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Becoming conversant with the fine line between pain threshold and pain tolerance will certainly help you have a good grasp on the exercises we’re to share with you on how to increase pain threshold.
Pain is a signal of an unpleasant feeling which informs you of something going wrong with you or your body. It relates to physical or emotional discomfort in response to any noxious stimuli. Sometimes, pain may just be a nuisance, other times it may be stabbing, pinching, pricking, burning, or aching.
Have you ever become inquisitive about the fact that why are some of us more prone to pain than others? Do you think it is possible to train yourself to experience less pain towards any external or internal stimuli?
To the best of our knowledge, these questions can be answered optimally in the light of pain threshold and pain tolerance.
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Pain Threshold Vs Pain Tolerance
Pain threshold refers to the lowest point at which a particular stimulus such as temperature, heat, pressure, etc. causes pain. On the other hand, pain tolerance is the maximum amount of pain that an individual can endure before breaking down. For instance, when you touch something hot, the level at which it becomes painful and you reflexively pull your hand away is your pain threshold.
Imagine, a dentist drilling your teeth. The point at which it hurts you is your pain threshold and the greatest dental pain that you can take in that drilling procedure is your pain tolerance.
How & When You Feel Pain? – Nervous Connection Explained
Pain threshold and tolerance both rely on one-to-one communication going on between your nerves and brain. How and when you feel pain is all translated by this complex interaction.
It is notable that when you feel pain, first the signal from the affected body part travels up the spinal cord to the brain and then it’s your brain which comes into action for the interpretation of that pain signal. It is quite possible to remodel the latter part to increase the pain threshold. Adopting different strategies that we’ve put forth in the next section will verily assist in lessening your pain.
It is speculated that a person with a low pain threshold and tolerance may fall apart easily when in pain whereas he who has high pain threshold and tolerance may rarely feel pain.
You and I are different based on our pain perceptions. Things that aren’t painful for you might bring me extreme pain. This is because every individual has a different pain threshold.
Those of you who are desperate to know how to increase pain threshold, we’re here to give you a leg up in this regard. Read on to learn why some people are resistant to pain while others are sensitive given the same stimulus.
Why Do Some People Experience Less Pain Than Others?
A great number of factors are known to influence the complex interaction between your brain and body. Some of the many are given below:
Genetics:
Apart from the effect of the environment, the way we perceive pain may run in our blood. Our genes hold paramount importance in impacting pain sensitivity.
Age:
Some studies reveal that older adults tend to bear more pain than younger adults. Therefore, aging decreases pain sensitivity.
Gender:
Studies suggest that females have a lower pain threshold in comparison to males. This is because females release less amount of natural pain killers-endorphins– than males.
Chronic and mental illness:
Low pain threshold has been reported in people suffering from any chronic illness such as fibromyalgia. Moreover, individuals battling with depression and panic attacks also feel more pain as compared to healthy ones.
Stress:
It tremendously affects the ability of your body to tackle pain. Stress stimulates pain and aggravates situations.
After having hefty knowledge regarding pain, let us take you to the most important section that deals with the strategies or therapies on how to increase pain threshold.
How To Increase Pain Threshold – 6 Proven Exercises for Massive Results
Changing the way you perceive and experience pain requires just a bit of work from your side. Building a higher pain threshold will in, most of the cases, improve your pain tolerance as well. Working on yourself will make you rough and tough as well as will improve your quality of life.
Here, we’ve come up with six most promising exercises on how to increase pain threshold.
1. Yoga
Regular yoga practice gives you the potential to withstand more pain as it alters the way your brain handles that pain. Growing evidence suggests that any body-centered practice works best to alleviate pain and improve overall health.
Yoga is an interplay between three different core components-physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation elements. Practicing yoga is all about harmonizing your body with the mind. It brings about an increase in vigor and flexibility and causes a reduction in stress and anxiety level.
If you have devoted your body to stress, your body will tend to respond acutely to the pain. However, when your body is in relaxation mode and there is no such thing as anxiety, your pain tolerance is said to be amplified and you begin to experience less pain.
