A recent study reported that walking for four hours a week can improve your pain tolerance. Researchers hope that this means a reduced need for painkillers to cope with daily health issues like headaches and back pain. The study examined over 10,700 people who were asked to select one of four categories for their average physical activity over the past year. If they trained or competed in sports several times a week, they could choose the vigorous activity category, or they could choose the moderate activity category if they engaged in activities like tennis for at least four hours a week. If they walked, cycled, or did similar exercise for at least four hours a week, they selected the light exercise category, and those who preferred sitting fell into the sedentary group.
Participants were asked to place their hands in cold water for as long as they could endure to test their pain tolerance. People in the active category could keep their hands in the water for over 16 seconds longer than those in the sedentary group (6.7 seconds), while those who engaged in moderate exercise could endure the cold water for up to 14 seconds. These results remained consistent even after the study authors accounted for other factors that could affect pain tolerance, such as age or health conditions. It is known that exercise reduces everyday aches and pains by maintaining joint flexibility. However, the results suggest that fitter individuals may feel any pain they experience as less severe.
Anders Arnes, who led the study from a hospital in Northern Norway, explained, "Exercise may affect the same pathways in the brain as painkillers like morphine, albeit to a much lesser degree. Our findings suggest that regular physical activity can help improve pain tolerance, just like the so-called runner's high we experience after running can make pain seem less intense." He continued, "There are studies indicating that more active individuals use painkillers at a lower rate, and we wonder whether these effects from activity could make things like childbirth less painful, although further research is needed to prove this."
Previous studies have indicated that athletes have a higher pain tolerance compared to others. The authors of the new study published in the journal PLOS One concluded that "engaging in physical activity or maintaining it over time can benefit pain tolerance."
