A runner’s high is that feeling of euphoria (a feeling of intense joy and happiness) while exercising. This is when pain turns to pleasure. Running, cycling or any aerobic exercise (moderate-intensity endurance exercise) causes the hormone endorphin (similar to morphine) to be released by the pituitary gland in the brain to alleviate pain. This gives you a feeling of happiness and pleasure. It is relatively short-lived though. Endorphin’s function is to reduce the communication of pain to the body leaving you feeling good and positive.
After a long period of exercise, you might feel relaxed with reduce stress and anxiety brought on by endorphins. That being said, not everyone will experience runner’s high and it is relatively random. As endorphin is your body’s painkiller, you need to exercise intensely enough to feel some discomfort and maybe you will experience a burst of endorphins released in your bloodstream. Runner’s high can occur 30mins in your run or an hour in your run or not at all. Depending on how long you run, you can experience runner’s high during or after a workout.
P.S.
Research has shown that the endorphin molecule is too big to cross through the barrier to the brain, so maybe it is something else causing euphoria…
