THE TRUTH ABOUT THE RUNNER'S HIGH

BACK IN BALANCE UNIVERSITY NEWSLETTER

YOUR ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM, ENDORPHINS & THE BLISS MOLECULE

Have you ever been in your zone during a good run and afterwards felt like you were floating on clouds? Like many of us, I thought it was because of the flood of Endorphins in our brains during workouts. Endorphins are the body's natural pain reliever or sometimes called natural opioid. Recent Research has shown endorphins cannot cross the blood barrier, therefore making them an unlikely cause of the runners high.

Researchers discovered the Endocannabinoid system (ECS), and endocannabinoids are the culprits of this blissful, and energetic boost. The Endocannabinoid system and the "bliss" molecule anandamide proved to be the likely suspects. In the study scientist blocked opioid receptors with Narcan. Why Narcan? Narcan binds to opioid receptor sites preventing any other compounds from binding to those sites and eliciting a response.

Post exercise scans of the participants showed their endocannabinoid system (ECS) lit up and the endocannabinoid (the body's own cannabinoid) anandamide was released binding to the receptors of the ECS. As a result of this interaction, pain was alleviated, mood was improved, and an induced non-psychoactive euphoric feeling study participants described as runner's high was reported.