You’ve been running for a while and you’re thinking to yourselves, why hasn’t it happened yet? I just don’t get that runner’s high. Well, today I’m going to tell you why that might be.
You are in the right place to figure out why you don’t get a runner’s high because I’m Jesse Funk. This is a show called Runner’s High. So, we talked about everything running. If you haven’t been with me here before, hit that subscribe button. Stick around for more episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Now, when we talk about runner’s high, first we have to figure out what are we talking about.
Originally or a while ago, researchers thought that runner’s high was a result of endorphins in the brain which are neurotransmitters, these chemicals in our brains and make us feel good. They’re associated with a lot of different things; puppies, cake, nice stuff, things that make us feel good. That’s where endorphins play a role. And researchers thought during aerobic exercise, these are released thus we get a runner’s high.
Well, they are released during aerobic exercise, but more research has been done and that is not necessarily the most likely situation that’s causing that runner’s high. While those endorphins help us feel good and help reduce the pain that we have while we’ve been running, because it is fatiguing and aching and all those kinds of things. That’s why if you run for a while, you feel great during the run and then you kind of feel terrible later.
Well, you were probably having some of that pain dulled a bit by the endorphins while you’re running. Now, the research as I mentioned that’s been developing actually suggests that the runner’s high comes from the receptors in our system called the endocannabinoid receptors. Yep, that’s what I’m talking about. You heard me. The same thing as our friend, the wacky tobacky, some chronic, a little reefer, ganja. I’m talking about weed here, people.
Now, weed itself affects us because we have these endocannabinoid receptors and that’s what THC binds to. We didn’t develop the receptors to be affected by weed, we just happened to figure it out as a species quite some time ago. But it is thought that people that don’t get a runner’s high when these endocannabinoids are produced in the body, much like endorphins, you have a lack of receptors for those chemicals to bind to resulting in either a blunted or effectively negated high.
Meaning, it is physically impossible for some people to get that runner’s high. Now, you can still feel good with those endorphins and all those feel good chemicals, the various endorphins that are released, in particular serotonin, that’s the big one. But you may not ever experience that runner’s high if you have a reduced number of these endocannabinoid receptors in your brain. So, that is the most likely reason why you’re not getting a runner’s high.
Have you ever experienced one? If you’re watching this video, have you thought you’ve experienced one? I know it’s been rare for me more so it was like early on in high school when I got it. And generally, it’s just a kind of pleasant feeling I have overall from running. So, what’s your experience? Leave it down in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you. I’ll see you next time on the next episode of Runner’s High.