Stress, Endorphins, and Exercise: Natural Remedies for Stress

Exercise and Physiology

Stress, Endorphins, and Exercise

There are many so-called "life stress event" reference charts on the market. Generally, the higher the event is listed on these charts, the greater the stress it causes. If you are facing two or three annoying events at the same time, the cumulative value of all the events indicates the amount of stress you are experiencing.

People often feel like they're on the verge of collapse, but they don't know why they're anxious, tense, irritable, and tired. It's not necessarily "big things" that are bothersome; even the mundane things in daily life can cause stress. When we're facing real troubles or unhappy times, friends and family usually offer support. However, the stress of everyday琐事 (trivial matters) is often more vexing, even if it doesn't seem like a big deal at first glance.

The most difficult stress to assess is actually the "small stress" that accumulates over a long period. If a physiologist only focuses on a reference table of major life stressors, he will easily overlook the real causes of psychological stress.

Personally, one of the most unpleasant pressures for me is that no one understands the pressure I'm under. In fact, what your friends find enjoyable might be stressful for you. For example, your husband is a very friendly person, always kind and gentle. He expects you to be as kind as him, and as his wife, you try your best to be enthusiastic at all times to please him. However, often at parties, while he's energetically greeting guests, you're practically exhausted. Although your friends might say it's your good fortune to have married such a wonderful person, and you smile and agree, deep down you're very sad and don't understand why you feel this way.

What you find stressful might be enjoyable for others. Take me, for example; I always feel stressed when using public transportation. I hate airplanes, public transport, or taxis because accommodating other people's schedules is incredibly frustrating. Driving myself immediately calms me down. Conversely, another author in this book, Leah, is the complete opposite. She doesn't like driving; she enjoys what I call "long waits" on public transport, using the time to read. But if I had to do the same, I think I'd go crazy.

Chronic life stress, which has a relatively minor impact on stress levels:

Significant sudden life stressors that have an impact: • Family conflicts and disharmony

• Death or departure of a loved one • Job burnout

• Serious illness or accident • Excessive, aimless busyness

• Separation or separation • Excessive responsibility

• Death of relatives and friends • Unemployment • Feelings of not being understood

•Marital • Sexual incompatibility

Significant property damage (fire, traffic congestion)

(Theft or intentional damage)

Becoming a new member of a family

Identifying the source of your stress is crucial. While you may not be able to change it, you can adjust your mindset to cope with it. I have a dentist friend who, if a patient's gums are still bleeding during a follow-up appointment, feels it's her fault; if she's told a patient how to prevent bleeding, but six months later the patient still can't follow the doctor's instructions, she feels like a failure. She should understand that many people are unwilling to change their lifestyle habits, even if those changes are beneficial. She needs to learn to focus on her successes instead of dwelling on her failures. Later, I suggested she keep a record of how many patients' conditions improved over six months. She was surprised to find that 80% of her patients' oral health improved. Previously, she had been too focused on the imperfections in her work, completely unaware that she had actually been doing a very good job.

Accumulated stress can easily lead to various physical ailments, including headaches, lower back pain, backaches, gastrointestinal problems, and ulcers. Prolonged stress can compress blood vessel walls and even cause high blood pressure. Depression, premenstrual syndrome, anorexia, and bulimia are all related to stress to varying degrees.

Exercise is the best way to relieve stress symptoms. Experiments show that mice facing various stressful situations experience increased heart rate and blood pressure; however, if these mice are placed on a rolling wheel, their stress levels decrease, and their heart rate and blood pressure also slow down. People experiencing emotional tension can lower their blood pressure through aerobic exercise. Although stress originates from psychological factors, physiological activities can also help manage psychological issues.

Another benefit of exercise is its ability to influence stress levels and alter mood. Healthy individuals who exercise regularly not only feel more energetic but also experience a more positive mood. This positive mood is related to the release of endorphins, which are secreted by the pituitary gland. Endorphins, derived from "endo" and "morphine," are psychogenic morphine and have a pain-relieving effect. When the body is in a state of exercise, the brain interprets "exercise" as "pain"; or after a prolonged period of gentle exercise, the increased fatty acid levels and blood acidity stimulate endorphin release. In either case, people can obtain therapeutic effects from exercise similar to those from medication, without any side effects. People with a long-term habit of gentle exercise can enjoy the most effective stress relief through exercise; perhaps men will find this more relatable!

How long should exercise last, and how intense should it be, to stimulate the release of endorphins? Most researchers have found that 20-30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise produces the most endorphins and yields the best results. Take standing cycling as an example: if you divide your exercise into three phases-the first 8 minutes at 25% of your maximum exertion, then another 8 minutes at 50%, and finally at 75% of your maximum exertion-the results show that endorphin levels in the blood don't change during the 25% and 50% exertion phases. Only when you exert 75% of your maximum exertion does endorphin release increase. However, if you continue exercising until exhaustion, endorphin levels drop dramatically. The body seems to be sending a warning message: "You've overexerted yourself; this will only get you into trouble. Is a bear chasing you?" But regardless, endorphins won't increase further. This is one of the reasons I advocate for gentle, aerobic exercise. Running too fast under stress will not provide any benefit.

You might be wondering what the most important factor in increasing endorphin release is. Is it the intensity of exercise (exercising at 75% of your maximum capacity) or the duration of exercise (exercising continuously for 20 minutes)? Most researchers believe both are relevant. It's generally considered that exercising continuously for 20-30 minutes at 60%-80% of your maximum capacity yields the best results. However, gentler exercise, if prolonged, can also be quite effective. The only ineffective method is short, intense exercise.

So you should understand now! Exercise can reduce the body's response to stress and also lower the intensity of the stress itself. Now, you no longer need to ask your husband, children, or work to make changes to accommodate you. When you change your response to stress, the stress will feel less heavy.