What are endorphins?
Curated from: science.howstuffworks.com
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All About Endorphins
- Research in the 1970s revealed that endorphins are natural narcotics inside our body, neurotransmitters that pass along signals in the nervous system.
- Endorphins are produced during stress, pain or fear and originate from the pituitary gland, the spinal cord and other parts of the brain and nervous system.
- There are 20 different kinds of endorphins, with beta-endorphins being the strong type.
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Endorphins And Emotions
Endorphins are secreted during stress or pain to block out the bad sensations, and are also responsible for pleasurable sensations that we get from eating our favourite food or having sex. Our brain generates emotions from an area called the limbic system, which has a specific region called hypothalamus, responsible for functions like breathing, hunger and emotional response.
Problems with the endorphin binding process result in clinical depression or sudden changes in emotions.
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Endorphins And Placebos
Endorphins are our own personal drugs supplied to us by our body, without the addiction part. Opiates (the artificial, addictive drug) are not as effective or safe as endorphins, which provide us with a sense of well-being and pleasure simply by belief and anticipation, called the Placebo Effect.
Opiates are addictive while endorphins are completely non-addictive, due to the fact that endorphins are more easily broken down and digested by our body’s receptors, leading to non-dependence.
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Endorphin Triggers
Our endocrine system decides when we eat when we will reach puberty and when we need endorphins and other hormonal secretions from various glands.
Endorphins are triggered by the hypothalamus in our bodies when we are in stress, in pain or are doing:
- Heavy exercise.
- Meditation or controlled-breathing exercise like Pranayama (Yoga).
- Childbirth
- Light drinking.
- Eating hot chilli.
- Acupuncture or massage therapy.
- Ultraviolet Light.
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IDEAS CURATED BY
Friend of animals everywhere. Hardcore internet enthusiast and avid reader. My favorite topic is how to live a healthy life
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