Optimising dopaminergic tone without succumbing to burnout is one of the pivotal challenges in contemporary performance and wellness. In today’s culture of quick fixes, excessive caffeine consumption, overstimulating activities, and “always on” behaviours often dominate strategies for focus and motivation. While these approaches can deliver short-term results, they come at a cost: receptor desensitisation, motivational flattening, disrupted sleep, and eventual burnout.
HMN24’s approach is built on a different philosophy. Rather than attempting to spike dopaminergic activity artificially, HMN24 aligns with the natural circadian rhythm of dopamine, supporting focus, motivation, and resilience throughout the full 24-hour cycle. This circadian-aligned strategy mitigates overstimulation while ensuring the long-term sustainability of performance.
The framework can be defined across four key elements, each underpinned by growing scientific evidence.
1. Circadian Alignment
Dopamine follows a pronounced diurnal rhythm, with synthesis and receptor sensitivity peaking in the morning. Early exposure to daylight enhances dopamine receptor availability and plays a central role in regulating motivation and focus [1].
HMN24’s RISE product is designed to align with this natural pattern. Taken 60–90 minutes after waking, RISE delivers a synergistic blend of citicoline and acetyl-L-carnitine to enhance dopamine turnover and mitochondrial efficiency without overstimulation [2].
RISE also incorporates caffeine, balanced with L-theanine, to create calm, focused arousal rather than anxiety or jitteriness [3]. This targeted strategy ensures that dopamine levels are supported during their natural peak, amplifying focus and productivity without the rebound crashes associated with excessive stimulant use.
2. Strategic Stimulant Use
One of the greatest risks to dopaminergic health is chronic, unstructured caffeine intake. Continuous stimulation erodes receptor sensitivity, reducing resilience and flattening baseline motivation [4].
The HMN24 system diverges from this pattern by employing strategic stimulant dosing. RISE provides structured stimulation in the morning, while FLOW shifts the emphasis to non-stimulant nootropics and adaptogens, including lion’s mane, rhodiola, citicoline, and N-acetyl-L-tyrosine. These compounds support dopamine function and stress resilience without overstimulation [5, 6].
Adaptogens such as rhodiola have been shown to modulate adrenal responses, reduce fatigue, and sustain neurotransmitter balance under chronic stress conditions [7]. By structuring stimulation early and transitioning to adaptogenic support later, HMN24 avoids the pitfalls of dependency while promoting sustainable focus throughout the day.
3. Nutrient and Neurochemical Support
Dopamine synthesis and signalling rely heavily on key micronutrients, particularly B vitamins and magnesium. Vitamins B6, B12, and folate act as cofactors in neurotransmitter synthesis, energy metabolism, and methylation. Deficiencies are directly linked to depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, and impaired dopamine production [8, 9].
Vitamin D has also emerged as a potent regulator of dopaminergic function, influencing both neuron differentiation and homeostasis [10, 11]. Deficiency in vitamin D has been linked to neurocognitive dysfunction and motivational decline.
Across RISE, FLOW, and PRE-SLEEP, HMN24 integrates these cofactors, ensuring that dopamine pathways are supported nutritionally throughout the entire circadian cycle. This nutritional underpinning is critical for sustaining dopaminergic tone beyond short-term enhancements.
4. Recovery and Parasympathetic Balance
No strategy for dopamine optimisation is complete without recovery. Sleep deprivation has been shown to reduce dopamine receptor sensitivity by up to 40 percent in key brain regions, severely impairing motivation and reward sensitivity the following day [12].
PRE-SLEEP is designed to address this reset. With magnesium glycinate, L-theanine, phosphatidylserine, ashwagandha, and PEA (Levagen+), it supports the nervous system’s shift into parasympathetic dominance. These compounds reduce cortisol, improve sleep onset, and protect REM and deep sleep architecture [13].
Structured recovery ensures that the dopaminergic system is restored overnight, safeguarding receptor sensitivity and preserving the ability to maintain motivation and focus across multiple performance cycles.
Everyday Dopamine Misuse: The Hidden Problem
We all talk about dopamine in the context of high performance, but most of us already chase dopamine every day, often through the wrong channels.
Common behaviours include:
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The first scroll of social media in the morning
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Reaching for coffee before hydrating
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Snacking on sugar when energy dips
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Streaming endless content late into the night
Each of these habits delivers a short-term dopamine spike, but the cost is steep. Evidence shows that excessive social media use can dysregulate dopamine pathways, leading to addictive reward-seeking behaviour and reduced baseline motivation [14]. Sugar consumption has been linked to transient dopamine release followed by motivational decline [15]. Late-night screen exposure disrupts circadian rhythms, impairs sleep quality, and negatively impacts dopaminergic recovery [16].
This pattern erodes receptor sensitivity, flattens baseline motivation, and ultimately undermines the ability to sustain focus when it truly matters.
This is why HMN24 approaches dopamine differently. Instead of fuelling the boom-and-bust cycle, we align with biological rhythms:
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In the morning, RISE enhances natural dopamine peaks with balanced stimulation.
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During the day, FLOW sustains focus without overstimulation.
