Ever felt stuck in a rut, unmotivated or like you're running on empty?

A quick internet search may point to "dopamine deficiency," a trendy explanation for everything from procrastination to burnout. Wellness influencers often blame low levels of this brain chemical for nearly every modern ailment. They also promise quick fixes, like "dopamine detoxes" and supplements. But is there any science behind these claims?

"There are few things more complicated than the brain," says Dr. William Ondo, a neurologist at Houston Methodist. "Neurotransmitters, including dopamine, are tightly regulated by multiple mechanisms, ensuring there's neither too much nor too little produced."

Understanding whether you should be worried about your dopamine levels — as well as the science-backed ways to support production — requires going beyond the hype and exploring the evidence.

What is dopamine?

You've likely heard of dopamine as the brain's reward chemical — it's this role that's inspired terms like "dopamine hit," after all. But that "feel good" hormone role is often misunderstood.

"It's not so much that it makes you feel good," explains Dr. Ondo. "Dopamine release helps provide you with the desire to feel good."

This distinction may seem subtle, but it highlights the danger of oversimplifying the effect dopamine has on the brain and body. Plus, its functions go far beyond the motivation for pleasure.

"Dopamine plays many different roles," says Dr. Ondo. In the clinical world, it's most prominently known for facilitating smooth, coordinated movements. And many other areas of the body and brain contain dopamine neurons — including those responsible for vision, smell, immunity, sleep, sensation of pain, mood and more.

With such vast and essential roles, it's no wonder some people worry about the consequences of dopamine levels being low.

Is dopamine deficiency real?

Iron deficiency affects around 20% of women and can lead to anemia. Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in vegans and vegetarians and causes muscle weakness and headaches. Vitamin D deficiency has been called a "silent epidemic," with symptoms ranging from bone and joint pain to mood changes.

Unlike these examples, "dopamine deficiency" isn't an official diagnosis. "It's not a formal medical term," says Dr. Ondo. He emphasizes that dopamine production is exquisitely controlled by the body.

Dopamine levels can fall low enough to cause noticeable symptoms, though. "Parkinson's disease, where neurons that make dopamine die off prematurely, is the classic example of this," says Dr. Ondo. He adds that the characteristic tremors, stiffness and slowness experienced are symptoms of low dopamine.

Interestingly, dopamine levels naturally decline with age. According to Dr. Ondo, the average adult makes 35% less dopamine by the time they're 75-years old.

Do people with ADHD have less dopamine?

The connection between Parkinson's disease and dopamine is clear, but it's not the supposed link the media points to when warning of the dangers of low dopamine levels. Is too little dopamine really the cause of conditions like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), restless legs syndrome and depression?

"I certainly understand why this might sound intuitive, given that symptoms of these conditions improve when treated with dopamine-based medications," says Dr. Ondo. "If you're treating something with dopamine and it works, then you must not have had enough dopamine to start with, right? Well, no. The brain is seldom so simple."

When brain scans are performed on children with ADHD or adults with restless legs syndrome, significant reductions in dopamine levels aren't seen.

"We don't understand these systems well enough to assume something that seems intuitive is actually real," adds Dr. Ondo. "A dopamine medication could be doing any number of things in the body — eliciting some downstream effect on a different neurotransmitter, which then feeds back into another system to lead to symptom improvement."

If you're concerned about ADHD, depression or restless legs syndrome, consult your physician for a thorough workup and advice on the best course of action.

How to increase dopamine levels

In general, there's no harm in taking steps to support your body's natural ability to make important chemicals, dopamine included. But don't fall prey to those wellness hacks you see online, like that "dopamine detox" — reducing digital overstimulation — suggested to help reset dopamine levels. Or that supplement promising to boost your levels.

"The way dopamine is produced in the body is well understood," says Dr. Ondo. "Simply taking a precursor supplement doesn't increase the amount of actual dopamine in the brain."

"Dopamine detoxing" doesn't alter it, either — though there are other notable benefits of reducing screen time or those constant phone notifications we too often get.

While wellness trends may oversimplify dopamine, there are proven ways to encourage its release.

Dr. Ondo says that exercise has been shown to increase dopamine levels in the brain by leading to the anticipation of an improvement in our mood and physical performance. In fact, anything that increases anticipation of a reward can stimulate dopamine release.

"There's no evidence that any sort of supplement or 'detox' changes the amount of dopamine in your brain," says Dr. Ondo. "But the better news is that we know that everyday activities, like exercise or planning something fun, can — it's as simple as that."