The pain threshold is the magnitude of the effect on the sense organ, which causes pain. According to another definition, this term denotes the level of irritation caused to the nervous system, at which pain is felt. The pain threshold is individual for each person. sensitivity to pain in different people is not the same.
There is also such a thing as a level of pain tolerance, defined as the maximum pain force that a certain person is willing to endure in specific conditions. In this case, neither the pain threshold nor the level of pain tolerance is determined by any parameters of the effects that cause painful sensations.
High and low pain threshold
As already mentioned, each has its own pain threshold, i.e. for the same irritant people react differently. In one person, the impact of a certain force can cause severe pain, and someone - quite tolerable sensations. It is believed that the pain threshold of a person is laid in the genes.
A low pain threshold is when the person begins to experience pain with minimal exposure. at such people the acute perception of a pain. Conversely, if a person has a high threshold of pain sensitivity, then he experiences painful sensations with a sufficiently strong effect.
According to studies of experts, women have a higher pain threshold than men. The maximum pain threshold is reached during labor . This fact is explained by the fact that the pain threshold is associated not only with the nervous system, but also with the hormonal background. It is regulated by the endocrine system, through the production of estrogen hormones. But while women have increased psychological sensitivity, which leads to the fact that even a minimal pain can cause fear and tears.
How do I know and determine my pain threshold?
People who are attentive to their health will not be prevented from knowing about their personal pain threshold. Such information can come in handy when a person needs to suffer a medical intervention accompanied by pain. Knowing the pain of what intensity the patient can tolerate, the physician will be able to correctly select the method of anesthesia.
Determine your pain threshold is possible with the help of a special device - an algebraymeter. The essence of his work is that a delicate area of the skin (usually between the fingers or toes) is exposed to electric current, pressure or high temperature. With a gradual increase in the intensity of exposure, the minimum and maximum sensitivity values are set, which will be the pain tolerance interval. As a result, it is possible to establish which degree of threshold of pain sensitivity a person has - very low, low, medium or high.
How to increase the pain threshold?
It is proved that at different times of the day, under the influence of various emotions and depending on the general physical state of the body, the pain threshold of the same person can have different meanings.
There are several ways to temporarily increase the pain threshold:
- "Distracting" therapy - oppression of pain receptors due to the use of "burning" products - red pepper, horseradish, mustard, ginger, etc.
- Changing the hormonal background by observing a diet with an abundance of products such as eggs, milk, turkey, hazelnut, bananas, etc., contributing to the increase in serotonin (a hormone of happiness) in the body.
- Methods of autotraining to mobilize the body's forces - such a strong psycho-emotional nervous state, like anger, helps to increase the pain threshold.
- Sex - during lovemaking, a large number of hormones of endorphins are released, also capable of muffling pain.