Autumn: Take Care of Your Immunity and Dopamine!
Like it or not, autumn is coming! This means we should pay some extra attention to our immunity and our dopamine levels.What is dopamine again?
Dopamine is a versatile neurotransmitter that influences how we behave, move, feel, and think. Autumn can indirectly affect your dopamine and other neurotransmitter levels, especially due to less daylight, colder weather, and changes in our habits (such as eating more and exercising less). This can cause your immune system to take a hit and your dopamine levels to drop, resulting in sadness and lack of motivation.How to maintain your dopamine levels:
- Get enough sleep.
- Reduce stress where you can.
- Stay active (not just Netflix and lounging around :-)).
- Eat healthily (no emotional eating because you feel sorry for yourself, cold, dark, tired :-)). Focus especially on extra proteins and antioxidants.
Ginger and turmeric: indirect dopamine boosters?
While ginger and turmeric are not direct dopamine enhancers, they do contribute to brain health and overall well-being, which can indirectly have a positive effect on your dopamine.
Ginger:
Ginger is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds like gingerol, which are good for your brain. Although it's not directly proven that ginger increases your dopamine, it can help improve your mood and cognitive functions by reducing inflammation in the brain.Turmeric (Curcumin):
Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, protects your brain against inflammation and oxidative stress. There is some evidence that curcumin can improve the function of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, although this has not yet been officially scientifically proven.
Both roots help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, which is beneficial for the health of your brain and nervous system, and thus for your mood and well-being.
But note: ginger and turmeric are not a substitute for medical treatments if you are dealing with specific neurological or psychiatric problems.
So enjoy the beautiful upcoming autumn season, with all those gorgeous colors, cozy evenings indoors with candles lit, and fresh walks in nature đ