Natural hormone oxytocin and human feelings. Oxytocin: a hormone of confidence and tender affection

The hormone oxytocin has an impact on the psycho-emotional background of men and women, this substance increases the level of favor and favor for other people, reduces anxiety, contributes to the formation of affection of the mother to the baby. The concentration in the blood of this hormone is always at the same level, as a rule, it increases with a certain interaction with other people, during orgasm, stress, childbirth.

Cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. Toxic partners cause an increased level of these hormones that regulate our response to stressful situations. They act as antidepressants. Thus, we become addicted to this calming effect in our brains. That is why people who are confronted with a stressful situation approach spiritually. And that is why we are attached to those who hurt us.

Studies show that when we fall in love, the level of serotonin falls. This hormone regulates the state of mind and the level of obsession with a partner. Therefore, when serotonin is not enough, we can easily become addicted to the wrong person. In addition, low serotonin levels cause sexual behavior, and after sex, oxytocin and dopamine take effect.

The effect of the hormone oxytocin is most pronounced in women. The main functions of this substance are the stimulation of the smooth muscles of the uterus, increasing its contractile activity, the effect on the contractions of the cervix before and during labor. Oxytocin increases the production of the hormone prolactin by the pituitary gland, which affects the production of milk, increases blood clotting in the uterus to stop bleeding after delivery, reduces the cells located around the alveoli of the mammary glands, affecting the release of milk into the ducts.

Does this mean that our brain is our enemy when it comes to explicit interpersonal relationships? No, that's not the point. We can help him fix other, more useful things. Sport, healthy social connections, music, new hobbies have a huge impact on the functioning of our brain. How we can get rid of the addiction to bad boys is to replace this unhealthy obsession with a healthy one that would be beneficial for us.

Despite each individual entry, this is a safe bet that most of them will tell you how to stress or completely avoid it. We argued that humans, mammals, and even many fish are biologically endowed with the ability to cope with changes, even when this change is perceived as stressful.

At the end of the gestation period, the level of oxytocin rises at night and decreases during the day, so birth often takes place at night.

Ways to Increase Oxytocin

Scientists have found that oxytocin levels increase in both men and women during arousal and orgasm. The content of this hormone in the blood increases during the embrace. Studies have shown that when subjects held hands or lay side by side, their oxytocin levels increased. It was shown that in women with a serious relationship, the level of oxytocin increased during experiments more than in single people. As a result of research, scientists concluded that the hormone secretion is influenced by a serious relationship.

Many of our lifestyle choices — the main ones — diet, exercise, and nurturing our social connections — not only suffer from stressful diseases, but also actively enhance the very processes in our bodies that help us protect. The end of stress, as we know, predicted that very soon science will look well on the other side of the coin: what happens when we are not under stress, and which help the mind and body to calm, heal, and grow. Now Swedish physiologist Kerstin Uvnas Moberg has done just that.

Friendly contacts with close people help to raise the level of oxytocin: a conversation with a friend over a cup of tea, games, activities with children, etc.

Oxytocin in the blood can be increased by exercisewhich also affect the level of endorphins. Endorphins are associated with high self-esteem, good sex, these substances remarkably block the stress that prevents you from enjoying the relationship. Massage contributes to the enhancement of oxytocin, and the level of this hormone is also increased in the person performing this massage. The frequency of strokes plays an important role: 40 movements per minute are considered optimal. According to research, it is this frequency of strokes chosen instinctively, it is more pleasant to man.

When peace and tranquility prevail, we allow our protection to descend and instead become sensitive, open and interested in those around us. Instead of using the internal "energy drink", our bodies offer ready-made healing nectar. Under his influence, we see the world and our brethren in a positive light; we grow, we heal.

Uvnas Moberg is a professor of physiology at the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden, but this was her experience as a mother, who drew her to the study of oxytocin. The increased calm that she felt during pregnancy, feeding and intimacy with four children was the opposite of feelings associated with challenge, competition and performance, which, she said, characterized her life as a scientist. She found her explanation in the scientific literature on oxytocin.

