What’s the Low Down on Endorphins?
Endorphins are hormonal compounds produced in the brain as a result of physical activity or pain. These compounds provide a number of benefits to the body, including a euphoric feeling that helps with lifting one’s mood and an analgesic effect that lessens how one perceives pain.
Euphoric Effect
The euphoric effect of these compounds is one of the reasons that doctors will recommend buy tramadol exercise for depression. Endorphins naturally lift the mood of the person suffering from this condition sufficiently for exercise to be an effective part of depression therapy. Just ask a runner to describe the runner’s high he gets during a race to understand this euphoric feeling better from these hormonal compounds.
Are you feeling down today? Try walking on the treadmill or taking a walk in the neighborhood. You will find that your mood improves by the end of the walk. Thanks to the endorphins, your body produces, you can solve your own bad mood. No drugs are needed to improve how you feel under these circumstances.
Analgesic Effect
Endorphins also produce an analgesic effect, helping to diminish the brain’s perception of pain. The neuron receptors the endorphins seek out are the receptors that certain pain medications seek out to be able to reduce the body’s pain perception. This leads to natural pain relief with no harmful side effects. Pain relief such as this is beneficial for people with arthritis, back, neck, or muscle pain.
Activities that Release Endorphins
Sports, workouts, walking, running, and other strenuous activity release these hormonal compounds. However, other less strenuous activities also stimulate endorphin production including the following:
- Sexual intercourse
- Massage therapy
- Acupuncture
- Meditation
Certain Foods Trigger the Release of Endorphins
Endorphins levels vary from person to person. However, foods such as chili peppers and chocolate the secretion of these compounds. It is one reason why so many people enjoy eating chocolate. It is definitely on the comfort food list since it uplifts your mood. Chili peppers are known pain relievers because of their ability to stimulate the body to produce endorphins.
The next time you need to cheer up, or relieve pain remember about endorphins. Participate in one of the activities that help stimulate the body’s production of these compounds. Don’t you want to try a natural remedy first before trying medications? In addition, think about adding some chili peppers or chocolate to your daily diet.