Tobacco smoke irritates airways, triggering inflammation (irritation and swelling) that narrows the airways.
The damage caused by emphysema destroys the walls of the air sacs, making it hard to get a full breath. The air sacs play a crucial role in transferring oxygen into your blood and carbon dioxide out. The trunk is the windpipe or “trachea,” the branches are the “bronchi,” and the leaves are the air sacs or “alveoli.” EmphysemaĮmphysema is the breakdown of the walls of the tiny air sacs (alveoli) at the end of the bronchial tubes, in the “bottom” of your lung. The damaged cilia can’t help clear mucus. But the irritation from chronic bronchitis and/or smoking damages them. Small, hair-like structures on the inside of your bronchial tubes (called cilia) normally move mucus out of your airways. The buildup narrows the tube’s opening, making it hard to get air into and out of your lungs. In response, the tubes swell and mucus (phlegm or “snot”) builds up along the lining. Chronic bronchitisĬhronic bronchitis irritates your bronchial tubes, which carry air to and from your lungs. COPD can progress gradually, making it harder to breathe over time. A COPD diagnosis means you may have one of these lung-damaging diseases or symptoms of both. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema can both result in COPD. What is COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)?ĬOPD is an umbrella term for a range of progressive lung diseases. “Voluntary exercise is the single best thing one can do to slow the cognitive decline that accompanies normal aging,” says Linden.Healthy lungs have open airways versus the collapsed and narrow airways of emphysema and bronchitis, conditions grouped under COPD. Other mental benefits include:īy making running or jogging (or any aerobic exercise) a regular part of your routine, you stand to earn more than just physical gains over time. What’s more, the hippocampus - the part of the brain associated with memory and learning - has been found to increase in volume in the brains of regular exercisers. “It blunts the brain’s response to physical and emotional stress.” “Exercise has a dramatic antidepressive effect,” says Linden. Exercise may also produce new brain cells in certain locations through a process called neurogenesis, which may lead to an overall improvement in brain performance and prevent cognitive decline. The mental benefits don’t stop when you finish your run - regular cardiovascular exercise can spark growth of new blood vessels to nourish the brain. Unlike endorphins, endocannabinoids can move easily through the cellular barrier separating the bloodstream from the brain, where these mood-improving neuromodulators promote short-term psychoactive effects such as reduced anxiety and feelings of calm. That relaxed post-run feeling may instead be due to endocannabinoids - biochemical substances similar to cannabis but naturally produced by the body.Įxercise increases the levels of endocannabinoids in the bloodstream, Linden explains. Research shows that endorphins do not pass the blood-brain barrier. “Indeed, many distance runners feel merely drained or even nauseated at the end of a long race, not blissful,” says Linden.Īnd though endorphins help prevent muscles from feeling pain, it is unlikely that endorphins in the blood contribute to a euphoric feeling, or any mood change at all.
Surveys have revealed runner’s high to be rather rare, however, with a majority of athletes never experiencing it. Popular culture identifies these as the chemicals behind “runner’s high,” a short-lasting, deeply euphoric state following intense exercise. When you start out on your run, your body goes through a transition: Your breathing may become heavy, and you might notice your pulse quicken as the heart pumps harder to move oxygenated blood to your muscles and brain.Īs you hit your stride, your body releases hormones called endorphins. What Happens to Your Body - and Brain - During a Run