Is there any better feeling than falling in love?
The sun seems to shine a little brighter, your coffee tastes delicious, and nothing
can get you down.
While that euphoric feeling of love is amazing, it can also be kind of of exhausting.
Human brains release a flood of hormones that make lovers feel happy, anxious, and sometimes
just downright insane.
It's important to remember that a lot of those feelings are just plain biology, so don't
worry too much when you can't eat, sleep or think about anything but your special someone.
Here's what really happens to your body when you're in love…
Crazy town
Beyonce is not the only one who tends to feel crazy in love.
The dizzying amount of hormones coursing through your body when you've met Mr. or Ms. Right
can truly make you a little nutty.
"I didn't have time to put on my padded bra.
This is not representative of my real rack."
Experts have found that people falling in love sometimes have lower levels of serotonin...
which is something that people dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder tend to experience
as well.
That might be why you can't help by over-analyze every text and re-listen to that swoony voicemail
a million times in a row.
Not to worry, though.
You won't be like this forever.
As your love grows and relationship deepens, your brain will probably return to its normal
levels.
Creature comfort
The early stages of a close relationship are pretty intense.
You might get a feeling that you literally cannot see this person enough and ditch out
on plans with your pals to snuggle up with your new favorite person.
Anything you do together is fun as long as you're together.
"Why did you do that?!"
"You jump, I jump, right?"
According to psychologists, this, too, is a chemical reaction to what's going on inside
that noggin of yours.
An extra boost of testosterone that comes along at the start of a romantic relationship,
experts say, can tend to make women feel more sexual and aggressive than normal.
On the other side of the proverbial coin, mens' testosterone levels tend to drop during
this phase, making them more receptive to emotions and understanding.
This is a recipe for both sides quickly becoming obsessed with each other.
Actual addiction
Chances are, when you're in the process of falling in love you might not even know that
you're changing.
And that psychological need to be together 24/7 can put you at risk for making some bad
decisions early on.
At least one study has found that such an obsessive need to be together all the time
is complimented by the release of dopamine.
Dopamine, of course, is a highly addictive chemical experience, so it's kind of like
you've just had a shot of narcotics, and … well, it can be something that you tend to want
to feel all the time.
"You're gonna have to face it you're addicted to love."
Butterfly bellies
You might also experience a rush of nerves and stomach flips during the start of a relationship,
and there's actually a very legitimate physical explanation for that queasy sensation.
When you're falling in love, your brain tends to release a couple of other chemicals known
as oxytocin and cortisol.
Oxytocin is a loving, feel-good hormone, while cortisol is the stress hormone.
This explains why you might feel so happy and nervous at the same time.
So when you look up on the street to see your boo, and the cortisol starts flowing into
the bloodstream, your blood vessels around the gut to constrict.
This constricting sensation causes nausea or "butterflies."
That heightened level of oxytocin, along with the release of dopamine, can also explain
why you might get a dizzy feeling from time to time.
Plus, oxytocin is responsible for that euphoric feeling you might experience along the way
as well.
Oxytocin tends to bond people closer together, during sex in particular, so you can thank
that complex chemical release for making you feel ecstatic in the most intimate moments
of your relationship.
Of course, what goes up, must come down...
The break-up
Even the most satisfying relationships sometimes meet their end, and when that does happen,
hormones have a hand in how you'll feel at that stage as well.
You might become depressed from the drop in oxytocin and dopamine and crave a replacement
for those feelings — otherwise known as the rebound effect.
If falling in love made you feel crazy, falling out can be even worse.
You might find yourself going to extreme, maybe even embarrassing, lengths to make yourself
feel better … and while it might not be advisable, it's a perfectly natural response
to the lack of stimuli.
Stay yourself
While falling in love is fun and exhilarating, it can really wreak havoc on the rest of your
life.
It's clear that when your hormones are going crazy at the beginning of a relationship,
your skullspace is screaming at you to spend more time with that new love.
But you can't exactly drop your entire life in the pursuit of passion, now, can you?
Experts suggest keeping as normal of a schedule as possible, even when the impulse to forego
sleep for some extra time with your significant other is at its most intense.
Be sure to eat, get some rest, spend time with your friends, and even exercise when
time permits.
When those anxious thoughts enter your mind, try to look at them objectively.
The fact that he hasn't called in an hour could mean he's over you … or it could just
mean he hasn't left work yet.
Most importantly, don't drop all the guards you've built over the years just because he
or she seems safe.
Your personal boundaries and expectations are still very, very important in the long
run, no matter what cranial tricks your mind might be playing on you.
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