How You Can Experience The Runners’ High

You know that physical activity is one of the most effective ways to stay mentally healthy. It stimulates the growth of new neurons and enhances learning and memory. It improves creativity and boosts mood. It reduces the risk of developing depression.

When we exercise, we just feel better, both physically and mentally. We are more likely to experience happiness and joy. So why is starting and maintaining an exercise routine a huge challenge for many of us? Don’t we want to be healthier and happier?

We know that exercise makes us feel good by releasing endorphins, which are hormones that can cause feelings of wellbeing, elation, and euphoria. This is what causes the “runner’s high” after a workout. But this is more complex than originally thought.

As a scientist and physiologist, I find the topic of runner's high and endorphins fascinating. Let me break down the current understanding of this phenomenon for you.

Runner's high is a state of euphoria experienced by some people after intense or prolonged exercise, particularly running. It's characterized by feelings of relaxation, reduced anxiety, and decreased pain sensitivity. For years, this experience was attributed solely to endorphins, but recent research has revealed a more complex picture.

Endorphins, which are opioid-like hormones produced by the body, do play a role in exercise-related benefits. They're released during physical activity and help to relieve pain and reduce stress. However, their role in creating the runner's high may be less significant than previously thought.

The reason for this reassessment is twofold:

Endorphins are too large to cross the blood-brain barrier effectively, which limits their ability to directly influence mood and cognition.

Studies have shown that when endorphin receptors are blocked, runners still report experiencing the high.

Instead, current research points to endocannabinoids as the primary drivers of runner's high. Endocannabinoids are small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier and interact with receptors that regulate mood and pain perception. They're part of the same system that cannabis interacts with, hence their name.

It's important to note that not everyone experiences a runner's high, and its occurrence can be unpredictable. Factors that may influence its likelihood include:

Exercise intensity: Moderate to high-intensity exercise (above 50% of maximum heart rate) seems more likely to trigger endocannabinoid release.

Duration: Longer periods of exercise may be more conducive to experiencing a runner's high.

Individual differences: Genetics and other personal factors likely play a role in one's susceptibility to runner's high.

While the runner's high remains somewhat elusive, the general benefits of exercise for mental and physical health are well-established. Regular physical activity, even without experiencing a "high," can lead to improved mood, reduced anxiety, better cognitive function, and numerous physical health benefits.

When we remind ourselves that exercise just feels good, and that after we do our activities we are often happier, that can help us overcome the inertia of lying on the couch and get some momentum to get up and out the door for our run.

The key is that, to experience the greatest psychological benefits, you can exercise at an intensity that “feels good.” Whatever feels good to you is good for you, physically and mentally. The idea is not to grind through workouts but to find movements, workouts and activities that spark joy.

What do you love to do that also moves your body? That’s what will make you happiest and also more likely to come back to it.

Exercise doesn’t have to be running on the treadmill for an hour or counting down the minutes until your workout class is finished. Exercise can be playing with your kids in the park or meeting up with a friend to go for a bike ride. It’s time to stop thinking of exercise as work and to start thinking of it as just doing something you enjoy.

So what do you enjoy? Let’s do more of that!

That’s it for this week! Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Yours for health, wellbeing & peak performance - Dr. Greg