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How to determine the pain threshold
How to determine the pain threshold, does it depend on age, gender and heredity?
We can all react to pain in different ways. Some people cannot imagine life without analgesics, which they always carry with them. There are people who agree to have tooth decay treatment without anesthesia. What’s the matter?
Why won’t one person notice the scratch, while the other will complain of acute pain? The reason for this is the different pain threshold.
In medicine, the term “pain threshold” refers to the level of irritation of the human nervous system. When the impact is minimal (we are talking about bites, abrasions, bruises, burns, etc.), and the person still hurts, then they talk about a low pain threshold. There is good advice on how to check how acutely you feel pain. To do this, simply dip your hand into hot water. Those who cannot tolerate water up to 45 degrees will have a low pain threshold, medium – up to 50, and high – up to 60. In addition to the pain threshold, it is worth noting pain tolerance, that is, the body’s ability to endure various discomfort and discomfort. As it happens: one person, after a severe injury, continues to walk, while the other cannot get home without the help of an outsider. Why is this happening? First of all, it all depends on the individual characteristics. Let’s consider specific factors as well.
Genetics
Unfortunately, the sensitivity to pain as well as the susceptibility to pain medications are inherited.
Loneliness, stress, loss
When we feel bad, we get nervous, and at the same time we begin to feel more pain. Scientists have proven that happy people are easier to tolerate discomfort, injury and illness.
Financial position
Research by specialists from the state of Virginia has proved that there is a certain relationship between human well-being and his well-being. Confidence in the future is a protection from stress. The less nervous we are, the higher the pain threshold.
Age
A person gets used to everything, including pain. The older we get, the more tolerant. According to statistics, the longest pain is caused by chronic joint inflammation or nerve damage. All these ailments are typical mainly for those over 50.
Is it possible to get rid of the pain?
Doctors can either work on the cause or prescribe pain relievers, from aspirin to the powerful ones like morphine. There are also psychological methods (for example, meditation, hypnosis), as well as physiotherapy exercises. Physical activity increases the production of endorphins, transmitters of natural pain-relieving substances, which improves the patient’s mood and body functions. Alternative treatment also helps – acupuncture or electrical nerve stimulation. Exactly how they work is not known, but it is speculated that they also stimulate the synthesis of endorphins in the central nervous system.
Many doctors are sure that in order to increase the pain threshold, it is necessary to change the attitude towards pain, to overcome the fear of it. For this, there are special programs in which various techniques are used, including breathing exercises, which help to restore the physical and psychological form of a person, his self-confidence and independence, and make him capable of a more active life.
Who is tougher: a man or a woman
Scientists are still debating this topic. There is even an anecdote, they say, only during childbirth a woman can experience what a man feels with a cold. There is some truth here, since the female body is able to secrete estrogens – hormones that have a natural pain reliever. Also, by nature itself, the pain threshold of the expectant mother increases during the birth of a child. By the way, a man’s health is more fragile, since their internal organs have sensitive nerve endings. Representatives of the stronger sex endure any diseases harder than their weaker halves. On the other hand, for a man, the source of the origin of pain is important. If it is a combat wound or an injury sustained during a fight, then against the background of the production of adrenaline in the blood, sensitivity to pain disappears, there is a feeling that you are an invincible hero.
Pain threshold in women: how to determine
For this there is a special device – an algesimeter. According to the susceptibility to pain, there are four types of people. The first includes the so-called Princesses and the Pea, who can faint even at the sight of blood. The second type is the Little Mermaids. For them, life is pain that they are willing to endure selflessly. The abrasion is felt by the Little Mermaid as well as the princess and the pea, but she will not say anything about it. The third type is Sleeping Beauties. They have a high tolerance for pain, but Sleeping Beauties are unpredictable, at the most inopportune moment they can lose their composure. The fourth type is the Steadfast Tin Soldiers who don’t know what pain is at all. You should not envy these people, since the feeling of discomfort is a signal that a failure has occurred in the body and it is necessary to take measures and consult a doctor in time. And there is also a version that a patient with a high pain threshold suffers from mental disorders. Life without pain is not the norm at all.
Low pain threshold or high pain threshold: how to determine
Take the elementary test. You only need to answer 10 questions, and then calculate the points. At the maximum score (50), your pain threshold will be low, and at the minimum (10), your pain threshold will be high. If you scored around 30 points, then you are most likely a patient Little Mermaid.
How do you react to mosquito and bee stings? (from 1 to 5 points) If insects cause you a nervous tic, then choose the maximum number of points.
In childhood, we all pulled out milk teeth on our own. Remember your feelings?
Does the eyelash in your eye make you uncomfortable?
What mood do you have when you come to the salon to have your hair removed?
Do you agree with the heroine of the movie “Office Romance” that plucking eyebrows hurts?
Did you cry when you broke your knees?
Toddlers love to pinch and bite. Do you bypass spinogs?
You cut yourself with a knife while preparing dinner. Can this unsettle you?
How do you perceive sunburn?
Do you often take pain medications?