Lowered coagulability of blood   - This is a fairly common phenomenon. The causes of this disease can be the following factors: impaired immune system, various kinds of infectious diseases, congenital factors, increased production of anticoagulants, anemia, serum sickness, impaired synthesis of fibrinogen and prothrombin, and much more. The bad coagulability of blood   especially dangerous for various types of bleeding. How to increase coagulability of blood?

Oxytocin is best known for its role in stimulating labor and stimulating repression. breast milk. When Uvnas Moberg began his own research, animal experiments have already shown that oxytocin enhances the relationship between mother and offspring. “Perhaps,” she thought, “that oxytocin also affects people in the same way as others that we do not know about, both physically and psychologically?”

Based on what Vnas Moberg and other studies have learned, the answer is yes: oxytocin affects animals and people, men and women, behaviorally and physiologically, in a staggering number of ways. When injected into experimental animals, oxytocin leads to less aggression and more sociability; it speeds up mating and can make conception more likely by speeding the transport of eggs and sperm. Oxytocin acts in the brain to stimulate maternal behavior in female rats, even those who have never given birth.

Instruction

Sporysh, he is a highlander. Drugs based on it are used in the form of decoctions and tinctures. Such tools are contraindicated in people who have thrombophlebitis.

Stinging nettle. Its leaves are used as decoctions or insist. The effectiveness of this drug is due to the presence in the plant of vitamin K and C, which help reduce sugar in of blood   and increase the percentage of hemoglobin. It is also contraindicated in cases of increased clotting.

Animals that have been given oxytocin injections in the presence of other animals will recognize and associate more easily with these people. The hormone reduces sensitivity to pain and improves the performance of animals in tasks with conditional memory. Equally impressive are the physiological effects of the hormone. Oxytocin acts as a kind of thermostat, lowers blood pressure and helps blood vessels expand and contract to maintain an even distribution of body heat. It dilates the blood vessels on the face and chest in lactating women, and in the fathers who hold their children, helps to warm the newborn.

Yarrow It has vasodilator, hemostatic, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties. Heals wounds quickly due to increased clotting, while much better calcium chloride. It is used for hemorrhoidal, nasal, pulmonary and other bleeding. Yarrow is a conditionally poisonous plant, so its abuse can lead to unpleasant consequences.

Oxytocin facilitates digestion in animals with a full stomach, but slows digestion if the stomachs are empty. It reduces the level of stress hormones, regulates the balance of fluids in the body and stimulates cell division and wound healing. The net result of these many behavioral and physiological effects is overwhelmingly positive. As food becomes bone, muscle, and fuel, as wounds heal, the body grows; how relationships are formed with friends, spouse and children, a person’s life is nourished, and the family and community are strengthened.

Pine nut shells. Her decoctions or extracts are used as a curative for many diseases associated with bleeding, including hemorrhoidal and bleeding gums.

The moth swamp. More often this plant is used for the fastest healing of wounds, burns and various cuts. Used as a compress, lotion or bath. When administered intravenously helps to increase coagulability of blood. Not recommended for high blood pressure and thrombophlebitis.

From digestion to breastfeeding, from reduced anxiety to improved memory, the effects of oxytocin have an aggregate outward effect, in contrast to the protective, protective action of phytophoto reaction. We know that physical contact is at the core of how we calm down and connect, so it is not surprising that touch achieves many of the same things as oxytocin, and, in fact, often causes its release. The importance of psychological intimacy with others is also evident.

During sex and orgasm, oxytocin flow is released, but the book doesn’t touch on this effect in detail. For example, experiments in a children's psychiatric clinic showed that regular massage made young patients calmer, less depressed and anxious, and more friendly than members of the control group who did not receive a massage. The results of the massage path with the results of oxytocin: more low levels   stress hormones, low blood pressure, less anxiety and increased training.

