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How does adrenaline work? This is perfectly illustrated by its colloquial English name: 3 x F, meaning fright (fear), fight (fight) and flight (escape). Riding a roller coaster in an amusement park, bungee jumping or climbing a wall without any safeguards requires courage, but there are plenty of lovers of such thrills. The sense of danger triggers a number of reactions in our body, and the reward for overcoming anxiety is the state of euphoria.

Adrenaline , otherwise known asepinephrine , is primarily responsible for the body's response to stress or threat. In an emergency, animals and humans rise to the heights of their abilities. Grant's gazelle chased by a cheetah can run at speeds of up to 120 km / h, although - when it does not have to escape to save lives - it runs much slower.

Another picture: the cat arches its back, sticks its claws and throws itself at the dangerous dog. Without hesitating to come out alive, he attacks and sometimes wins. In both cases, the impulse for these unusual behaviors are hormones, neurotransmitters that stimulate the work of internal organs and systems in the organisms of all vertebrates, including humans. These are special hormones called stress hormones, mainly adrenaline.

It all starts in the adrenal glands

For the password "threat!" the brain sends alarm signals to all endocrine glands that produce hormones. Then the adrenal glands are most active. These tiny - only 10 grams - endocrine glands are located just above the kidneys.

They produce hormones, control the level of sodium and potassium in the body, and thus control its water balance. Without their participation, it would be impossible to develop some sexual characteristics. They produce anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic substances. And it is in them that catecholamines, including adrenaline, are produced.

Men are ready to fight in their genes

In times of danger, men much more often than women adopt a "fight!" Attitude. Women are looking for an agreement. In search of the causes of these differences, scientists have tracked down an unusual gene (SRY). It plays a decisive role in controlling the production of neurotransmitters belonging to the above-mentioned group of catecholamines. And what turned out?

Well, this is the same gene that drives developmentmale characteristics in the fetus. It only occurs on the Y chromosome, which is the one that only men have. It is he who makes the reaction to stress in men a much greater release of adrenaline into the blood than in women. Adrenaline in its mobilizing role is supported by testosterone - the male hormone.

It also circulates in the female body, but in trace amounts. Therefore, when under stress, men become more aggressive than women. And it is more difficult for them to control aggression, because nature refrained them from such effective chemical inhibitors as estrogens and oxytocin - extremely feminine compounds, although gentlemen also have minimal amounts of oxytocin, called the love hormone. The tendency to violence, the willingness to fight and compete - features which are the cause of many wars - turn out to be inscribed in the genome of a man.

Important

Turbocharging

Under the influence of strong emotions, e.g. fear or anger, but also when we have to perform an extremely difficult task, there is a sudden burst of adrenaline in our body, which activates the entire body to operate at top speed.

Instantly gives our muscles and mind maximum drive and energy. It speeds up the heart rate, widens the respiratory tract so that more oxygen reaches the blood, improves the blood supply to the muscles so that they can work more efficiently. It also dilates the pupils, thanks to which we see better in the dark, where there may be danger.

Bungee jumping much safer than constant stress

The adrenaline rush accompanying, for example, extreme sports is one-time, and after completing the task, we quickly relax, feel euphoric, we are happy. The adrenaline level drops immediately and does no harm to the body.

On the other hand, living in constant stress or danger causes that adrenaline constantly circulates in us and undermines our he alth. It increases blood pressure, narrows blood vessels and weakens their walls, which contributes to the development of atherosclerosis. It is also known that an excess of adrenaline causes an increase in blood glucose levels. So if we are constantly stressed, we run the risk of developing diabetes. Scientists more and more often associate the rapid increase in the number of cases of this dangerous metabolic disease with increasingly stressful living conditions.

Do you know that…

In 1895, the Polish physiologist Napoleon Cybulski received an extract from the adrenal cortex, known today as the adrenal gland, which contained catecholamines, including adrenaline. A few years later, in 1901, it was isolated by the Japanese chemist Jokichi Takamine and he was the first to call it adrenaline. The name comes from Latin from ad- + renes, meaning "above the kidneys".

