====== Exercise addiction ======

'Addiction' to exercising is currently classed as a 'behavioural addiction' whereby a person becomes 'hooked' on the euphoria and pleasure that it provides (to some individuals).

It's known that heavy exercise can generate the release of hormones known as //endorphins// - which play a major role in the body's inhibitory response to pain, and which have effects that are in many ways analogous to opiate drugs.

Nevertheless :

>__As of 2016, the mechanisms involved in the development of an exercise addiction, associated with the transition from healthy committed exercise to compulsive exercise, are unknown.__\\ \\ Source : [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_addiction#Mechanisms|Wikipedia]]

Due to the lack of a precise definition, it's not possible to give a figure for its prevalence in society. Some studies have put the figure as high as 40% for regular gym members.

Further technical information : [[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210598/|Int J Environ Res Public Health.8(10): 4069–4081. ]]

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Also see : [[content:medicine:diseases:m-q:overtraining_syndrome]]