One of the most commonly asked questions about Dopamine Detox is ‘how long should a dopamine detox last?’ Having researched this topic extensively, and completed several dopamine detoxes myself, I’ve found that the answer depends on several different factors.
As a general rule, a dopamine detox can last anywhere between 24 hours and several months. This depends on the intensity of the detox and the severity of your ‘addictions’ beforehand.
What Is A Dopamine Detox?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter; a chemical that sends signals within the brain. Dopamine was once believed to be the ‘pleasure hormone’, however, it’s now better understood and is known for creating feelings of motivation and craving.
Commonly referred to as a dopamine ‘fast’, a dopamine detox is the process of reducing dopamine-inducing stimulation in order to reset our sensitivity to rewards and reduce compulsive behaviours. This is a popular method in personal development practices and is even used by psychiatrists to treat addiction.
A ‘dopamine detox’, unlike what the name might suggest, doesn’t actually detox dopamine from the brain. It does, however, detox us from the negative behaviours and compulsions that we’ve acquired.
People tend to carry out a dopamine detox when they’re feeling over-stimulated and find themselves overindulging in stimulating behaviour like eating junk food and playing video games. The brain gets used to these highly stimulating activities and begins to rely on them to continue producing normal levels of dopamine. The aim of a dopamine detox is to reduce the brain’s dependence on these activities by cutting them out for a certain amount of time and allowing the brain to become sensitive to normal levels of stimulation again.
Not only can this reset your cravings for unhealthy levels of stimulation, but when you need less stimulation after a detox, activities that used to seem boring and difficult like studying start to feel much more appealing.
How Long Should a Dopamine Detox Last?
Different experts in this field recommend different dopamine detox protocols, with varying durations.
In his book ‘Dopamine Detox’, personal development author and coach Thibaut Meurisse recommends a few different types of dopamine detox. The first is the 48-hour dopamine detox. To complete this detox, you must eliminate most sources of external stimulation. He recommends eliminating drugs and alcohol, exercise, the internet, movies, music, phones, social media, sugar or processed foods, and video games. This is the most intense (and therefore the most potent) dopamine detox plan he provides.
Next, he outlines the 24-hour dopamine detox. This is the same as the 48-hour detox, but half the time. He explains that due to the duration being shortened, the 24-hour detox will be easier but less effective.
Finally, Meurisse proposes what he calls the ‘partial’ dopamine detox. To carry out this detox, he instructs the reader to choose the activity they struggle with the most. Their biggest source of over-stimulation. This option is described less as demanding, however, it needs to be maintained over a longer period of time. The book doesn’t specify how long exactly to carry out this specific detox for.
On the other hand, many experts recumbent much longer periods of detox to see significant benefits. In her book ‘Dopamine Nation’, Stanford University psychiatrist and addiction treatment expert Dr Anna Lembke recommends abstaining from high dopamine-releasing activities for two to four weeks to reset the brain’s reward system. However, as Lembke tends to work with drug users and addicts, it’s possible that this recommendation is aimed at more severe levels of dependence and dopamine dysregulation.
A blog by the name of ‘Deprocrastination’ (anonymous author) claims that a dopamine detox should range from as long as two to twelve weeks! However, they also refer to substance abuse and addiction in their article, which also implies that they’re aiming their recommendations at the most severe cases.
How Long Does It Take To Feel The Benefits Of a Dopamine Detox?
Once again, the answer to this question depends entirely on the intensity of the restriction involved, as well as the severity of addiction an individual wants to recover from.
When it comes to addiction and substance misuse, many experts claim it takes about 90 days of ‘detoxing’ for dopamine production to return to normal levels. However, if your goal is to decrease ‘normal’ levels of overstimulation and overindulgence, you can see significant benefits a in much shorter time.
Many people claim to have experienced the benefits of a dopamine detox in a matter of days. For example, self-improvement writer Jari Roomer underwent a transformative dopamine detox that lasted only 24 hours. He claimed to experience benefits such as mental clarity, increased focus, productivity, and more consistent energy.
It’s important to note, however, that the level of abstinence Jari committed to would likely be considered extreme by most people. The dopamine-stimulating activities he abstained from included:
- No electronics (no phone, Netflix, laptop or video games etc.)
- No reading of books or magazines
- No sex or masturbation
- No food
- No talking
- No music or podcasts
- No coffee or other stimulants
Jari didn’t eat anything for 24 hours, which most people are unlikely to replicate. However, this illustrates my point perfectly. The more intense the detox, the more potent the effects will be.
Read Jari’s article about his dopamine detox experience here.
What’s The Fastest Way To Detox From Dopamine Stimulation?
The fastest way to reset the sensitivity of your dopamine system would be to cut out as much stimulation from your life as possible. This could mean cutting out all socialisation, exercise, and any other non-essential activity. Some people even go as far as abstaining from making eye contact with other people in order to avoid dopamine release.
Although this method would likely speed up the time it takes to feel the benefits of a dopamine detox, it’s certainly not necessary and is unlikely to be a realistic approach for most people.
How Long Should YOU Do a Dopamine Detox For?
If you’re planning a detox period yourself and you aren’t sure how long to aim for, consider asking yourself the following questions:
1. What do you want to ‘detox’ from? Choose one or more specific activities that you compulsively overindulge in.
2. How severe are your urges to carry out these activities? Are they mild cravings or can you not even imagine a day without them?
3. Finally, how severely are you willing to abstain from these behaviours? Will you cut them out one at a time? Will you allow small amounts each day?
Depending on your answers to these three questions, you can determine yourself how long you would like to detox for. There is no perfect amount of time that you should do this for. It completely depends on your own circumstances and personal goal.
It’s likely that most people will benefit from a shorter detox that lasts anywhere between 24 hours and a week. If you find that your dependence or even addiction requires more time and attention to heal, I’d recommend seeking professional help with this issue. You will benefit much more from the structure, accountability and expertise that come with doing something like this with a medical professional.
To find out more about dopamine detox, why not read my article on the topic?
Dopamine Detox: How To Reset Your Habits And Motivation.
I’d also highly recommend checking out the books mentioned throughout the article!
Find them on Amazon:
Dopamine Detox – Thibaut Meurisse
Listen on Audible: