Endorphin: More Than a Happiness Hormone

    Are you among those who immediately apply to pain relievers when you have pain or are you waiting for your body to reduce this pain? In addition to the effects of painkillers, such as reducing our pain, we cannot ignore the damage caused to our body. How about activating our body's own pain reliever instead of medications? Here is its name: Endorphin!

    First, let's travel to the most basic center where the hormone endorphin is secreted. This center is the anterior region of the pituitary gland. The production and secretion of the endorphine takes place here. Endorphins are our body's own special pain relievers. It is also a neurotransmitter. They are chemicals that transmit signals from one neuron to another. They play an important role in the functioning of the central nervous system. They can increase or decrease the signaling of nearby neurons.

Endorphine Synthesized When Stress, Fear, and Pain

    Endorphins are produced in response to certain stimuli, especially stress, fear or pain. They originate from various parts of our body (pituitary gland, spinal cord, other parts of the brain and nervous system). It interacts mainly with receptors in cells located in the area responsible for blocking pain and controlling emotion.

    Until recently, we could not examine the endorphins in detail. We were trying to learn something by monitoring the endorphin levels in the brains of humans and rats. It was not possible to measure these levels in the human brain without harming the subjects. However, new imaging methods provided great convenience to researchers. It allows them to study the flow of endorphins due to their interaction with neurons.

    There are at least 20 different types of endorphins, and one type of beta-endorphine is stronger than a strong painkiller like morphine. It has been shown to play a role from alcoholism to diabetes and brain aging.

Endorphins and Emotions

    Endorphins block pain, but they are also responsible for our feelings of pleasure. When we experience something good enough, such as food, gender, and even friendship, these feelings of pleasure come to the surface. The beautiful emotions we experience enable us to go behind their triggers. This is the mechanism behind habits and addictions.

    The majority of your emotions and memories are processed by your brain's limbic system. The hypothalamus; It is the region that performs various functions such as breathing, sexual satisfaction, hunger and emotional response. The limbic system is also rich in opioid (chemicals that act as painkillers in the body) receptors. When the endorphins reach the opioid receptors of the limbic system and everything works normally, you will experience a sense of pleasure and satisfaction.

Endorphins Has Role in Mental Disorders

    Interestingly, endorphins may be responsible for some mental diseases, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. For example; when a person washes his hands, he reaches a point where he decides that his task is completed satisfactorily. Normally, this process ends. It can be effective in signaling endorphins that “you will be satisfied when their hands are clean”. If the hormone endorphine is not produced enough, you may not understand when to stop washing your hands. Processing can continue until this signal is received.

    Endorphins can be responsible for situations where anger or anxiety increases. If endorphins override your work, or if the hypothalamus reads the tip of the endorphins incorrectly, some problems occur. With the slightest anxiety or anxiety, you could be filled with “war or run” hormones.

    Endorphins affect us like codeine or morphine, but they are not addictive. Because when they bind to opioid receptors, they are broken down almost immediately by enzymes. Thus, it is allowed to be recycled and reused.

What Are Endorphine Triggers?

    Many things can trigger the release of endorphine. While many triggers are known to exist, primary triggers are stress and pain. When the hypothalamus detects pain, it makes several orders; One of them is, “Stop saying that you have pain!” d.

    The hypothalamus is also the command and control center of your hormonal system. He decides when to eat and when to start our puberty. It adjusts what the endorphine dose should be in many other functions. When the hypothalamus wants to adjust, hormones are released to other parts of the body.

    Endorphins are produced all over your body and are demanded by the hypothalamus. So what are they that trigger their release other than stress and pain in this situation? Let's list:

- To exercise
- Meditation or controlled breathing exercises
- Birth
- Alcohol use
- Hot pepper consumption
- Acupuncture and massage therapy
- Ultraviolet light

    Endorphine actually protects us against pain and stress feelings that enable us to survive the evolutionary process. The uncontrolled increase in pain and stress and the level that cannot be tolerated are not good for our health. The secretion and happiness of endorphins is an evolutionary protection mechanism. It seems that we will learn more about the functions of the hormone endorphin. I'm sure he's taking a glimpse at us that laughs at us and implies that he has many tasks waiting to emerge.