Can Essential oils boost Dopamine?
- Conscious Living
- Apr 6, 2024
- 3 min read
The way to stay inspired and motivated is by DOING WHAT YOU LOVE OR IS IT?
How often have you heard this or something similar? Is it easy to do something that you love, every single day? Whether you are building a business or working an 8-12 hour shift at a company. Do you get to do what you love, every single day? Well, not really.
To achieve our dreams or to make money, we end up doing many things that we aren't naturally motivated to do, tasks that are boring and mundane. We often find ourselves procrastinating on such tasks as much as possible.
Why? Because there is no Dopamine generated in our brains.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that performs its tasks before we obtain rewards, meaning that its real job is to encourage us to act, either to achieve something good or to avoid something bad. The brain releases dopamine as a reward mechanism or as a response to a fight and flight risk.
Most people thought dopamine was the neurotransmitter ONLY for pleasure. A "Feel good" hormone but during RESEARCH, spikes in dopamine occurred in moments of high stress as well — like when soldiers with PTSD heard gunfire.
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that carry electrical signals between neurons in the brain. They circulate through your body, communicating between cells to help them perform important functions that directly impact how you feel and how you function.
Neurotransmitters are either excitatory or inhibitory.
Excitatory neurotransmitters activate your body and brain for action, impacting your physical energy levels and mental alertness, enabling the brain to respond effectively to any challenges or threats that it encounters. This ensures that your brain and body are prepared for any physical or emotional stressors by triggering your “fight or flight” response.
Inhibitory neurotransmitters block certain brain signals to decrease excitatory and anxious activity in your nervous system.
Neurotransmitters send signals between brain cells to communicate. It is released from the surface of one brain cell into an extracellular space which forms part of the “synapse” – the connecting space between two brain cells.
Once released into the synapse, the neurotransmitter travels to the “other side” of the extracellular space and binds to specific proteins – called cell receptors – located on the surface of the receiving brain cell.
When the neurotransmitter “binds” to these receptors, it sets up a cascade of chemical reactions within your receiving cell to carry the electrical signal through that cell and further into your brain.
These cell receptors are pathways by which pharmaceutical drugs work to support emotional and psychological concerns These drugs bind to your cell receptors in the brain and alter their function to help enhance your mood and relieve anxiety and depression.
Essential oil molecules can use the same pathway through Inhalation as the smell receptor sites in our nasal cavity have a direct link to the brain, via the olfactory bulbs.
Essential Oils can be used to activate both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters.
For example, you can stimulate an excitatory neurotransmitter for more energy and focus or stimulate an inhibitory neurotransmitter to calm your system.
As per the RESEARCH - Aromatherapy and the central nerve system (CNS) :
Therapeutic mechanism and its associated genes - Inhalation of bergamot, lavender, and lemon essential oils helps trigger your brain to release serotonin and dopamine, thereby further regulating mood and boosting motivation.
So on those sluggish days when it isn't possible to do what you love rather, you have to do what needs to be done, just inhale the essential oils before you start working and notice the difference in how quickly your mood improves and you will be more likely to make the most of your day.
Try out our therapeutic range of Essential oils at https://www.consciouslivingaromas.com/
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