The Reason Behind the Runner’s High Isn’t What You Might Think

Is it just an endorphin rush? A new study offers an alternate possibility.

Addicted to Endorphins

Short spurts of exercise might benefit some, but others can’t get enough of it. Whether they are running ultra marathons in the desert, obsessed with their gym schedules or replacing drug addictions with intense fitness regimens, many Americans find lengthy, frequent workouts to be as necessary as sleeping and eating. Is all this emphasis on exercise healthy, or dangerously compulsive? Can exercise like running be addictive?

Endorphins and the Truth About Why Exercise Makes You Happy

“While there have been some studies to show that exercise can lead to elevated endorphin levels in blood plasma, there have been no consistent findings that, indeed, exercise leads to that famous ‘endorphin rush,’” Matthews says.

Endorphins in Childbirth: Body's Natural Painkillers

Endorphin levels are highest during vaginal deliveries in unmedicated mothers. They are lower in women who have a cesarean section after laboring on their own for some time and even lower in women who have a cesarean without experiencing labor.

Endorphins: Feel Good and Learn Better!

Endorphins are sometimes produced as a response to certain negative catalysts. These can include fear, pain and stress. But don’t worry. There are numerous other ways you can encourage your body to release endorphins. None of them requires standing on a rake or jumping out of a plane. Let’s have a look at a few of them now...

How gene editing a person’s brain cells could be used to curb the opioid epidemic

Making the opioid user impervious to death by opioids is a permanent solution to a horrendous problem that has resisted efforts by prevention, treatment and pharmacological means. Steady and well-funded work to prove the CRISPR method, first with preclinical animal models then in clinical trials, is a moonshot for the present generation of biomedical scientists.

How to kickstart your happiness hormones and beat the lockdown blues

Endorphins affect the same receptors in the brain as painkillers. They relieve pain but, just like morphine, create a feeling of bliss as a welcome side-effect. If you’ve ever experienced a runner’s high, you’ll know exactly how these chemicals work: after a gruelling session, any physical discomfort falls away and you’ll feel suddenly euphoric.

Scientists Hint at Why Laughter Feels So Good

The results, when analyzed, showed that laughing increased pain resistance, whereas simple good feeling in a group setting did not. Pain resistance is used as an indicator of endorphin levels because their presence in the brain is difficult to test; the molecules would not appear in blood samples because they are among the brain chemicals that are prevented from entering circulating blood by the so-called blood brain barrier.

Time to activate your happy chemicals … dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin

“Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Endorphins are the quartet of chemicals responsible for your happiness. Many situations can trigger these neurotransmitters, but instead of being in the passenger seat, there are ways you can intentionally cause them to flow.

To Your Brain, A Runner’s High Looks A Lot Like Smoking Weed

Endorphins have nothing to do with it.

Understanding Endorphins and Their Importance in Pain Management

The purpose of this article is to briefly review our current understanding of endorphins, specifically beta-endorphins, and how they relate to the field of surgery.