Runner's high

Runners can experience a euphoric state often called a "runner's high".

The runner's high is a transient state of euphoria coupled with lessened feelings of anxiety and a higher pain threshold, which can come either from continuous moderate physical exertion over time or from short bursts of high-intensity exercise. The exact prevalence is unknown, but it seems to be a relatively rare phenomenon that not every athlete experiences.[1] The name comes from distance running, and it is alternatively called "rower's high" in rowing.[2][3][4][5]

  1. ^ Nogrady, Bianca (8 April 2023). "Chasing the runner's high: the elusive buzz scientists are still figuring out". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  2. ^ Cunha GS, Ribeiro JL, Oliveira AR (June 2008). "[Levels of beta-endorphin in response to exercise and overtraining]". Arq Bras Endocrinol Metabol (in Portuguese). 52 (4): 589–598. doi:10.1590/S0004-27302008000400004. hdl:10183/40053. PMID 18604371.
  3. ^ Boecker H, Sprenger T, Spilker ME, Henriksen G, Koppenhoefer M, Wagner KJ, Valet M, Berthele A, Tolle TR (2008). "The runner's high: opioidergic mechanisms in the human brain". Cereb. Cortex. 18 (11): 2523–2531. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhn013. PMID 18296435. The runner's high describes an euphoric state resulting from long-distance running.
  4. ^ Raichlen DA, Foster AD, Gerdeman GL, Seillier A, Giuffrida A (2012). "Wired to run: exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling in humans and cursorial mammals with implications for the 'runner's high'". J. Exp. Biol. 215 (Pt 8): 1331–1336. doi:10.1242/jeb.063677. PMID 22442371. S2CID 5129200.
  5. ^ Cohen EE, Ejsmond-Frey R, Knight N, Dunbar RI (2010). "Rowers' high: behavioural synchrony is correlated with elevated pain thresholds". Biol. Lett. 6 (1): 106–108. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2009.0670. PMC 2817271. PMID 19755532.