Corn ordinary. This is one of the most saturated natural sources of vitamin K, which, in turn, is simply necessary for slow clotting. of blood. Corn stigmas are contraindicated in case of increased coagulability and low body mass. But still, before self-treatment, contact a specialist first.

In Sweden, regular massage helped schoolchildren become calmer and more socially mature; The biggest difference in behavior was observed in the most destructive boys, who became less aggressive and more social. Observed by Uvnas Moberg, many of the ways in which people try to increase their oxytocin levels can be either beneficial or destructive. “Internal massage” in the form of a good meal releases the hormone cholecystokinin from the small intestine, causing the release of oxytocin and causing a feeling of postprandial calm and well-being.

Sources:

  • poor blood clotting causes

Endorphins are hormones that are produced by brain cells and nervous system   human, providing the body with energy, strength and vigor. Endorphins are similar to drugs, because they excite a pleasure center in the brain and give a feeling of joy, happiness and optimism. The “formula of happiness” was found long ago, thanks to the ability of a person to subjugate this area to himself, because it turned out to be quite simple to increase endorphins in the body.

Alcohol, cigarettes, and many “recreational” and prescription drugs, including anti-depressants, in the author’s conviction regarding oxytocin. Exercise and meditation work on the body in ways that reflect the effects of oxytocin, although there is no conclusive evidence that they actually affect oxytocin levels.

The presentation of Uvnas Moberg, for the most part, is clear and understandable. She describes a field of research that so far has not had any fanfare and discusses its significance in our lives. Although the press material describes the book as being intended for a wide audience, it is also a quick, sleek reader for scientists, clinicians, and science teachers. In general, the author manages to talk with both readers. But the book illustrates the difficulties inherent in trying to go through this line - difficulties that I, as a scientific communicator, sympathize with.



Instruction

Sport, no matter how tiring it is, directly contributes to the release of endorphins. This especially applies to those active sports that need to be practiced for a long time and hard: jogging, swimming, tennis, fitness, etc. At the final stage of the workout, you will feel an incredible surge of strength, satisfaction from the class - this will be a long-awaited release of hormones.

Readers with experience in science may find that some phrases aimed at a global audience begin to thin out after a while, even the “calm and connecting system” mentioned. “Signaling substances” is another such phase, especially when Uvnas Moberg distinguishes oxytocin as a hormone, and when it is released from axons and acts on other neurons. In the latter case, why not call the neurotransmitter a neurotransmitter? Similarly, among the level of detail that includes the frontal and dorsal lobes of the pituitary gland and the supra-optic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus, the use of the term "signal substance" seems strange.

Sex is amazing not only in itself, but also as a source of endorphins. Do not neglect this method under any circumstances, and every day you will feel happy. In principle, mutual love and passion that overwhelms you is an incredible source of positive.

An audience of scientists may also wish for a wider view of research. However, Larry Young at Emory University and Thomas Insel, now director of the National Institute of Mental Health, showed that vasopressin is very different between species, depending on where its receptors are distributed in the brain. In one provocative study, they cloned a gentle, monogamous field field vasopressin receptor; when this receptor was transplanted into male mice, subsequent injections of vasopressin made the mice more caring for their female assistants than they normally would.

Raise the level of the hormone of happiness by using food. Any tasty and beautifully designed dish can lift your spirits and add vitality. Do not deny yourself the pleasure of chewing chili pepper. Hold a small piece of chili in your mouth, and you really feel better, in addition, the hot pepper is an excellent painkiller. Do not neglect the proven method of the source of joy - a piece of chocolate. The release of endorphin will be provided by ordinary potatoes (preferably deliciously cooked), bell pepper, banana, ice cream, fish, seaweed, almonds.

