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Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a stress hormone secreted by the adrenal glands on the kidneys. An adrenaline rush is a sudden increased secretion of adrenaline from the adrenal glands. The major role of adrenaline is to protect the body in stressful and life-threatening situations. Besides real physical threats, other situations that cause stress and anxiety can also cause an adrenaline rush. These situations may include chronic stress, anxiety, imagined situations, brain disorders, adrenal gland disorders, heart failure, kidney failure, and other problems.
When there is a threat to our body, the hypothalamus in the brain gives a signal to the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline. The adrenaline is produced by the adrenal glands, by transforming tyrosine into dopamine. Adrenal glands release adrenaline into the bloodstream.
It should be noted that adrenaline is useful and detrimental to the human body due to the same signs and symptoms given in the next section. In martial arts and karate self-defense as with most any discipline that deals with the stresses of conflict and violence these effects can both enhance the ability of the person as well as degrade the ability of the person effected. The most common signs and symptoms of an adrenaline rush are:
- Faster heartbeat
- Palpitations
- Increased blood pressure
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Headaches
- Pain in the chest
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating and performing everyday life activities
- Increased sensitivity
- More strength
- Anxiety
- The stress of regular adrenaline releases is bad for your overall health.
- It does stress the body.
- It stresses the heart, pressure rises as well as the pulse and blood flow.
- Chronic rises due to chronic stress can have huge affects to the cardiovascular system over time.
- It is very important to know how to relax and avoid stressful situations that can later lead to an adrenaline rush.
How it works: “The hypothalamus in the brain signals to the adrenal glands that its time to produce adrenaline and other stress hormones. The adrenal glands produce adrenaline by transforming the amino acid tyrosine into dopamine. Oxygenation of dopamine yields noradrenaline, which is then converted into adrenaline. Adrenaline binds to receptors on the heart, arteries, pancreas, liver, muscles and fatty tissue. By binding to receptors on the heart and arteries, adrenaline increases heart rate and respiration, and by binding to receptors on the pancreas, liver, muscles and fatty tissue, it inhibits the production of insulin and stimulates the synthesis of sugar and fat, which the body can use as a fuel in fight-or-flight situations.”
There are many physical manifestations of the rush/dump but the more positive ones are as follows:
- You experience a noticeable increase in physical strength. This is nature providing you the means to physically handle life threatening situations. The funny part here is often you, in modern society, will experience the rush/dump due to things that are not life threatening but the feelings and effects are the same.
- You experience no pain. The feeling of pain is deadened during the crises. It returns well after the situation is over and the rush subsides so the body and mind return to some semblance of normalcy.
- Your senses are heightened. There are explanations as to what happens to hearing and sight along with peripheral vision, etc. This post is not about identifying those, use your research abilities to become familiar with those. This is also another instinctual survival effect. Hint: Read Rory Miller’s books.
- Then there is the energy boost. We all have heard about huge increases in strength like the story of the woman in a vehicle accident lifting the car because she needs to get to a child trapped.
To counter the effects of the chemical rush of the adrenal system you begin with breathing, visualization, etc. can bring your mind and thus your body back from the brink of the rush so you can control and use it properly. You monitor your breathing and heart rate by feel. The first step is recognition. Once you recognize it you can act. Of course the best tactic and strategy is having the ability through your environmental and situational awareness recognize that you are entering into a high stress situation and begin working your breathing, etc. to lessen and compensate for the effects.
The training you can incorporate into your defense classes, i.e. martial arts, etc. is to create a highly realistic simulated scenario or scenarios that will induce the rush/dump. You want to trigger anger, fear, frustration and by that create a program that will allow you to achieve success in critical scenarios or situations.
for more go to: Adrenaline Rush, Adrenaline Dump or Chemical Dump
“A single adrenaline burst that comes and goes very quickly is a good thing because it gives you energy and gets you ready to mobilize for immediate action, says Esther M. Sternberg, M.D., Director of the Integrative Neural Immune Program at the National Institute of Mental Health. Adrenaline created by an abrupt blast of stress sends a flood of oxygen-rich red blood cells through your body, boosts your immune system, and signals your brain to start releasing painkilling dopamine and endorphins.”
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