Do you Need a Dopamine Detox?

Every few years, Freya develops a new obsession. Her latest dopamine fix is social media on her phone. The 28-year-old data analyst is hooked on Facebook, X, Instagram and Threads.

‘I think I just have an addictive personality,’ she confides. ‘I wake up thinking about my iPhone and I reluctantly put it down to go to sleep. If I wake during the night, I check it straight away. I don’t know what I’m looking for but it’s like going down a rabbit hole and several hours can go by before I get a grip on myself.

‘I used to feel this obsessive about shopping for shoes, and before that it was gaming. Whatever my addiction, it dominates my thoughts and my life. I can’t get enough. I turn down invitations to meet up with friends because I would rather stay in and look at my phone. I once missed a family wedding because I wanted to go buy some new shoes that day.’

Ironically, Freya has read about dopamine detoxes on Instagram, and she now thinks she needs to do one. But what is dopamine, and is it really so bad for us that we need to detox from it?

The ‘Happy Hormone’

Tanya Sibley, a clinical hypnotherapist practitioner, based in Abu Dhabi, explains dopamine is a chemical messenger that enables communication between nerve cells within our brains and the rest of our bodies.

She says: ‘It’s known as the primary driver for the happy hormone, amongst three other transmitters, although its role is part of a more complex system that regulates our moods and emotions and is best known for making us feel motivated, more focused and more positive.’

But it’s dopamine’s role in the brain’s reward system that makes us want to repeat pleasurable behaviour.

‘In short, this means that if you enjoy doing something so much, you get what is called a dopamine hit,’ continues Tanya, ‘and you’re then motivated and more likely to repeat those behaviours in the future.

‘Doing certain things that make you happy, such as eating chocolate, having sex or exercising, can all contribute to the pleasure receptors in your brain. A brisk walk, taking part in a team or solo sporting activity, doing charity work or being in nature can do the same.’

So, when does dopamine become a problem?

‘Dopamine cravings can become problematic when they lead to behaviour that’s harmful or disruptive to your life and your loved ones’ lives,’ says Tanya. ‘You may get a dopamine hit by doing certain activities and they then become compulsive and start to interfere with normal daily functioning.

‘Whether it’s smoking, gambling, drinking alcohol, sex, excessive gaming and even adrenaline sports, they will hijack the brain’s reward system and lead to repetitive and risky behaviour.

‘Addictions may take away the ability to live in the present moment as you crave more and more, and you become reliant on that substance or activity to make you happy.’

The Dopamine Rollercoaster

Resilience coach and positive psychologist Bev Cripps explains the problem lies in the spikes and dips associated with dopamine – it peaks as we go in search of our fix, but then it drops drastically. And the higher it rises, the lower it drops.

‘This is why addicts go again and again,’ says Bev, author of The Lazy Guide to Happy: Low effort happiness solutions for people who are short on time (Authors & Co). ‘If you are constantly chasing the experience and artificially elevating your dopamine all the time, it will diminish your satisfaction.’

According to Bev, dopamine management is not so much about a detox and ridding our bodies of dopamine, as about balance and maintaining a healthy baseline of dopamine.

‘Dopamine is about wanting, not having,’ says Bev. ‘A healthy baseline is like a wave pool before the waves come. When the waves get bigger, they take the water out of the wave pool until the water level gets lower and lower.

‘Ideally, we can have these spikes, and they give us motivation, but they’re not huge waves and we don’t get to a situation where our cravings empty the wave pool of water.

‘We don’t want low or no dopamine. That would make us unmotivated and there would be no pleasure in that.’

But what we can do to bring our dopamine levels under control, says Tanya, is detox the behaviour that causes these dopamine spikes.

‘Too much dopamine can mean a lot of stimulation,’ says Tanya. ‘In a world that never sleeps, and never stops, we’re seeing increased levels of anxiety, which leads to poor sleep and eating habits, not enough exercise and a reliance on social media for our personal connections.

‘By detoxifying your body and mind from alcohol, processed food, social media, gaming, and shopping, you’ll find you have improved focus and an increased attention span. You’ll be able to focus on longer-term and more meaningful tasks. You’ll have better self-control, and you’ll have better mental health.