2. Aerobic exercise
Regular exercise has a profound effect on raising the pain threshold. As per a few studies, the longer you workout, the raised will be the ability to cope with pain sensation.
Researchers suggest that the strenuous activity for about 30 minutes adds a lot in dampening pain and discomfort. Prolonged physical exercise sessions cause the body to ache which stimulates the production of natural opiates called endorphins. These substances (natural pain killers) help bolt out the pain.
Therefore, indulging yourself into aerobic exercise is one of the best strategies on how to increase pain threshold and tolerance.
3. Mental imagery
It is a potent technique that modulates the way you take pain by altering brain activity and behavioral outcomes. It is the process which involves envisioning physical or perceptual experiences with an intent to attune your pain. Mental imagery is all about forming images in your mind just to distract yourself from the feeling of pain.
For instance, when some people are in pain, they imagine a red, pulsating ball. Seeing it from their mind’s eye, they begin to contract the ball in their minds until it changes to a cool color. This is how you manipulate your mind to dilute the pain.
If you are willing to learn how to increase the pain threshold, this technique is worth a try.
4. Biofeedback therapy
Among all the therapies, biofeedback therapy is of paramount importance. It teaches you how to increase your pain threshold. This therapy allows your therapist to gauge how your body responds to certain stimuli. Biofeedback Therapy helps you gain better control over your health by harnessing your mind’s power. In short, BioFeedback is the answer to the question of how to increase pain threshold.
Sensors/electrodes are attached to different parts of your body to monitor various bodily functions, most of which are involuntary such as breathing rate, blood pressure, sweating, muscle activity, etc.
When you are in pain, these functions are altered. Biofeedback, often coupled with relaxation and mental exercises, plays a crucial role in retracting your body’s response to stress or pain.
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5. Verbalization
It is well documented that pain is a complex phenomenon that integrates biological, psychological, physiological, and social aspects. It has been observed that people who vocalize their pain seem to have a magnified pain tolerance as compared to those who do not put their pain into words.
Uttering words like ‘ow,’ or ‘ahh’ can help a lot in pain management. Learning how to increase pain threshold by vocalization will aid in decreasing pain sensitivity.
6. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
Recent research zooms in on the aspects of cognitive-behavioral therapy in managing pain. CBT helps you in coping with any health issue by changing the way you think of it. The way you think ultimately affects the way you feel.
Patients suffering from chronic pain ultimately become stressful, anxious, and a pessimist by thinking negatively of the condition they are in. This lowers pain threshold remarkably.
But, thanks to CBT for extending its role in overriding negative thoughts that crawl up your head whenever you’re in pain.
Thus, reframing the way you think about pain can do a big deal in releasing you from its grasp.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Question On How To Increase Pain Threshold
What Is The Difference Between Pain Threshold And Pain Tolerance?
Pain tolerance is the maximum amount, or level, of pain an individual may be able to bear or tolerate. The pain threshold is the minimum amount at which an individual starts to feel, or sense, a stimulus as being painful. The threshold level for pain can vary between males and females and may fluctuate based on several other factors.
Is Del Really A Unit Of Pain?
Yes, del is a unit of pain. The researcher has been confirmed that humans can hold up to 45 Del (units) of pain. A lady who is about to give birth may be able to feel up to 57 Del (units) of pain.
What Causes High Pain Threshold?
Grabois says that here are numerous factors that could affect pain tolerance: anxiety and Depression may make any individual more sensitive to pain. Players can endure more pain than individuals who do not do exercises. Individuals who smoke or are overweight report even greater pain.
How Do You Measure Pain Threshold?
A dolorimeter is an instrument which is used to gauge pain tolerance and pain threshold. Dolorimeter has been defined such as the measurement of pain intensity or pain sensitivity.
Conclusion:
To most of us, pain is inevitable. Not able to control the source of pain doesn’t imply that we cannot alter our pain perception.
The above-mentioned strategies on how to increase the pain threshold will prove fruitful for you. Practicing them will keep you from negative thoughts and you will consequently experience less pain.
We’ll be obliged if you let us know how did you find our therapies on elevating pain threshold by leaving your comments in the comment section below.
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