Japanesethe topic of the biochemistry of stress does not end there. The busiest and most stressed nation in the world has its own word for overwork death. It's karoshi. The destructive and fatal avalanche of changes in the body is initiated by stress hormones, i.e. adrenalin. It is estimated that about 30,000 die every year because of this. Japanese.

Adrenaline - men lose he alth, women - beauty first

Since men have more adrenaline, they are also more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases, stomach ulcers or Parkinson's disease. Estrogens hold a protective umbrella over women. But when they are scarce, stress-related conditions emerge. Its negative effect on beauty is also greater.

Adrenaline dilates blood vessels, and because a woman has much thinner skin than a man, red spots immediately appear on her face and neck at the moment of nervousness or other strong emotions. At the same time, the muscles on the forehead, jaw and around the mouth tighten, which in the case of a delicate female complexion accelerate the formation of wrinkles.

Seeing a woman who has the so-called with a lion's wrinkle, i.e. two vertical lines on the forehead between the eyebrows, we can be sure that she did not have an easy life, and the concentration of stress hormones in her blood is usually very high. The worse tolerance of adrenaline jumps is also due to the fact that women have weaker production of another hormone - noradrenaline, which has the properties that neutralize the effects of adrenaline. Therefore, after a rapid increase in the level of adrenaline in women, the level of adrenaline returns to normal much slower than in men. The negative effects of this hormone also last longer.

Take the bull by the horns in the morning, relax in the evening

In the morning, around 8 o'clock, adrenaline is at its peak. Therefore, at this time of the day, it is easiest to have an argument at home or to demonstrate frustration on our roads with gestures and words. The morning traffic jam is more annoying not only because we are in a hurry to work, but also because we have more adrenaline in our blood than at noon or in the evening. But more adrenaline also means better concentration, faster response and efficiency, which reduce the risk of collisions. This is confirmed by statistics - the fewest accidents occur in the morning, the most after 5 p.m., when the production of hormones in the adrenal glands naturally slows down and does not sharpen the senses.

Adrenaline - try to relieve tension every day

Stressful situations are difficult to avoid, but their devastating effects can be minimized. Stress is life. It accompanies us from morning to evening, because we constantly have to adapt to changing conditions. We must be ready foractions.

Stress cannot be removed, but you can tame it. This is the only way to avoid the he alth-damaging effects of adrenaline and other stress hormones. After moments of tension, the body needs immediate relaxation and discharge. All forms of physical activity are perfect for this role, especially yoga, tai-chi, meditation.

And when you get nervous, for example at work, a simple breathing trick will be soothing: close the right nostril with your finger. With your mouth closed, breathe out and inhale through the left nostril. After a minute you will feel blissful peace overwhelming you and you will distance yourself from things that have upset you.

Important

Adrenaline is also a life-saving drug

It is used in cases of anaphylactic shock, which is a severe, potentially fatal allergic reaction caused by a substance, such as wasp or bee venom, or by medicine. It instantly stimulates the heart muscle to contract, and when a defibrillator needs to be used, it improves the efficiency of conduction of electrical stimuli. It rapidly constricts blood vessels and thus increases blood pressure; this property is sometimes used to inhibit bleeding. And in the case of acute shortness of breath, swelling of the airways, it relaxes the smooth muscles of the bronchi and throat, making it easier to breathe.

If your family is allergic, ask your doctor for a prescription for an automatic adrenaline dispenser. In a life-threatening situation, it can work wonders. It is a pre-filled syringe that can be easily injected into a muscle, preferably into the muscles of the anterolateral part of the thigh. We set it at an angle of 90 degrees to the surface of the thigh and press the plunger until it stops. After that, it's a good idea to massage the injection site so that the adrenaline starts working faster.

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