A Beginner’s Guide to Biohacking Your Brain
Did you know that you actually do have control over your DNA expression?
Happiness is a state of mind that depends on the complex interaction of chemicals in your brain. When you understand how your brain works to regulate your happiness, it’s easy to take small steps to biohack these hormones, and use them to your advantage.
Oxytocin: The Love Hormone
Oxytocin influences social behaviour and emotion, such as empathy, connection, self-confidence, love, and even helps usher in those ‘Oh-My-God’ orgasms. Also known as the bonding hormone new mothers produce upon childbirth, good oxytocin levels even play a role in reducing stress responses, including anxiety. Count us in.
Boost it: Physical and sexual intimacy, like cuddling or kissing, all signal a release of oxytocin in the body. Altruistic or selfless behaviours, such as doing something nice for someone else, also promotes oxytocin release. You can also trigger it with foods high in Magnesium, Vitamin C, and Probiotics.
Dopamine: “Feelin’ Myself” Hormone
Yup, it exists. Dopamine is a chemical messenger responsible for the excited feelings of motivation, confidence and achievement. It also plays a big role in our unique human ability to think and plan, and helps us strive, focus, and find things interesting. If you experience low libido, fatigue, sleep difficulties, low self-esteem and an inability to feel pleasure, you may be experiencing low dopamine levels.
Boost it: Eat more protein, and less saturated fats. Exercise, sleep, and getting enough sunlight are key to increasing dopamine levels in the body. Set goals, and upon achieving them, your body will say, ‘wow, that’s dope’ and kick in the signal for more dopamine. Dope, no?
Serotonin: The Happiness Hormone
Serotonin is one of those super hormones that plays a vital role in both your brain, and in many other parts of your body to regulate sleep, blood clotting, bone density, and more. In fact, most of the serotonin in your body is found in your gut, not your brain, in order to promote healthy digestion.
In the brain, serotonin’s powerful effect on mood is why it’s often a target of medications that are used to treat depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Increasing how much serotonin is in the brain appears to improve communication between brain cells, which in turn lifts mood and reduces symptoms of depression.
Boost it: Vitamin B6 and Vitamin D are key supplements to boost serotonin levels. Add high 5-HTP foods such as eggs, salmon, and pineapples into your diet to support serotonin levels. Meditation, up to 10 minutes each day, has also been proven to boost serotonin levels.
-
The Quick-Quick:
Hormones play crucial roles in our brain’s chemistry, and understanding them can be the key to boosting your productivity, connecting with others, feeling less stressed and building confidence. The bottom line: when you control your thoughts and behaviours, you can actually hack into your nervous system and rewire your emotional state.