6 Easy & Natural Ways to Power Up Your Brain

Having a POWERFUL brain has the ability to influence your mood, motivation, memory, and energy levels. In this article, we will talk about how to naturally improve the power of the brain by making sure you have the proper amount of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that acts as a powerful stimulator in the brain. The euphoric feeling of falling in love for the first time? That’s dopamine! The major dopamine pathways start at the base of the brain, near the brainstem. Therefore, the base of the brain is what drives and powers the rest of the brain.

Here are 6 ways you can increase your dopamine production:

1. Increase your vitamin D levels – Vitamin D activates the release of dopamine. Find the time to play outside in the sun with your bare skin exposed (well.. not TOO Much bare skin!) Sunlight is way more effective than any vitamin D supplement.
2. Moderate amounts of caffeine – coffee lovers rejoice!
3. Exercise – Specifically, the kind of exercise that builds muscle. For the purposes of creating more dopamine, cardio on its own is not as effective.
4. Cold showers – This might be the easiest way to get a jolt of dopamine, but also one where you really have to hype yourself up!
5. Watch your sugars – Common culprits include white flour and sugar. Sneakier sources include too much fruit and fruit juices. Sugar increases insulin which suppresses dopamine.
6. Vagal activation – The more your vagus nerve is activated, the more you will stimulate dopamine release. The vagus nerve is the control center of the autonomic nervous system, which controls your body’s automatic and life-sustaining functions. Here are a few ways to promote vagal activation:
   • Is your head on straight? Improper head and neck alignment can disturb the blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow around the base of the brain. This can lead to a decreased amount of dopamine activation. This is what we take care of in our office.
   • Deep and controlled breathing
   • Gargling water for 15-20 seconds

Do these six things to POWER-UP your brain! If you have any questions email us at precisionchiroco@gmail.com or give us a call at 970.663.1617