Endorphins, ”The Hormone of Happiness ” , The human body, although not perfect, is certainly one of the most successful works of Mother Nature. The human brain is its most amazing organ, which controls all our vital functions. The innate human sense of self-preservation comes from him. One of the things that helps us to survive, to live well and for a long time, is the production of endorphins or the so-called “happiness hormone”.
Endorphins are endogenous, opioid and polypeptide compounds, or neurotransmitters. They are produced by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus in vertebrates during strenuous exercise, arousal or orgasm. Endorphins also cause analgesia (lack of pain) and contribute to a person’s health. Happiness hormones work as a natural remedy for colds and all sorts of other ailments.
The term “endorphin” itself implies a pharmacological activity (analogous to the activity of biochemicals of the corticosteroid category). It is derived from two separate particles – “endo” and “orfin”. These are the short forms of the words “endogenous” and “morphine”, which when put together mean “morphine-like substance formed inside the body”.
Table of Contents
Mode of action of endorphins
Beta-endorphin is released in the blood from the pituitary gland, as well as in the spinal cord from hypothalamic neurons. The one that is in the blood cannot invade in large quantities in the brain due to the presence of the so-called blood-brain barrier (protection of the brain from excessive influx of harmful chemicals or microscopic organisms). Beta-endorphin has the greatest attraction to μ1-opioid receptors, less to μ2- and δ-opioids, and least to κ1-opioids (mu, delta and kappa opioids are the three main types of receptors located in the central nervous system of the human body).
The classic μ-opioid receptors are the presynaptic ones, which suppress the released neurotransmitters. Through this mechanism, they retain the already released neurotransmitter GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid or gamma-aminobutyric acid) and release dopamine along the way. If this process is stopped, then exogenous opioids can cause unwanted release of dopamine, which in turn leads to a deviation from the normal path of the whole process, and from there to addiction. Opioid receptors have many other more important roles in the brain and its periphery, such as modulating pain, heart, vascular and gastric functions.
Actions leading to endorphin production
Scientists around the world are debating whether certain activities emit measurable levels of endorphins. Much of the data on it comes from animal models that may not be relevant to humans. Studies in humans often show plasma levels of endorphins, which do not necessarily correspond to levels in the central nervous system. Other studies have used a blanket with opioid antagonists (a type of medicine that has the opposite effect on certain physiological functions in the body or other medicines), most commonly naloxone, to indirectly measure endorphin release.
Tips on what to do to produce brain endorphins
- consumption of hot peppers – it has been proven that when people eat hot, the tongue feels pain and the brain immediately releases endorphins to calm it.
-
positive thinking and laughter – a personal positive attitude every day will in itself cause the production of endorphins. This will be noticed by others, and so you will help the brains of your relatives, acquaintances and friends to “work” as well. Laughter, in turn, is perhaps the brain’s greatest stimulator of hormone release.
- active sports – exercise, and especially aerobic exercise lasting at least 30 minutes, stimulates the brain to produce the hormone of happiness. It is still debatable what exactly leads to the release of endorphins – whether the tension in the muscles, the racing element or the unloading from the busy everyday life.
- Sex – certainly the most pleasant and effective way to get a solid amount of endorphins, so there is no need for more words on the subject.
-
consumption of chocolate – another dignity of the sweetest temptation in this world. Like sex, here, too, the useful is combined with the pleasant.
-
sun exposure – also a proven method of releasing endorphins.
-
meeting with art – going to the opera, theater or cinema, when it is a hobby of the person. The more a film, for example, evokes emotions in us, the more our brain produces.
- causing fear – although not a very pleasant feeling, fear also has a serious release of neurotransmitters. Of course, we would not recommend such an extreme feeling to anyone, but if you have to choose, it is good to combine it with watching a horror movie (in case it affects you), or practicing extreme sports in which the adrenaline and blood circulation also jumps sharply.
- Acupuncture – In 1999, researchers concluded that the application of acupuncture in certain parts of the human body causes a serious production of endorphins. However, in cases where there is severe or chronic pain in humans, the brain does not produce the hormone of happiness.
As you can see, the presence of endorphins is not necessarily associated with a pleasant feeling. However, even when acquired whether due to fear or acute pain and malaise, they are released from the brain precisely to dull them and normalize our condition. In short, the more endorphins we produce, the better we will feel
