ADHD & Dopamine: Why the ADHD Brain Craves Stimulation
People with ADHD are naturally wired to seek more dopamine. Differences in the brain cause the neurotransmitter not to bind to receptors properly, leading to challenges like trouble sustaining attention and a need for stimulation. Learning how to increase dopamine could help.
What Dopamine Does in the Brain
Dopamine affects how we think, move, feel, and focus. It’s often oversimplified as “the happy chemical,” but that’s not all it is. As a neurotransmitter, it acts as a messenger in your brain. One of the main things it does is encourage you to engage in behaviors that produce a sense of reward. For example, when an activity produces feelings of happiness or pleasure, your brain releases dopamine. This creates an association between the behavior and positive feelings, which makes you want to do it again. Dopamine also helps to regulate your mood, emotions, and impulses. This can be part of the reason for the connection between ADHD and mental health challenges.
Why ADHD is Linked to Low Dopamine Availability
When someone has ADHD, their brain processes, transports, and regulates dopamine differently. In the ADHD brain, dopamine is excreted faster (before it can properly bind to receptors). Tasks that take time to accomplish are often harder because the brain does not anticipate the sense of reward; the dopamine is removed too quickly. In turn, many people with ADHD are drawn toward things that create an instant sense of satisfaction. The ADHD brain wants things that produce dopamine fast because the availability of the neurotransmitter is low.
Stimulation-Seeking Behaviors in ADHD, Explained
Since the ADHD brain has a harder time regulating dopamine, people with ADHD tend to seek things that’ll cause a spike in dopamine. These things tend to be exciting or high-intensity, but they can be anything that lights up the brain’s reward system. For example, video games, shopping, and certain substances trigger a quick, intense spike in dopamine.
On a smaller scale, people with ADHD often stim, much like people with autism spectrum disorder. “Stims” refer to self-stimulatory behaviors. In other words, behaviors that create stimulation. For example:
- Physical movements (e.g, bouncing your leg, pacing, rocking, chewing).
- Tactile stims (e.g., twirling hair, picking your cuticles or skin, playing with objects in your hands).
- Auditory and verbal stims (e.g., humming, singing, repeating words or phrases, clicking your tongue, talking to yourself while you complete tasks, listening to repetitive music).
- Visual (e.g., doodling, twirling pens, getting sensory input from things like watching sand run through an hourglass or color-changing lamps).
It may not surprise you that low dopamine and addiction go hand in hand. People with ADHD are at an increased risk of addiction due to the need for stimulation and reward. Interestingly, stimulant ADHD medications have been shown to lower the risk of substance use disorders in people with the condition. Research shows that they do not raise the risk of addiction in people who have ADHD.
How Stimulant Medications Work on Dopamine in ADHD
Understanding how stimulant medications work on dopamine in ADHD can help people and families grasp why they work. There are different types of stimulant medication for ADHD. The way it addresses low dopamine in ADHD depends on the one you take. For example, they may:
- Prevent the brain from “recycling” dopamine prematurely. It sticks around for longer. That way, you can concentrate better, self-regulate more effectively, and are less likely to engage in impulsive behaviors.
- Release dopamine directly. In addition to preventing the brain from excreting it too fast, some medications for ADHD release dopamine directly.
The result of this is that people are able to focus better, control impulses, prioritize, organize, and manage time more effectively, and follow through on instructions, among other benefits. There’s a lot of stigma surrounding stimulant medications. In reality, they’re highly effective. Most people with ADHD respond to stimulant medication (around 80%).
Natural Ways to Support Dopamine
Building a lifestyle that aids symptom management is important for people with ADHD. One part of this is often finding out how to increase dopamine naturally and in healthy ways. Anyone could benefit from implementing these activities, but a person with ADHD might find that they support symptom management and quality of life alongside ADHD treatment.
- Whether it’s a sport, walking, dancing, weight lifting, rock climbing, or something else, we know for a fact that physical activity boosts dopamine. It’s a great outlet for many people with ADHD and common comorbidities, such as depression and substance use disorders.
- Get enough sleep. While it can be difficult with ADHD, using good sleep hygiene practices can help you get the rest necessary to support the regulation of dopamine.
- Creative activities, like painting, drawing, beading, sculpting, singing, or playing a musical instrument are enjoyable for many people. Both seeing and making art may boost dopamine.
- Add foods that support dopamine release and regulation to your diet. For example, apples, avocados, bananas, chicken, leafy green vegetables, chocolate, green tea, lima beans, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, and tomatoes.
- Participate in hobbies. Hobbies can support your overall mental health in multiple ways. Doing things you enjoy can boost dopamine.
- Levels of dopamine and serotonin rise naturally during meditation.
- Listen to music. Listening to music you like can boost dopamine and lower stress.
- Volunteer or engage in acts of kindness. It has long been understood that volunteering or engaging in acts of kindness can support your overall health while boosting chemicals like dopamine.
- Spend time in nature. We know for a fact that time spent outdoors increases dopamine levels. Even 10-30 minutes outside can go a long way.
- Like many of these suggestions, social activities support overall wellbeing. Interacting with other people (friends, other volunteers, people in support groups, loved ones, joining clubs, etc) promotes the release of dopamine.
Some people find it helpful to create a “dopamine menu.” This refers to a menu of activities you can do that take different amounts of time (e.g., one minute, five minutes, 30 minutes) to increase dopamine. Of course, this can’t replace ADHD treatment. ADHD treatment does much more than increase dopamine. For a lot of people, a combination of medication, therapy, and lifestyle factors is the most helpful, comprehensive approach to treating ADHD. Everyone is unique. Our team helps people with ADHD discover what works for them.
When to Seek an ADHD Evaluation
There are different types of ADHD. Some people have primarily hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. Others have primarily inattentive symptoms. Others have a combination of both. Here are some possible signs that you may want to seek an evaluation.
- Forgetfulness, losing or misplacing important items (e.g., wallet, keys) frequently, being easily distracted, wandering thoughts, poor time management, failure to meet deadlines, trouble keeping belongings in order, struggling to complete tasks after you start them, difficulty with activities requiring sustained attention (e.g., paperwork, lectures, long reading), avoidance or dislike of activities requiring sustained mental effort, making mistakes that seem careless/overlooking important details (e.g., when reading instructions or completing tasks).
- Restlessness, excessive talking, butting into other people’s conversations or activities, impatience, trouble sitting still or staying seated, difficulty participating in leisure activities quietly, fidgeting, tapping, squirming, or moving around in your seat.
- Either hyperactivity/impulsivity, inattention symptoms, or both affect your quality of life, relationships, functioning at work, home, or school (e.g., remembering to do chores, making mistakes at work), mental health, or ability to reach your full potential.
- Lifelong presence. If you reflect on your history, you notice that the symptoms of ADHD (either inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, or both) were present before age 12.
Why does getting diagnosed with ADHD matter? First, it makes it possible to get proper ADHD treatment. People who work or go to school who have ADHD may require or benefit from accommodations. There’s also the component of self-understanding. Knowing why you do things (e.g., use substances, forget, struggle to finish tasks, etc.) means that you can be more compassionate toward yourself and find new ways to get your needs met that really work.
We provide effective, person-centered ADHD treatment. Whether you need help with ADHD alone or have co-occurring concerns, like depression, substance abuse, or an eating disorder, Sanford Behavioral Health can help. Call us today to get started.
