Here’s When You’ll Get The Biggest Endorphin Release From Working Out
Exercise has many benefits: it minimizes the risk of heart disease, reduces the likelihood of premature death, makes you stronger, and increases the hormones in your body that help you fight stress and make you feel better.
When it comes to these hormones, endorphins are usually most closely associated with exercise, and the first thing that comes to mind is the “endorphin high” or “running high”.Endorphins are basically the body’s feel-good neurotransmitters.
They bind to opioid receptors in the brain and have the effects that we attribute to opioids and narcotics – both reducing the body’s perception of pain and the euphoria that can occur.However, it is worth noting that these chemicals are made and regulated by the body, so there is no risk of overdose or addiction.
While running is the most researched about the role of endorphins, you can get that happy feeling through other workouts as well, and when you perform a specific workout for a period of time, you may even experience longer-lasting happiness due to the associated endorphin release.
At what point do you feel an endorphin surge, and the best workout to achieve it, according to experts.
People experience feel-good workout hormones at different times, depending on their physical condition and exercise.
Some people feel euphoric 10 minutes into their workout, while others don’t feel good for an hour afterward.While the time it takes for you to feel the endorphins varies, there are other feel-good neurotransmitters released during a workout, and you may experience these sooner.
As a result, the euphoria you experience during your workout may not actually be an endorphin effect.
Substances such as serotonin and norepinephrine are also released during exercise, and it is thought that they are actually released faster than endorphins.These other neurotransmitters have calming and anti-stress effects that can make you feel good and help encourage you to lace up your shoes and get to workout.
Nonetheless, in order to actually release endorphins, you have to work out longer.
As you might expect, the longer you exercise, the more endorphins you get.
Prolonged cardiovascular exercise increases endorphin production more significantly.Endorphins are released at the beginning of a workout, but their total circulation does not peak for some time.
The time at which each person experiences an endorphin spike varies, but it is commonly thought to occur after 60 minutes of continuous exercise.
Now, if you’re like many people who don’t typically work out for 60 minutes at a time, you can still experience endorphins.Some people do experience endorphins after 30 minutes – but it’s important to remember that this timeline can vary greatly.Some experts believe that you can experience endorphins in a much shorter period of time.
Moderate exercise can still lead to the release of endorphins.
A recent study found that shorter bouts of moderate-intensity exercise of 15 to 20 minutes several times a week resulted in a steady increase in endorphin levels.
Dr. George Eldery, a sports medicine physician at Orlando Health, defines a moderate-intensity workout as one in which your heart rate is elevated, you’re sweating, and you’re a little out of breath.
For reference, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes cycling, water aerobics and playing doubles tennis as moderate exercise.
So while you may not get a “running high” from a moderate workout, you will experience some basic mood-enhancing effects that will make you happier.
And ultra-high levels of endorphin spikes fade more quickly than low levels of endorphin spikes.Those low levels of endorphins may stay in your system longer and are what prompts you to return to moderate-intensity workouts during the week.
As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, the constant endorphin production sounds great.
High-intensity interval training leads to more endorphin bursts.
A recent study in Finland compared 1 hour of moderate-intensity exercise with 1 hour of high-intensity exercise and found that high-intensity exercise, especially high-intensity interval training (HIIT), released more endorphins overall.
It can be expected that if you perform a HIIT workout, you will experience higher levels of endorphins.
In the study, participants were surveyed to find out how much they enjoyed the workout afterward.Those who do moderate-intensity workouts actually enjoy them more, so they’re happier than those who do high-intensity workouts, even though they release fewer endorphins.
This may be because HIIT workouts are more uncomfortable.In the present study, endorphins were unable to mask the pain associated with the HIIT workout.
Many people think that moderate-intensity exercise may be best because you won’t have negative mental feelings as a result, when this may actually contribute to a general positive feeling about exercise and may make it easier for you to continue working out.
Workouts and group fitness classes involving large muscle groups are best for releasing endorphins.
In addition to focusing on the timing of endorphin release, there are other ways to help ensure the arrival of this happy hormone.
Weight lifting, especially exercises that use large muscle groups such as bench presses, hard pulls and leg presses, are thought to be particularly beneficial for releasing endorphins.
In addition, studies have shown improvements in anxiety and depression in people who perform exercises that use large muscle groups, such as jogging, swimming, and bicycling.
It has also been suggested that group exercise may be more conducive to the release of endorphins.This could be due to the positive feelings that come with a group setting, or the peer pressure that comes with working out in a group.If everyone around you is doing an equally challenging fitness class, you may be less likely to quit working out early.
At the end of the day, do your favorite workout and you may feel some joy afterward.
If you are doing a workout that you enjoy, then you are more likely to continue with that workout and get all the benefits of the workout.
Generally, if you work out and achieve at least moderate intensity, you will release endorphins.
Even if your workout is less intense, you may still feel the release of some feel-good hormones.