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At night, PRE-SLEEP restores the nervous system, protecting receptor sensitivity for the next cycle.
In other words, where daily habits often erode dopaminergic tone, our system is built to protect and sustain it. The challenge isn’t that we lack dopamine—it’s that we’ve learned to misuse it. The opportunity is to shift from chasing cheap highs to orchestrating sustainable rhythms.
The HMN24 Philosophy
HMN24 rejects the idea of indiscriminate dopamine maximisation. Instead, the system is built on the principle of modulation: a symphonic approach that orchestrates energy and arousal across the day.
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RISE: Structured stimulation aligned with the morning circadian dopamine peak
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FLOW: Sustained cognitive performance supported by nootropics and adaptogens
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PRE-SLEEP: Parasympathetic dominance and restorative recovery
By sequencing these products with biological rhythms, HMN24 sustains motivation, enhances focus, and protects long-term resilience. This system offsets the stimulant-burnout cycle that defines much of modern performance culture, offering a biologically intelligent model for sustainable human performance.
Conclusion
Dopamine is not simply a neurotransmitter to be hacked—it is a rhythm to be conducted. HMN24 provides the framework to manage this rhythm effectively, shifting the performance conversation from short-term highs to long-term resilience.
In an era defined by overstimulation and burnout, the HMN24 approach represents a scientifically grounded, biologically aligned solution: sharp focus in the morning, sustained productivity through the day, and restorative recovery at night.
References
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Fuchsberger, T., Stockwell, I., Woods, M., Brzosko, Z., Greger, I., & Paulsen, O. (2024). Dopamine increases protein synthesis in hippocampal neurons enabling dopamine-dependent LTP. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.25.600624
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Mastropasqua, L., Agnifili, L., Ferrante, C., Sacchi, M., Figus, M., Rossi, G., et al. (2022). Citicoline/coenzyme Q10/vitamin B3 fixed combination exerts synergistic protective effects on neuronal cells exposed to oxidative stress. Nutrients, 14(14), 2963. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14142963
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Homann, C., Homann, B., Ivanic, G., & Urbanic-Purkart, T. (2024). Vitamin D supplementation in later life: a systematic review of efficacy and safety in movement disorders. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1333217
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Khaswaneh, R., Abu-El-Rub, E., Alzu’bi, A., Almazari, R., Alrabie, A., Almahasneh, F., et al. (2025). Combining dopamine and vitamin E enhances the differentiation to cholinergic neurons of mesenchymal stem cells. Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnen/nlaf025
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Sirajo, M., Maigari, Y., Sunusi, A., Jibril, A., Lawal, I., & Ibrahim, B. (2023). Synergistic action of vitamin D3 and A protects motor activity by regulating reactive astrocytes, inflammatory cytokines, and dopaminergic activity. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3749691/v1
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Li, W., Zhao, R., Liu, S., Ma, C., & Wan, X. (2024). High-dose vitamin C improves norepinephrine level in patients with septic shock: a prospective randomized trial. Medicine, 103(15), e37838. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000037838
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Peterson, C., Rodionov, D., Osterman, A., & Peterson, S. (2020). B vitamins and their role in immune regulation and cancer. Nutrients, 12(11), 3380. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113380
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Ye, X., Zhou, Q., Ren, P., Xiang, W., & Xiao, L. (2023). The synaptic and circuit functions of vitamin D in neurodevelopment disorders. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 19, 1515–1530. https://doi.org/10.2147/ndt.s407731
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Pértile, R., Brigden, R., Raman, V., Cui, X., Du, Z., & Eyles, D. (2023). Vitamin D: a potent regulator of dopaminergic neuron differentiation and function. Journal of Neurochemistry, 166(5), 779–789. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.15829
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Maqbool, M., Somayaji, K., & Nayana, V. (2023). Vitamin D: an elixir for recurrent upper respiratory tract infection. Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, 75(3), 1370–1375. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-022-03220-z
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Cederberg, K., Silvestri, R., & Walters, A. (2023). Vitamin D and restless legs syndrome: a review of current literature. Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/tohm.741
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Hofmans, L., Westbrook, A., Bosch, R., Booij, J., Verkes, R., & Cools, R. (2021). Effects of average reward rate on vigor as a function of individual variation in striatal dopamine. Psychopharmacology, 239(2), 465–478. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-021-06017-0
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Akbari, M., Parsaei, H., Sedaghat, K., & Mousavi, F. (2023). Attenuation of morphine conditioned place preference and reinstatement by vitamin D. Behavioural Pharmacology, 34(7), 404–410. https://doi.org/10.1097/fbp.0000000000000747
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Volkow, N., Michaelides, M., & Baler, R. (2019). The neuroscience of drug reward and addiction. Cell, 162(4), 712–725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.07.020
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DiFeliceantonio, A., Coppin, G., Rigoux, L., Edwin, T., Dagher, A., & Small, D. (2018). Supra-additive effects of combining fat and carbohydrate on food reward. Cell Metabolism, 28(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2018.05.018
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Chang, A., Aeschbach, D., Duffy, J., & Czeisler, C. (2015). Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. PNAS, 112(4), 1232–1237. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418490112
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