So how can we get our dopamine back to a healthy baseline? Bev and Tanya share their tips.

Zap those triggers

If you know you’re hooked on something like sugar, your phone or overspending, try and make them less easily available or more difficult to do, says Bev.

‘If you find you’re constantly scrolling on your mobile, lock your phone away, put it in another room or turn your notifications off,’ she suggests. ‘Love sugar? Ban chocolate from the house. If you spend money you don’t have, hide your credit cards or cut them up.’

Understand your thoughts

Identify what’s causing your dopamine trigger and work out if it’s doing you good or causing you harm, advises Tanya.

‘Your thoughts affect your feelings, and your feelings affect your behaviour,’ she explains. ‘If you feel sad, disconnected or empty, the action you might take is to doom scroll on Instagram or Facebook. But once you understand you are in charge of your thoughts and you can reframe them, you’ll be able to limit those dopamine triggers.’

Impose some limits

If you love scrolling on your phone, agree a time limit with yourself, says Bev.

‘You might put a limit of an hour a day when you can check WhatsApp, look at social media and reply to texts,’ she says. ‘Once you’ve done an hour, tell yourself that’s enough and you have had your fill! Then go and do something completely different, that will give you pleasure but isn’t as addictive. Go for a walk in the park, phone a good friend for a chat or go for a swim.’

Meditate!

Meditation can mean different things to different people, explains Tanya.

‘It doesn’t necessarily mean sitting cross-legged for ten to 20 minutes with yourself and your thoughts,’ she says. ‘It could be going to the beach, the forest or park, and just being still and present. Try a podcast with a guided meditation or find a good yoga class with yoga nidra (the consciousness between waking and sleeping) at the end.’

Get the Zzzzs

Good quality sleep is vital, says Bev.

‘When you get that level of good sleep, it has an effect on your neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) and restores your reserves of dopamine,’ she says. ‘After a good night’s sleep, you’ll wake in the morning, feeling motivated to go ahead with your day.’

Eat right!

Increase your levels of tyrosine, an amino acid that is essential for the production of neurotransmitters, including dopamine.

‘It’s found in bananas, certain cheeses, avocado, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, turkey, nuts and vegetables,’ says Bev. ‘However, a diet that’s high in saturated fat, sugar and processed or junk foods can harm dopamine levels.’

Get a sunny start

Exposing your eyes to some sunlight produces a cascade of hormones and other chemicals, including dopamine, says Bev.

‘Try and get between five and ten minutes in bright sunlight first thing,’ she recommends. ‘If that’s not possible, get between 10 and 20 minutes on a cloudy day and between 20 and 30 minutes on an overcast day.’

Get yourself rewired

Tanya recommends hypnotherapy with a qualified professional.

‘Hypnotherapy allows you to get to the root cause of what’s driving you to have a certain addiction or behave in a certain way,’ she explains. ‘Once you understand when and how it came about, you can reframe your belief system and rewire your neurocircuits through neuroplasticity.’

Move and massage

Find an exercise you like and do it five times a week, suggests Bev.

‘Movement maintains your dopamine baseline,’ she says. ‘Choose something that elevates your heart rate slightly. This isn’t the same as running and getting a personal best – steady is key here. The circuits in the brain that deal with movement are closely linked to dopamine. Now and then, treat yourself – massage has been shown to increase dopamine levels by 31 per cent.’

Cool it

If you want to increase your dopamine levels, try taking a cold shower, says Bev.

‘Switch your shower dial to cold for between 30 seconds to two minutes in the morning, and you can keep your dopamine levels elevated for up to four hours,’ says Bev. ‘Or you could go a step further and try an ice bath or cold-water swimming.’

Be kind

Perform an act of kindness, urges Bev.

‘Smile at a stranger, make a charitable donation, say good morning to someone, or volunteer your services and time,’ she says. ‘They will give you a helper’s high and increase your dopamine in a very unselfish way!’

For information on Bev’s work, go to https://mybcconnection.com/

To read more about Tanya, visit https://www.rapidmindtherapy.org/