All those who exercise have experienced the 'runner's high' that is nothing but the feeling of euphoria that leaves us satisfied and energized after a good workout session. When we observe closely, these feelings are our brain's response to physical stress, that's nothing but exercise. Imposing physical stress plays a pivotal role in relieving mental stress by releasing of five chemicals that boost our brain's functionality. Multiple research studies have proved that exercising is beneficial not just for the heart but for our brain too in terms of improving mood, warding off depression, and staying away from frustrating thoughts.

Let's look at the chemicals that remove dullness from life and bless us with sunshine and rays of hope when we exercise:

Serotonin

Unable to overcome the Monday blues or feelings of sulkiness? Maybe, your serotonin levels are low. Also known as the mood-stabilizing hormone, serotonin takes care of your mood, happiness levels, and overall wellbeing besides lowering worries and concerns. Produced by the brain from before birth continuing throughout our existence, serotonin levels don't remain balanced in all individuals.

Depression, irritability, and sluggishness are the consequence of such imbalanced serotonin levels. Often, people succumb to pills and medications for depression, but on the brighter side, there are natural ways to enhance this hormone level, of which exercises such as swimming, walking among the lush greens, running, meditating, and cycling have undoubtedly proved to improve serotonin levels thereby leading to better brain health.

Dopamine

Have you noticed that sometimes, we are full of josh and energy to tackle various challenging situations at work or study, or in fact, come forward on our own to solve high-level problems? It's our stable dopamine levels, the brain's primary chemical, that keeps us motivated to start the day full of enthusiasm. 

Popularly called the 'reward or motivation' chemical, sufficient dopamine levels in the brain can curb all feelings of moodiness, fatigue, lack of interest in focusing, and absence of motivation. Exercising regularly enhances dopamine levels in the brain and helps us have a better approach to life.

Endorphins

Painkillers have become a part and parcel of our lives but do you know that our body produces a natural painkiller? Endorphins, chemicals in the brain, are our natural painkillers that are released when we are injured or stressed. 

Besides this, endorphins are the 'feel-good' hormones that elevate our mood, especially the 'runner's high' mood that we feel after an exercising session.

Engage in your favorite sport, take a mountain hike, laugh out loud, or do some aerobic activity to unleash good feelings and stay relaxed. You could try group exercises as research strongly shows higher endorphin release while exercising in a group. 

Norepinephrine

Secreted by the adrenal glands, norepinephrine belongs to the same family as dopamine, the catecholamine family.

As the name suggests, the adrenal glands are responsible for the adrenaline rush you feel during an intense game session or any other challenges, and norepinephrine gets released in the blood from nerve endings. In the brain, norepinephrine, both a hormone and a chemical, increases your attention and focus, and insufficient levels can lead to anxiety and depression.

Boost these chemical levels in your brain by exercising regularly and experience less distraction, improved productivity, and better information retrieval.

BDNF

Besides better mood, our brain is vital for memory, learning, storing, and retrieving information. BDNF, a protein called a brain-derived neurotrophic factor, is a neurotransmitter that works primarily to produce new brain cells. BDNF paves way for impeccable chemical message transfer between brain cells and allows for the growth of neurons. Insufficient BDNF levels lead to cognitive impairment.

So, do your high-intensity exercises to elevate BDNF levels that in turn assure us of better cognitive, memory, and learning skills.

Conclusion

Our brain is responsible for the release of numerous chemicals, of which the five here steer our mental health towards betterment. Exercising in any form is beneficial to overall brain health and wellbeing. Aerobic activities are simply amazing for better mood, weight training and lifting keep you challenged, improving self-esteem, and all other physical exercises make the brain better resilient.