamine fasting is described as a method of managing addictive behaviours like emotional eating, excessive internet use, gambling, porn addiction and drug use.

Excessive internet usage and gaming

Similar to addictive substances, internet activities like playing games and talking trigger brain to enhance the release of dopamine, which causes the user to feel happy temporarily. According to research, playing video and smartphone games causes more dopamine release.

Gambling and shopping

Dopamine is the first “feel-good hormone” that the brain produces when we win at gambling. However, if we bet frequently, our brain becomes accustomed to dopamine. 

Our brains release dopamine and endorphins when we purchase things. Some people may become compulsive while shopping because quick gratification triggers people to do that.

Thrill and novelty seeking

Any sort of excitation and pleasure triggers must be avoided during the dopamine detox. During the detox, avoid anything that increases dopamine production. A person should feel more grounded, balanced and less impacted by their typical dopamine triggers.

Recreational drugs

The most widely used drugs such as cocaine, alcohol, nicotine and amphetamines trigger a neurochemical reaction that significantly raises the quantity of dopamine released by neurons in the brain.

Can dopamine cure you of smartphone addiction fast?

Our brains are programmed to release dopamine at regular intervals. Numerous studies have demonstrated that using a phone stimulates the release of dopamine in our brains, which awakens us and gives us a sense of motivation and interim happiness.

The things to remember during Dopamine detox  

The first important thing to remember is the reason for dopamine detox. Dopamine detox is to regulate the production of the dopamine hormone. Dopamine detox is not practised to reduce the dopamine hormone to make it more precise.  

Concentration turns towards restricting addiction or unhealthy practices. This does not promote sitting idle or cutting off the conversation with people.

Conclusion

Dopamine detox helps to stop engaging in unhealthy behaviours. Whenever you feel the need to start a detox period, do something useful like practising healthy sports, reading a new book and so on. In addition, dopamine detox facilitates a healthy lifestyle by regulating emotions.

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