When you are in the “fight or flight” mode, your body undergoes a series of physiological and psychological changes to prepare you to respond to a perceived threat or danger. This response is part of the body’s natural stress response system, also known as the “sympathetic nervous system” activation. The “fight or flight” response is designed to help you either confront or flee from a threat, ensuring your survival. Here’s what happens when you’re in this mode:
- Increased Heart Rate: Your heart rate increases to pump more blood to your muscles and vital organs, providing them with the oxygen and nutrients needed for quick and efficient action.
- Rapid Breathing: Your breathing becomes faster and shallower to increase the oxygen supply to your blood, which helps with energy production.
- Dilation of Pupils: Your pupils dilate (widen) to allow more light into your eyes, improving your vision in preparation for detecting potential threats.
- Muscle Tension: Your muscles tense up in preparation for quick movements, enhancing your strength and reaction time.
- Increased Blood Flow to Muscles: Blood is redirected from non-essential functions like digestion to the muscles that you might need for fighting or fleeing.
- Release of Stress Hormones: The adrenal glands release stress hormones, such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, into the bloodstream. These hormones increase alertness and energy, while also temporarily suppressing non-essential bodily functions like digestion.
- Heightened Senses: Your senses become more acute, allowing you to better hear, see, and perceive potential threats.
- Decreased Pain Sensation: In this state, you may be less sensitive to pain, which can help you continue functioning despite injuries sustained during a crisis.
- Enhanced Blood Clotting: Your blood may clot more quickly to prevent excessive bleeding in case of injury.
- Tunnel Vision: Your focus narrows, concentrating on the immediate threat or task at hand.
- Cognitive Changes: Your brain prioritizes survival and quick decision-making, often at the expense of complex reasoning and long-term planning. You become more reactive and less deliberative.
- Suppressed Digestion and Immune Function: Non-essential bodily functions, such as digestion and immune system activity, are temporarily suppressed to conserve energy for the immediate threat.
Fight-or-flight vs Adrenaline Rush
- Fight-or-flight response: This is the overall physiological reaction that occurs when an individual perceives a threat. It’s a survival mechanism that prepares the body to either fight the danger or flee from it. This response involves multiple changes in the body, including the release of adrenaline, increased heart rate, and elevated breathing rate, among other things.
- Adrenaline rush: This is one component of the fight-or-flight response. It refers specifically to the surge of adrenaline (epinephrine) that occurs during this response. The adrenaline rush is what causes many of the physical sensations, like increased energy, heightened senses, and rapid heartbeat.
It’s important to note that the “fight or flight” response is a vital evolutionary adaptation that has helped humans survive in dangerous situations. However, in modern life, chronic activation of this response due to chronic stress can have negative health consequences. Prolonged stress can lead to a variety of physical and psychological health issues, so it’s important to manage stress through relaxation techniques and healthy coping mechanisms when possible.
