Endorphins are chemicals produced in your brain to combat pain or stress, and these ‘happy’ chemicals are an essential element in relieving pain and improving your mood. The levels of these feel-good chemicals will vary from person to person, but it has been proven that those with lower levels are more likely to have depression or other low mood disorders. Sexual health is just as important as physical health when discussing increasing endorphins, so read up on ‘how many times should a man release sperm in a week?’ Here we’ve listed some of the top tips on how to increase your endorphins naturally.
Regular exercise
If you’ve ever experienced ‘runner’s high,’ you will be aware of the sudden rush of happiness and sense of achievement you experience following a run. This is caused by the rapid increase of endorphins in your brain that is created when you’ve exercised. Medical professionals regularly ‘prescribe’ light exercise to treat anxiety and depression. This treatment can be used in combination with medicines or used alone as a first step to combating mood disorders.
Sex
Just as you experience after exercise, the euphoric feeling that follows sex is a release of endorphins that reduce stress and improve your self-esteem.
Yoga and meditation
Both of these skills are known for their relaxation and stress relieving effects on the mind, due to the high level of endorphins created. At home, yoga is a brilliant place to start with a variety of yoga videos available online for beginners all the way up to advanced!
Food
Spicy food has been proven by some researchers to increase endorphins through the pain sensation created by ingredients such as hot peppers. Now you can enjoy that curry even more! Dark chocolate is another food that has been proven to increase the happy chemicals in your brain. However, if you’re looking to use chocolate to improve your endorphin levels, you should look for products that contain at least 70% cocoa.
Essential oils
By including oils as part of your day to day routine at home, these euphoric oils can relieve stress and therefore produce more endorphins. Some of the best essential oils to try are lavender, rosemary, and ylang-ylang. Try diffusing these oils in an oil burner or carrying some drops around on a piece of material, for a little endorphin boost on the go!
Giving
By volunteering or performing a random act of kindness, it benefits you as well as the people you help. Helping others can ease their physical and emotional load. Still, it can also lead to you feeling happier and improving your self-esteem, meaning this short term boost of endorphins makes you more likely to repeat these acts of kindness in the future to increase the feel-good hormone.
It would help if you aimed to include one of these tips every day to see a positive increase in your endorphins, which will contribute to relieving pain, reducing stress, and improving your mood.