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Comment by corry | Hacker News Reader

1. Cold plunge - high but transient (last for hours). I do it in the morning, after my shower - start the day off right.

2. Exercise - short-term: increases dopamine, serotonin, and a bunch of other good stuff; long-term: increases dopamine receptor density.

3. Caffeine - while doesn't technically increase dopamine, it blocks adenosine receptors which indirectly increases dopamine signalling. But habitual use blunts the effect.

Other less acute things are: good sleep and lots of sunlight esp early in the day.

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Do you have a few references? That reads a bit like bro-science.

Cold plunge is good but keep in mind cold water immersion inhibits hypertrophy (but improves recovery time) depending on time since exercise, temperature and duration.

I have found l-tyrosine also being quite helpful when taken occasionally.

Done occasionally it’s fine. It can lead to crashes and also anger or increased irritability. Things that mess with neurotransmitters can be hit or miss. A better long term strategy is to focus on fundamental things that improve the metabolic health of your cells.

One other “light” supplement that can dampen addictive behaviors or cravings is l-theanine.

Nicotine.

Be verrrry careful. 7 years and very very disregulated from nicotine. Getting better 1+ year later

Nicotine doesn’t really have any good MOAs. Inhalation is very short lasting, addictive, and gross and unhealthy. Pouches are harsh and still don’t last very long, gum (especially Lucy brand) is better but still has the same issues. And patches cause a lot of arm irritation. And all of these are very easy to overdo and make you feel somewhere in between physically uneasy and on edge to sick, that is until you get used to them and then you feel that way when you’re off.

Also personally, it doesn’t even help me with focus, in part because administering it is too distracting. I wonder whether there’s a place for an extended release nicotine pill, although that would probably be pretty rough on the gut.

What do you prefer for focus?

The best I’ve found for focus is simple caffeine. Amphetamines are good for motivation but give me too much motivation to do things other than what I need to be doing. Methylphenidate is maybe a bit better but still a similar story. They also both have considerably worse side effect profile than caffeine. YMMV though, I am an adhd-coded individual and everyone’s brain chemistry is a bit different anyway. Lion’s mane and/or Cordyceps double extract tincture is not bad but I’ve grown to be weary of neurogenic drugs, although that is more of a personal decision.

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