The Runner’s high is one of the most widely acknowledged benefits of running, explains Dr Peter Hebert, a physiologist at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Back in the 1990’s, researchers began to identify links between exercise and feelings of euphoria that stem from the release of hormones.
“The runners’s high as we now know it stems from the creation in the body of endorphins, designed to ease pain in the body”
Running has shown to release endorphins and aid with sleep. Beyond the positive influence exercise has upon your muscle strength, fat levels and general physical well-being, exercise can trigger a series if chemical reactions that influence your hormonal response and brain activity.
Although the ‘sweet spot’ for endorphin release is commonly said to be a comfortable-to-hard effort run, Dr Herbert points out that many forms of exercise can trigger the high. Research Oxford University even found that simply exercising in groups raised the release of endorphins quicker for some than exercising alone.
“These endorphins are opioid neuropeptides – chemicals that numb pain, similar to opioids such as morphine or codeine, ” adds Dr Herbert. As a result, exercise and the release of endorphin substances may contribute to pain relief and relaxation the equivalent of the runner’s high.
From BBC Science Focus Magazine
https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20851505/how-to-achieve-a-runners-high/
