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Fight or Fright Reaction and Stress.
By Spa guru | November 29, 2009
Lets look at three different scenarios.
A sales rep is having a difficult time during the recession. His recent records show poor sales. He is about to meet an important, big new client who could be his saviour. The ouicome will decide whether he still has a job or not.
A man is desperately and madly in love with this attractive and popular woman. He cannot see a future without her but she is popular an other men are attracted to her. He has a ring, the red roses lie by the door and table carefully set for two. She is due any minute and he will go down on his knees and and he does not know whether she will say yes or no.
Late at night a woman is walking home. The streets are poorly lit. The sound of footsteps ahead of her make her uneasy. She can see a group of people wearing hoodies walking towards her. She now hears footsteps behind her. She turns around to see a group of youths walking towards her.
In all three situations a person becomes very alert and focussed even though potential danger is only in one of these scenarios. This is the fight and fright reaction.
The fight or fright reaction protect us from life threatening dangers. In this reaction, the brain triggers the release of the hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisone.These hormones cause a remarkable change in the body.
The heart rate speeds up, the breathing become faster and deeper, the mouth becomes dry, the pupils dilate, skin becomes cold and clammy and hairs on the back of the neck stand up.
You may even want to vomit, open your bowels or urinate. This is the brain trying to lighten the load to move faster during ‘flight’.
These changes are preparing the body for action. You become alert and aware. All your senses are sharpened. Your hearing, sense of smell and your sight are all sharpened. Your body is primed and ready to go.
Your rapidly beating heart pumps extra blood to the muscles and brain. With faster and deeper breathing, more oxygen is transported by the blood to the muscles and brain. In addition blood is shunted away temporarily from other vital organs such as the gut, the kidneys and the immune system to enable more blood to the muscles.
Although the fight and fright reaction is primeval and developed when early humans had to confront huge and dangerous reptiles and mammals, it is still present today. The only problem, however, is that the brain cannot differentiate between real and percieved dangers or threats. The reaction is the same.
In all three scenarios above, the fight or fright reaction is triggered.
Panic attacks are in reality fright or fright reactions and, to the individual during an attack the danger or threat is very real. Rationality suddenly disappear and there is no where to run to or no one to fight.
In stress, the fight or flight reaction is triggered even thought there is no threat to our lives and can harm the body. If persistent, it can cause diseases.
Knowing the effects of the fight or fright reaction on stress will help you make some sense about the symptoms of stress you experience with stress.
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