Endorphin is a chemical produced by the brain and have qualities that fight pain and make you feel good.
Here are some ways that can help you produce more endorphins in your body:
1. Working out raises your endorphin levels. If you tend to workout for 20 minutes or more, the endorphins you produce are then used to combat the stress and pain from the workout. You do not even need to do exercises that cause you to sweat profusely. Doing activities that you love doing like swimming, playing basketball, tennis can help add more endorphins in your body.
2. Food raises endorphin levels in a dramatic way. You don’t need to eat the food to trigger endorphin production since smelling or anticipating the food already makes you produce endorphins. Some foods like chili peppers whether served cooked or used as a condiment trigger mild endorphin levels because they have a component called capsaicin which helps release endorphins to fight the distress and pain, most likely from eating the biting hot quality of the pepper. Caffeine, chocolates and other high calorie products also trigger endorphin production.
3. Believe it or not a laugh and a smile can raise endorphin levels in the body of these people. Studies show that people who laughed or smiled at least 8 times a day have more endorphin content in their blood than the average person and are more prepared to combat pain in a more effective way. The facial muscles involved in smiling/laughing and the laughter itself stimulates and releases endorphins through the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in back boned animals. Laughter can help combat pain as this article attests.
4. Acupuncture Edina is the only known medical procedure that can stimulate production and release of endorphins. Amusingly in a certain way, as the patient anticipates the needling, the body sees it as another form of stress and pain and reacts in a defensive way by immediately releasing endorphins in the bloodstream to act as a natural painkiller.
5. Getting scared is one other albeit peculiar means to add endorphins to your body. Getting scared causes your heart to beat harder and faster, which is like reacting to stress. As a result endorphins are quickly released to combat this twin-like manifestation of stress.
6. Meditation has been verified to increase endorphin levels in the body. Scientists have observed that a person deep into meditation will produce amounts of endorphins similar to those who did 20 minute or more workouts/physical activities. The hypothalamus releases endorphins 30 minutes after the start of meditation.
7. Sex is another way to increase endorphin level. The sexual act causes couples to release a peptide called oxytocin which causes the feelings of affection in the person. The oxytocin in the bloodstream stimulates the production of endorphins, which helps relax and give comfort to the body.
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