Did you know that 1% of every cell, in every cell, is different between men and women. In order to fully understand attraction forces, you’ll want to take a close look at brain chemistry. Male toddlers don’t experience emotions the same as female toddlers. One study showed that male toddlers at or near 1 year of age were immune to their mother’s reactions whilst female toddlers mirrored their mother’s emotion states. We cannot ask men to be women, nor women to be men. All we can do is accept our differences by skipping around in our head and heart. There is no equation to balance out the infinite variables in a relationship. If anything brain science should make each of us feel relief. It gives an excuse to be human.
A Few Suggested Practices to Integrate Brain Chemistry…
- Consume plenty of B vitamins from Premier Labs (because they contain the highest cellular resonance based on muscle testing studies)
- Breathe deep as often as possible to enhance oxygen to the brain. If you breathe shallow, you will also limit your ability in the bedroom!
- For men, if you get a woman pregnant, be prepared to see a 25% dip in testosterone levels. Thus, before you consider taking this step, spend considerable time around kids at least a few times a year to understand what this new possibility might truly feel like.
- For women, as your cycle fluctuates be tuned in to your nuances. Speak up about them to your partner so he or she can tune in and support you during the unconscionable.
- Predict the triggers of your partner based on their diet, exercise, and emotional positions. Do not expect a person to act the same way or to play by your rules if they aren’t well rested, fully nourished, clean, sober, and in touch with their purpose. Exercise is probably the easiest way to boost a relationship because it boosts the body’s neurochemicals.
There are four main neurochemicals that affect mood. They are: Serotonin, Epinephrine, Dopamine, and Endorphin. Serotonin serves to elevate mood, increase feelings of satiety, and lift depression. We have all experienced a rise in serotonin at some point. It is that satisfied feeling we have after a long run, or a large plate of pasta. It is also that feeling of comfort we get from spending time with close friends, and/or family. Serotonin can become depleted with chronic stress or anxiety, starvation or a low carbohydrate diet, and inactivity, leaving you feeling depressed, irritable, moody, and exhausted. Conversely, serotonin is strongly elevated after a long run, or workout, even at moderate intensity levels.
Epinephrine is responsible for the “fight or flight” response that occurs when we get scared, or feel stressed. The effect epinephrine has on the body is to increase heart rate and blood pressure, elevate temperature, stimulate the sympathetic nervous system [used for voluntary muscle contraction], repress the parasympathetic nervous system [used for digestion, immune response, injury repair, and sleeping] and increase cortisol levels. In today’s fast-paced world, we all probably experience epinephrine on a daily basis. Chronically racing to get things done, being late, driving in rush hour traffic, juggling too many tasks at once, and starvation can all stimulate epinephrine. Epinephrine can become depleted with chronic stress or anxiety, leaving you feeling worn out, exhausted, mentally drained, and often depressed. Epinephrine is temporarily elevated when we exercise at very high intensity levels. Exercising at lower intensity levels, or performing intervals, [alternating intense exertion and rest] can lower epinephrine levels.
Dopamine is the neurochemical that is responsible for sleeping and waking cycles. While we may not recognize when dopamine is correctly balanced, we certainly know when our sleeping and waking cycles have been disrupted. Commonly described as “jet lag”, a disruption in our sleeping and waking cycle is caused by an imbalance in the dopamine level. Dopamine stores can become depleted with chronic stress, or anxiety, and intense trauma, starvation or low carbohydrate diets. Dopamine can also be affected by serotonin levels, becoming depleted when serotonin is depleted. Likewise, dopamine levels can be elevated by elevating the serotonin level. Therefore, performing long duration exercise at moderate intensity can elevate dopamine levels.
Endorphins are the neurochemicals that act as the body’s “natural painkillers”. Endorphins are responsible for the decrease in physical pain with exercise. Many runners will attest to the fact that chronic pains seem less noticeable during, and immediately after a run. Endorphins are also responsible for the ability to disregard, or perhaps not even notice pain, when engaged in a physical activity. This is why we can run, or play without noticing blisters on our feet, until after the run, or game. Endorphins can allow us to perform activities that would otherwise be stopped by pain. Endorphins are also partly responsible for the “runners high” that is often reported by devout runners. The endorphin response to exercise increases with frequency of the exercise. Interestingly, substance and alcohol abuse can deplete the endorphin response to exercise. However, all people, regardless of history, will experience a rise in endorphin levels with exercise of any kind.
Exercise, of any kind will have a positive effect on all four of our neurochemicals, but does the type of exercise we perform matter? To some extent, the answer is yes.
