https://www.healthline.com/health/runners-highWhat is a runner’s high?
A runner’s high is a brief, deeply relaxing state of euphoria. Euphoria is a sense of extreme joy or delight.
In this case, it occurs after intense or lengthy exercise. Often, people who experience a runner’s high also report feeling less anxiety and pain immediately after their run.
Not everyone who runs or exercises intensely will get a runner’s high, however. It’s difficult to measure “euphoria” because the experience is subjective. But what we do know is that it’s likely rare.
Plus, you may need to run for several miles at a time to reach the point where a runner’s high could occur. For many people, this distance might not be easy or possible.
So if you complete a lengthy jog and you don’t feel like you could begin your race again, you’re probably not alone. But good for you for taking that healthy run anyway.
How your body and brain respond to running
A runner’s high isn’t the only possible benefit of running or exercising. Indeed, there are several physical benefits caused by the chemicals released when you’re running, and they’re not all related to your cardiovascular system.
Running and aerobic exercise release a flood of endorphins into your blood. Endorphins are often called the “feel-good” chemicals because they produce feelings of happiness and pleasure.
They also help you feel less pain while you’re running. That can act as a natural pain reliever, helping you endure longer periods of exercise.
For decades, scientists believed endorphins were responsible for a runner’s high. It makes sense — they do have a great deal of beneficial effects.
But in recent years, research has revealed that endorphins may not have much to do with it after all. Instead, new research points to another type of molecule: endocannabinoids.
These molecules act on your endocannabinoid system. This is the same system that’s affected by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound in cannabis.
Like endorphins, exercise releases endocannabinoids into the bloodstream. If you feel euphoric or deeply relaxed after a run, these molecules may be the responsible party.
