Missing You With Science - Let's Keep Happy

//Pandemic, Lockdown & Missing Someone//

Lockdowns across the world means travel comes to a standstill. For some, it’s a less than ideal situation where one may not be able to see their loved ones for extended periods of times. Friends, family, and lovers will all be missed during this difficult period that has been around by the pandemic. I wanted to touch on the subject of missing someone, what happens to the body when you miss someone, are there any chemical changes and how does it all tie together into the human psyche. Let’s take a quick look into the science of missing someone you care about.

//Chemicals of Love and Longing//

Understanding the body when you miss someone is not an exact science but an interesting collection of reactions nonetheless. The brain is responsible is for many chemical releases in the body depending on what is experienced. When in love, it’s been shown that elevated chemical release of oxytocin, adrenaline, dopamine and a few others occur. Yet missing someone, the opposite happens and the body sees a drastic reduction in oxytocin and dopamine.

//Happy Hormone//

Oxytocin is a hormone that is linked to sex and close relationships between people. It flourishes when partners form loving relationships and can keep away a number physiological and mental health issues. The hormone exists in both males and females with greater presence in the latter. It’s linked with positive feedback and can experience excess and lower levels, though an excess of the hormone has not been understood in detail just yet. Lower levels in the body can cause problems in breast feeding, lower levels have also been linked to autism, other mental conditions, and depression.

//Positive Neurotransmitter//

Dopamine is the happy neurotransmitter that keeps the body functioning both physically and mentally. It is essential to memory, cognitive ability, motivation and mood. Excess levels of dopamine include hyperactivity, sleep deprivation, difficulty in focusing and other symptoms associated with high energy output. On the flipside, low levels of dopamine are a great cause for concern including anxiety, loss of confidence, fatigue and much more. Dopamine is important and it is for good reason that this drops in the body when the emotions of missing someone is felt.

//Increasing Oxytocin//

It’s a difficult time and we must make the best of our situation and care for ourselves and loved ones. To combat these reductions in happy and loving hormones, there are activities that can help to maintain or at least alleviate our spirits to stay healthy until we can meet again. Improving oxytocin levels is linked to endorphin release, an obvious direction to take is to exercise. The feeling of missing someone can also be temporarily filled with actions that are linked to companionship. Keeping oneself happy is important, pick up a hobby and share some time with your pet if there is one at home. It all helps to increase oxytocin levels in the brain for a happier time at home.

//Happy Living and Waiting//

Dopamine increase is linked to diet and physical activity. Working out and eating a high protein diet has been shown to promote dopamine regulation. This includes getting enough rest so that the body may stabilise and recover as it strengthens. While we might spend time indoors a lot, it’s important to remember that enjoying someone sunshine is important too. Take a step out and enjoy some sun, Vitamin D is also an important hormone that helps to release the happy neurotransmitters. These all seem like basic lifestyle changes that won’t fill the void of worry and missing someone, and that’s true. But looking after ourselves through a healthy routine and doing things together, even if it’s online will help to chip away at those feelings of missing someone while keeping our bodies and minds healthy. Until, it’s time to meet again.

Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6132681/
https://www.healthline.com/health/happy-hormone
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320637
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275795
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101022184957.htm