This distinction may not be necessary for readers, but scientists may wonder why the point has not been made, at least, brief. In another such example, during a discussion of oxytocin and exercise, the author does not mention that growth hormones and neurogenesis also increase through exercise, although in other parts of the book she notes that oxytocin stimulates both of these things.

Early on, a disclaimer appears warning that a book cannot be an exhaustive overview of all available research on this issue, but linking the points between the author’s work and well-known research related to him would not have made the book much longer. However, liner readers, for whom the book is intended primarily, may find a tone that is too alien. The book is replete with lecture hall phrases, such as "as we saw" and "which we will discuss in a later chapter."

Acupuncture as a way to relax and relieve pain is known to many. But as a source of endorphins, such therapy is rarely used. And very vain. The effect of acupuncture is similar to the effect of laughter on the body, which is known to replace a glass of sour cream.

New impressions, vivid emotions, pleasant feelings contribute to the development of the hormone of happiness by the body. Go to the cinema, go on a trip, arrange a party. Even an hour of listening to your favorite music or visiting an art exhibition will have a positive effect.

Depending on the reader's taste, these phrases can come off as pedantic or affectionate. In a culture in which popular science tends to swell at the expense of accuracy, the author’s professorial tone lends a certain integrity to a cardigan sweater, but it may not be suitable for readers who are accustomed to jazz prose. Science could be made more interesting without losing confidence, perhaps by describing the research in a more visual way. After Uvnas Moberg tells us that her interest in oxytocin began with nursing care   and raising her children, she more or less abandons the story.

The surest way to become happy, unfortunately, suitable only for the female sex - pregnancy and childbirth. Nature provided for all nine months and at the time of birth to support the woman's body with a constant supply of endorphins. When a baby is born, the amount of hormones of happiness reaches its maximum, and all-consuming love drives out the agony and pain that the woman had to go through.

Sources:

  • endorphins how to boost

Prolactin is a hormone produced in the brain. Increasing its level may adversely affect the work of the organs of the reproduction system. And this is fraught with violations of the menstrual cycle and infertility.



Instruction

The reasons that lead to hypersecretion prolactin, can be divided into pathological, pharmacological and physiological. physiological reasons   can be attributed to psychological stress, exercise, pregnancy, breastfeeding, protein intake. In addition, the constant increase prolactin   observed in both men and women during sleep (day and night) and only in women during sexual intercourse. With regard to the period of feeding, then prolactin is normalized immediately after its completion. All the cases described are the norm for a healthy organism, they cannot be attributed to pathologies.

There is also a pharmacological reason - this is the reception medicinesthat raise level this hormone. Among these drugs can be called psychotropic, narcotic drugs, antidepressants, antiemetics, drugs for the treatment of peptic ulcer and oral contraceptives with a high content of estrogen. Therefore, if you are taking any of the described means, inform your healthcare provider. He will select a therapy for you to normalize. prolactin.

Pathological elevation of hormone levels prolactin   may occur in the presence of a pituitary tumor, that is, with prolactinoma. Usually she small size   (in diameter - no more than a centimeter). Chronic renal failure, cirrhosis of the liver, decreased thyroid function, ovarian disease, chronic prostatitis, and a postoperative condition (if the operation was performed on the chest or breast organs) may also be the cause of hypersecretion. With a pathological increase in the level prolactin   necessarily required treatment and normalization of the hormone.

In case of any form of hyperprolactinemia, a single treatment method is used, medication. Surgical intervention is extremely rare (only with the ineffectiveness of medications or serious visual impairment). The main group of drugs used is dopamine agonists. Their action is aimed not only at reducing the level of the hormone, but also at eliminating various clinical manifestations.

Oxytocin is a natural hormone acting mainly on the brain as a neuromodulator. He takes part in the formation of physical and psychological reactions of the body, influencing the behavior and physiology of man.



