Surely during the course of the day or week you experience many sensations of happiness, even euphoria, you feel full and content, with an increase in your well-being. If you like sports, this sensation may be promoted by your activity or if you like the arts, while listening to music or watching a work, you may promote these sensations. This feeling of well-being occurs thanks to the well-known hormones of happiness, endorphins. Faced with this, if you want to know the meaning of endorphins, what they are for and their relationship with happiness, love and sport, continue reading this article from : endorphins: what they are, functions and types.
What are endorphins? Definition
Endorphins are neurotransmitters in our body, a endogenous natural chemical, that is, produced by our own body, commonly called “pleasure hormones”, since they maintain the function of stimulating the brain areas that produce sensations of pleasure. Its structure is very similar to opioids, such as morphine, opium and/or heroin, but although its function may be similar in stimulating pleasure, They do not have negative effects about our body.
Endorphins: functions
In the definition of endorphins we have already seen their involvement in happiness and in our well-being, however they are also involved in many other functions of our body. The different effects of endorphins are the following:
1. Endorphins, love and sexuality
Endorphins are involved in sexual desire, because they help release the secretion of sex hormones in the pituitary gland. For this reason, the release of endorphins plays a very important role in sexuality. Furthermore, various investigations have linked the release of these hormones with the romantic bonding of a couple, because of their participation in the sensations of well-being and happiness.
The sensation of pleasure is directly related to the sensation of reward and the repetition of the behavior, that is, when we perform an action, such as sexual intercourse or playing sports, we release a large amount of endorphins, which generate a sensation of pleasure, interpreted as a reward and for this reason, we seek to carry out these activities again.
2. Endorphins and pain
Endorphins are our body’s natural morphine and therefore, help relieve pain physical, produced for example by trauma, excessive effort or excess physical activity, inflammation,… Endorphins have the function of inhibiting this pain, so when they receive a signal from the nociceptors (pain receptors) that warn them that our body has been damaged, there is an almost immediate release of endorphins, which produces a temporarily decreased pain sensationsso that the body can respond with an adaptive response, for this reason when we hurt ourselves, for example when we break a bone, the initial pain is not as intense as it will be later when we are relaxed.
3. Endorphins and emotions
Endorphins not only play a role in physical pain, they also act in emotional pain. Endorphins are involved in . When we are sad, pessimistic or apathetic, due to having received bad news, such as the death of a loved one, a breakup, an emotional trauma or we simply feel stress and/or anxiety, there is a great release of endorphins that help inhibit this. emotional pain, as with physical pain, to help us reduce the intensity of stress or pain. For this reason, on many occasions when we receive bad news we are slow to react, since the release of endorphins temporarily inhibits emotional pain. At the same time, a low level of endorphins is related to feelings of sadness and/or depression.
4. Endorphins and the immune system
Our immune system depends to a certain extent on our mood, making it easier for us to get sick during times when we face more tensions or stressors. The stress responses decrease the ability of this system to combat microorganisms from the outside. Faced with this, endorphins help strengthen the immune system as they are involved in emotional regulation.
5. Endophins, memory and attention
Endorphins have been linked to the ability to pay attention and memory, facilitating their functions, because the greater the emotional well-being, better functioning of these capabilities.
6. Endorphins, hunger and sleep
The functions mentioned previously consequently imply the linking of endorphins with other processes in our body. Firstly, they have been involved in the appetite regulationas well as in the regulation of respiratory function. In addition, sensations of pleasure subsequently produce sensations of sleep inductionTherefore, after performing the sexual act and due to the increased release of these hormones, a state of relaxation occurs in our body that induces sleep.
Types of endorphins
The main substances that have been identified as endorphins are grouped into three different families: enkephalins, beta-endorphins and dynorphins.
1. Enkephalins
We find this substance in the (pituitary and brain), also located in the peripheral, in the adrenal medulla and in the gastrointestinal tract. They have the function of fight the pain and with it, a certain analgesic effect. On the other hand, they also maintain a depressant function on the neurons of our central nervous system.
2. Beta-Endorphins
This substance is a neurotransmitter found in the opiate receptors of the brain, which acts as a powerful analgesic with the ability to increase the release of growth hormones and prolactin.
3. Dynorphins
This type of endorphin is an endogenous opioid in our body.
Endorphins and happiness
Endorphins have been defined as the hormones of happiness, due to their involvement in feelings of pleasure and well-being. These chemical substances have the ability to increase sensations of well-being and calm, both physically and mentally, which contribute to obtaining feelings of happiness. In addition to this, our body receives the secretion of this hormone as a reward and therefore, we seek to repeat the behaviors that give us this sensation. Therefore, the lack of endorphins, low levels of this neurotransmitter, leads to a low mood.
Therefore, if you are wondering how to generate endorphins, a quick way to obtain these feelings of happiness is to do activities that give you pleasure, such as practicing sex, playing sports and/or simply observing landscapes or certain personal situations that produce these feelings of happiness. pleasure.
Endorphins and sport
If you’re wondering how to produce endorphins quickly, the answer is exercise. The relationship between endorphins and sport is well known: sport releases endorphins. In fact, it has been shown to be the activity that produces a increased release of endorphins, even after several hours of practicing it, which is why after playing sports the person feels in a more euphoric state, of power or ecstasy, similar to that produced by synthetic opioids or morphine. If you have ever wondered why when I exercise I feel good?, here is the answer.
Sport allows you to activate these sensations of well-being after releasing endorphins. The release of the happiness hormone produces a feeling similar to a energy injectionTherefore, the person who does sports has the feeling that they can do more and more. As sports are practiced, the person feels that they can perform more, thereby increasing their physical activity and the person begins to do more physical activity, thanks to the sensations of pleasure that the activity produces, thereby reaching an optimal state of health.
If you want to know more about the release of endorphins, you can consult this article:
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Bibliography
- Alvarez, T. (1979). endorphins. Rev. Col Anest, 7(259).
- Bohórquez Forero, YA (2012). Endorphins as an integrating concept of Natural Sciences and Physical Education (Doctoral dissertation, National University of Colombia).
- Kolb, B. & Whishaw, I. (2006). Human neuropsychology. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
- Levinthal, C. F. (1989). Messengers of paradise: the discovery of endorphins and brain receptors. Edit Gedisa.