I Was Wrong About Exercise

I previously criticized exercise as a bad idea because increased circulation would serve to spur hyperactivity. Seeking to avoid heart disease, I have started exercising regularly and more rigorously.

Yesterday I discovered the "Runner's high", which occurs when your body releases endorphins in response to the physical stress. Endorphins are basically morphine produced and released by your body.

It makes me feel relaxed, happy, and seems to quiet my tinnitus a bit. It's still there and by no means a cure but it seems to help a little. Thus I recommend it.

Though my goal with exercise is becoming less about preventing heart disease and more about getting my fix of endorphins, or natural opioids each day.

 

Thank you for your advice. I need to get back into it, and this has motivated me.

 

It's difficult to get into. My Adderall is probably the only reason I actually bother.

Still, if it can prevent heart disease and treat my depression without antidepressants all the better. I despise those medications.

 

Thank you for this I’ve seen other posts of it getting worse from exercise but this gives me some comfort

 

Earlier on you mentioned that excerise increases your tinnitus. Sounds like it's now having a positive effect on you. As one runner to another, I'm happy to hear it.

 

It can right after. I was also being more bitter

 

I wish I could still run. It’s makes you feel great. Unfortunately, I decided to quit due to clicking inside my middle ears resulting in long(ish) increases in T - not just the usual exercise spikes. Luckily they were not permanent.
The day I quit was my fastest ever 5km.

 

Running and other forms of exercise can increase tinnitus for some people, while others are not affected. Exercise is very important so it's best to see what works for you. I use an elliptical machine and notice no increase in my tinnitus.

Michael

 

You have to work out almost to your threshold of pain for endorphine release. That's why endorphines are released: to help with pain, like getting some fentanyl at a hospital after a surgery.
So you need a very hard work-out refgimen to get your body to release dope. A couple of walks in the park won't do much.

 

I'd like to give running another try, but I'm wary of it for the moment. It seems every activity that I used to do regularly around the time of onset of my T just a few months ago, I have conditioned myself to avoid. But I absolutely recognize the runner's high you mention. For the longest time running was the only thing, aside from reading (which is becoming increasingly difficult as well lately), that could give me some measure of mental calmness.

 

Yeah, right now it's easy since I'm new to it but my threshold will only go up. It's problematic because I want that high but need to exercise regardless if I want to prevent heart disease.

 

I am a long distance runner and have been for 15 years or so. I run about 5-10 miles a night 7 days a week. When T first hit me I went into depression (still am) and totally stopped running. My psychiatrist and therapists pretty much insisted that I get back to running citing many studies that showed 30+ mins of exercise has shown to be nearly as effective as an antidepressant alone. While I still have depression the serotonin increase and production is all a positive and can lower depression intensity.

Good to hear the running is helping you!

 

If you do any type of moderate exercise for 30 minutes it will start to release endorphins, the more extreme the exercise the more endorphins that will be released (HIIT being one of the most popular due to its extreme exertion) There’s countless studies on exercise and its postive effects from depression to even cancer survivors. I’ve hit a wall in regards to my exercise since I got T, I think I need to take a bit of my own advice and get my arse into gear. I’m a big believer in a healthy body equals a healthy mind.

 

Sadly mind and body are linked. I say that because it often leads to detrimental health outcomes.

 

They are indeed linked. Each person is different, and they have different ailments. If you want to better yourself emotionally and physically then exercise will help with that. Will it erase all of your ailments.... no, will it help you in the long run.... yes.

 

Iv started doing Yoga, and am finding that great exercise it helps with anxiety too

 

Does this make your tinnitus worse?

 

Hard to say really as some days the ringing is better than others. Initially it didn't lower my ringing but boosted my mood to the point where I didn't care. I think it has had a slight effect in decreasing the ringing, in defiance of using stimulants as universally bad for tinnitus. I honestly can't say, but at the very least it makes me less reactive to it.

Today I barely heard it, but caused it to spike when I had a 20-30 minute period of intense anger at losing something important that was actually right in front of my the whole time.

 

@Bazan, Yoga works to calm me. Proper breathing technique is crucial when you start to feel panicky/stressed/anxious. I don't do extreme yoga, though. I follow a young woman on youtube and she is wonderful, calming voice and reassuring also. She has a beginner's video that I have been using every day and it helps tremedously, especially since developing tinnitus.

 

@Gl0w0ut are you ok with having a heart issue and taking adderall? Seems like a strange combo...

 

@GlowOut glad to read that you have discovered what benefits are associated with running. I run every single morning and the endorphine rush is the best feeling after I am finished. Pay attention to any type of ache in your knees and make sure you have a good pair of running shoes.

Another good exercise for high intensity is incline walking or running. Lately, I have been doing a routine on a tread mill with a 20 degree incline walking at a pace of 4.8 which is sometimes considered a slow run. The same benefit of feeling the "rush" and the impact on the body is not so hard.

Yep. Keep at this.

 

My ENT recommended 1 HOUR of exercise when I went for Tinnitus. Thank you.

He mentioned about endorphins release which are happy harmonies and gives me deviation from cynical thoughts with T.

 

I mean, as far as exercise benefitting tinnitus I would say it's very mild at best. The endorphines make you stupid happy and care less about the ringing but it does little to lower the actual volume.

 

Vigorous exercise is my savior from Tinnitus and "the day."

 

Anger has a huge impact on my tinnitus, too. I've had to really learn to manage my stress, which is something I didn't really do before tinnitus.

Basically I'm teaching myself to relax and stop being so damn serious. To not get worked up over nonsense. We allow so many inconsequential matters to disturb our peace of mind. All it brings is pain.

 

I agree with you totally.

This is what I realized I need to workout so that I fall asleep immediately after I get on to the bed.

Days when I am lazy are when I have panic attacks related to T. Workout makes me happy and the results of the workout make me much happier (weight loss and instant sleep)

 

I just saw this when looking over my old posts. I currently have no known heart conditions, I exercise because I have many risk factors for developing heart disease and do not want that.