Reading this overview will help you understand the role of fight or flight hormones in your body, how they affect you both physically and mentally, and how they can contribute to anxiety and stress.
When your body perceives a threat, whether real or imagined, it activates the stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight response. This involves the release of several hormones that prepare you to either confront or escape the perceived danger. These hormones are designed to give you a boost of energy and focus, but they can also lead to uncomfortable physical and mental symptoms. The key fight or flight hormones include adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol.
- Adrenaline (also known as epinephrine):
- Impact: Adrenaline is released by the adrenal glands and acts quickly to prepare the body for action. It increases heart rate and blood flow, which brings extra oxygen and glucose to the muscles. This also results in a heightened state of alertness.
- Experiences: You may experience a surge of energy, a heightened sense of awareness, and an increased ability to react quickly. Your breathing may become more rapid, and you might start to sweat. You might also experience trembling, shaking, and a metallic electrical jolt of alarm. Blood flow is diverted away from non-essential systems such as the digestive system, leading to feelings of butterflies in the stomach or a dry mouth. You may feel dizzy or lightheaded as blood is diverted away from the head. Adrenaline can also reduce the sensation of pain. In some cases, adrenaline can cause people to freeze.
- Noradrenaline:
- Impact: Noradrenaline is associated with the ‘fight’ part of the fight or flight response.
- Experiences: The effects are very similar to adrenaline, such as increased heart rate and blood flow and heightened awareness. Noradrenaline can also increase muscle tension.
- Cortisol:
- Impact: Cortisol, also released by the adrenal glands, has several important functions. It increases blood sugar levels, providing energy for your muscles, and it also increases amino acids to help repair damaged tissue. Cortisol dampens the stress reaction by decreasing immune activity.
- Experiences: While adrenaline provides an immediate energy boost, cortisol helps sustain the stress response over a longer period of time. Prolonged exposure to elevated cortisol can lead to a range of issues, including fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, and difficulties with memory and concentration. It also causes an increase in blood pressure and can lead to digestive problems. High levels of cortisol are also associated with depression. It is worth noting that even the feeling of numbness is an emotional state that has a hormonal impact.
It’s important to note that the fight-or-flight response is designed for short-term use. Once the threat has passed, the body should return to its normal state. However, if the stress response is triggered too often or for too long, it can lead to chronic stress and anxiety. This can manifest as a variety of symptoms, including muscle tension, difficulty concentrating, persistent fatigue, sleep problems, and irritability. The physical sensations you feel during a panic attack are also linked with the fight or flight response. Many symptoms of anxiety, such as a racing heart, trembling, and stomach distress, are caused by the release of these hormones. These physical symptoms can also trigger further anxiety, creating a negative cycle.
Understanding how these fight or flight hormones affect your body can help you develop strategies to manage your stress response more effectively. Recognising the symptoms as being connected to the fight or flight response can help you to challenge negative thoughts about their meaning, for example, that they mean you are having a heart attack.
Summary: The body releases fight or flight hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol, when it perceives a threat. These hormones trigger a range of physiological changes designed to prepare you to fight or flee the perceived danger, including increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and heightened alertness. While these hormones are helpful for dealing with immediate threats, chronic activation of the stress response can lead to various physical and psychological problems. Understanding the function of these hormones can help you to better manage the stress response and the associated feelings of anxiety and panic.
Tags: fight or flight, adrenaline, cortisol, stress, anxiety, stress response, panic, sympathetic nervous system