The effect of oxytocin on the body

Oxytocin, or "love hormone" is produced in the hypothalamus, then it enters the pituitary gland, and then into the blood. The level of the hormone in the blood rises with some social interactions and stressful situations. Oxytocin has a hormonal (peripheral) effect, and also affects a certain way on brain function. Its action takes place through oxytocin receptors.

The peripheral action of the hormone occurs through secretion from the pituitary gland.

Oxytocin plays an important role in the process of childbirth. In large quantities, it is produced in the body after dilation of the cervix, contributes to the appearance of the child into the world, facilitates the process of lactation. This hormone causes a feeling of satisfaction, security and tranquility, reduces anxiety. With confidence, his level in the body increases, and when a feeling of fear arises, it decreases. Oxytocin may slightly reduce urine excretion. Too high a level of this hormone can lead to hyponatremia (decrease in sodium concentration in the blood).

The results of some studies of the effects of oxytocin on the body

According to some studies, a high level of oxytocin in the blood depends on a sense of romantic attachment. For example, if a couple is divided over a long period, the feeling of anguish among these people may increase. The addition of oxytocin can reduce the feeling of anxiety during parting for a long period. Oxytocin has been proven to affect wound healing, it reduces the level of cytokines and reduces inflammation.

It was found that positive social interactions contribute to increased production of oxytocin and, accordingly, more rapid healing of wounds.

Research has also shown that oxytocin treatment can lead to stabilization of emotions and behavior in adults with autism. It was also found that intranasal use of the hormone leads to improved emotion recognition in children aged twelve years with autistic disorders.

It is established that some functions of memory and learning under the influence of oxytocin are reduced. Elevated level   This hormone worsens the process of searching for the necessary information in the memory. However, oxytocin is suitable for facilitating the assimilation of household information. Studies have shown that healthy men who took the hormone intranasally, improved ability to memorize individuals. Subjects recognized positive social signals more than threatening ones. These men have the ability to put themselves in the shoes of another.

The hormone oxytocin is secreted in the hypothalamus, then transported to the pituitary gland, from where it is carried throughout the body by means of blood vessels. It is found in both men and women, although its amount may be different for different people and increases or decreases in certain conditions. The effect of oxytocin is very extensive. In men, this hormone increases the ability to recognize rivals, helps maintain a sense of well-being, allows you to remain faithful and adhere to monogamous relationships.

In the female body, the role of oxytocin is even more active. The hormone stimulates the contraction of the muscles of many internal organs - the bladder, intestines, gall bladder, and most importantly - the uterus, which contributes to the safe flow of labor and the release of normal amounts of milk.

Milk is produced by another hormone, prolactin, but it is oxytocin that makes it stand out from the chest.

Oxytocin has an impact on the female psyche: allows you to recognize people close to her character and spirit, causes trust, regulates attachment to your partner and causes unconditional love for children, stimulating the appearance of maternal instinct.

When does oxytocin level rise?

In both men and women, the amount of the hormone oxytocin in the body increases with love, and the stronger the response is, the more this substance is released, which causes a person to experience even brighter emotions and cause love. At the same time, its level increases with each action associated with communication with its partner: for example, the amount of the hormone increases when a person is massaged, when lovers kiss and embrace. Especially sharply oxytocin jumps after an orgasm, causing a feeling of well-being, happiness and peace.

This effect has a more practical meaning: under the action of oxytocin, the spermatozoa begin to behave more actively and reach the goal more quickly, increasing the likelihood of conception.

In women, the hormone is actively produced from the beginning of pregnancy, and before the birth of its number increases sharply. Under its influence, the uterus begins to contract, stimulating contractions and facilitating the birth of a child. Moreover, oxytocin has an analgesic effect, reducing pain sensations   during childbirth . During breast feeding   The level of oxytocin is always high and jumps sharply if a woman hears a baby crying.

A man increases the level of oxytocin, if he communicates with the child after his birth - this causes emotional affection, reduces stress from lifestyle changes, increases the likelihood of fidelity.