Runner's high

 Did a treadmill run in the morning today after really long. Almost 2 years I think. Didn't clock in too many kms, just about 3.5 or so. But it was really great. Did it watching the 5th and 6th episodes of 'How to become a tyrant'. Great show - more on it later. 

After the run, I had a cold shower. It's January but it's getting quite hot here, so I didn't want to shower in hot water. And I came out feeling super euphoric. Like proper euphoria. AG was cutting fruits in the kitchen, and I went up to her with this big smile on my face like I was drugged or something. She looked at me and smiled, almost like she immediately knew. 

Then I looked it up. A runner's high is a very real thing. Like it's a real 'high', not just a feeling of euphoria. There's science behind it. 

So running increases the levels of ß-endorphin and anandamide in the bloodstream. Now ß-endorphin is an opioid and anandamide is a endocannabinoid. And the cannabinoid receptors in our brain cause anxiolysis after running, which causes the euphoric feeling. 

But the super interesting thing is this: the levels of sensitivity of your cannabinoid receptors determine the intensity of the high you'll feel after running. The more sensitive your receptors, the quicker and more intense your high. 

In the 9-odd years that I've been running regularly, I've felt euphoric and relaxed after running, but I've never thought of it as a 'high' because that to me was something that is associated with brain fog and high levels of lethargy. And running makes me feel the exact opposite. But running is an addiction, and if I don't run for 3 or 4 days straight, I feel cranky, have brain fog, and don't feel like doing anything. Which I've read in many books and accounts of drug users is what opioid withdrawals feel like too (most famously, in people's accounts of Layne Staley's last days). 

So yes, runner's high. Addictive. Almost drug-like. Stuporous. They say the high is in the mind or the bottle would be drunk. This just puts it all into some kind of perspective.