The people I work with are able to tell when I do or do not workout, because my mood seems to suffer on the days that I do not. I'm pretty aware of that, but I didn't realize how obvious it was to others, which sucks. So, for the sake of curiosity, it would be interesting to know the half-life of endorphins.
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Re: Half-life of endorphins? [Sojourner]
[ In reply to ]
There's a lot of material on this available on pubmed,
do a search for 'endorphins mood exercise' or something similar, choose the 'related articles' link on the right to get a list of articles with similar content.
do a search for 'endorphins mood exercise' or something similar, choose the 'related articles' link on the right to get a list of articles with similar content.
Re: Half-life of endorphins? [Sojourner]
[ In reply to ]
That's a good question - I'm curious! I tend to be in a good mood after a workout for awhile, but I'm also very tired. I notice the endorphins most after a really long (20mi or so) run - I'm energized and happy and it lasts for the rest of the day.
maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
Re: Half-life of endorphins? [Ziva]
[ In reply to ]
Thanks Ziva. I havn't found the half-life yet, but even if I knew it, I'm not sure anything could be done with that information. The following abstract is quite interesting though. There are always times when a day of rest is needed, and part of the reason I hate taking a day off is because I know my head will suffer a little bit. But, this is a good reminder of the many powers of meditation. Maybe Marky Mark can chime in on this after just having done a marathon-meditation retreat.
The effects of running and meditation on beta-endorphin, corticotropin-releasing hormone and cortisol in plasma, and on mood.
Harte JL, Eifert GH, Smith R.
School of Behavioral Sciences, James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, Australia.
The relations between three hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, beta-endorphin (beta-EP), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and cortisol, and mood change were examined in 11 elite runners and 12 highly trained mediators matched in age, sex, and personality. Despite metabolic differences between running and meditation, we predicted that mood change after these activities would be similar when associated with similar hormonal change. Compared to pre-test and control values, mood was elevated after both activities but not significantly different between the two groups at post-test. There were significant elevations of beta-EP and CRH after running and of CRH after meditation, but no significant differences in CRH increases between groups. CRH was correlated with positive mood changes after running and mediation. Cortisol levels were generally high but erratic in both groups. We conclude that positive affect is associated with plasma CRH immunoreactivity which itself is significantly associated with circulating beta-EP supporting a role for CRH in the release of beta-EP. Increased CRH immunoreactivity following meditation indicates, however, that physical exercise is not an essential requirement for CRH release.
The effects of running and meditation on beta-endorphin, corticotropin-releasing hormone and cortisol in plasma, and on mood.
Harte JL, Eifert GH, Smith R.
School of Behavioral Sciences, James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, Australia.
The relations between three hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, beta-endorphin (beta-EP), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and cortisol, and mood change were examined in 11 elite runners and 12 highly trained mediators matched in age, sex, and personality. Despite metabolic differences between running and meditation, we predicted that mood change after these activities would be similar when associated with similar hormonal change. Compared to pre-test and control values, mood was elevated after both activities but not significantly different between the two groups at post-test. There were significant elevations of beta-EP and CRH after running and of CRH after meditation, but no significant differences in CRH increases between groups. CRH was correlated with positive mood changes after running and mediation. Cortisol levels were generally high but erratic in both groups. We conclude that positive affect is associated with plasma CRH immunoreactivity which itself is significantly associated with circulating beta-EP supporting a role for CRH in the release of beta-EP. Increased CRH immunoreactivity following meditation indicates, however, that physical exercise is not an essential requirement for CRH release.
Re: Half-life of endorphins? [Sojourner]
[ In reply to ]
"Maybe Marky Mark can chime in on this after just having done a marathon-meditation retreat". I'd be interested in hearing about it as well.
I've been dabbling in meditation on a regular basis for a few weeks now. It's surprising hard to practice. You would think sitting still and breathing for 10 minutes would be a piece of cake, but it's damn hard. Inevitably my mind gets off track and starts racing (monkey mind). Eventually it gets so loud and obnoxious that I would have to end my session.
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I've been dabbling in meditation on a regular basis for a few weeks now. It's surprising hard to practice. You would think sitting still and breathing for 10 minutes would be a piece of cake, but it's damn hard. Inevitably my mind gets off track and starts racing (monkey mind). Eventually it gets so loud and obnoxious that I would have to end my session.
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Ha! I read that same abstract and wanted to post that exercise is not a requirement for beta-endorphin release :) Thought it might not be what you are looking for, though. This is an area I have been interested in for years, there's lots written about it, but studies so far aren't helpful in fully explaining the link between exercise, endorphins and mood. Also, being bummed after taking just one day off sounds more like psychological addiction to exercise, than a reaction to a drop of endogenous opiate levels.
On a personal level, I find that the body builds tolerance to any mood-improving effects of exercise, ie a two hour run that would have me giggling a year ago does nothing for me now. So, a rest day here and there, plus a good off season may keep that tolerance in check.
Plus, a decrement in mood can be a sign of overreaching, and that is best nipped in the bud before it leads to full-blown overtraining sy.
I agree the half-life of endorphins is moot in this case, evaluating your own personal mood is more important: knowing whether you are cranky because you are undertrained or overtrained is a skill that comes with experience, and I doubt it is going to be medically quantifiable and identifiable with blood endorphin levels in the near future. And, as I said before, relying on constant bouts of exercise to keep mood 'up' is psychologically an addictive behavior; not so healthy.
Btw, if you are interested in the exercise/meditation-released alterations in mood and perception, I would recommend reading "Bone Games" by Rob Shultheis.
On a personal level, I find that the body builds tolerance to any mood-improving effects of exercise, ie a two hour run that would have me giggling a year ago does nothing for me now. So, a rest day here and there, plus a good off season may keep that tolerance in check.
Plus, a decrement in mood can be a sign of overreaching, and that is best nipped in the bud before it leads to full-blown overtraining sy.
I agree the half-life of endorphins is moot in this case, evaluating your own personal mood is more important: knowing whether you are cranky because you are undertrained or overtrained is a skill that comes with experience, and I doubt it is going to be medically quantifiable and identifiable with blood endorphin levels in the near future. And, as I said before, relying on constant bouts of exercise to keep mood 'up' is psychologically an addictive behavior; not so healthy.
Btw, if you are interested in the exercise/meditation-released alterations in mood and perception, I would recommend reading "Bone Games" by Rob Shultheis.