|
June 11, 2004 |
|
Stress and Anxiety “Fight or Flight” For most of us, anxiety is an inevitable part of life. We all encounter everyday, real situations to which anxiety is a reasonable response. These situations can be as major as death, divorce, or job loss, or as seemingly minor as going to the doctor or meeting new people at a social event. Although anxiety is a very common emotional response, its expression can take different forms. It varies in intensity from being an appropriate response to stressful or difficult situations to being an actual psychiatric disorder. Disorders can occur when symptoms persist or are severe in nature. Some women have anxiety symptoms so intense that the symptoms interfere with their ability to function on a day-to-day basis. While most women experience anxiety as upset and distress, we also react to these upsetting feelings on a physical level. What actually happens to our body when we are feeling anxious, nervous, or even panicky? Anxiety feelings normally set off an alarm reaction in our body called the “fight or flight” response. This response occurs to any perceived threat, whether it is physically real, psychologically upsetting, or even imaginary. The “fight or flight” response is a powerful, protective mechanism that allows our body to mobilize energy quickly and either confront or escape from danger. The “fight or flight” response begins in our nervous system, which consists of the brain, spinal cord, and the peripheral nerves. It is divided by function into two parts: the voluntary nervous system and the involuntary (or autonomic) nervous system. The voluntary nervous system manages activity in the conscious domain. For example, if you place your hand on a hot stove, pain fibers will trigger a response that is sent to the brain. The brain then sends back an immediate response telling you to move your hand away before you burn yourself. You respond quickly to the message, pulling your hand away. The autonomic nervous system regulates functions of which the average person is usually unaware, such as muscle tension, pulse rate, respiration, glandular function, and the circulation of the blood. This system is divided into two parts that oppose and complement each other: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. These control the upper and lower limits of your physiology, respectively. For example, if excitement speeds up the heart rate too much, the parasympathetic nervous system’s job is to act as a control circuit and slow it down. If the heart slows down too much, then the sympathetic nervous system’s job is to speed it up. A “fight or flight” response stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, triggering several different physical responses. Our adrenal glands increase their output of adrenaline and cortisone as body chemistry adjusts to meet the crisis. The outpouring of these hormones causes the heart and pulse rate to speed up, the breathing to become shallow and rapid, and the hands and feet to become icy cold. In addition, muscles tighten up and become tense and contracted. The sympathetic nervous system also triggers the release of stored sugar in the liver, an increase in the metabolic rate of the body, inhibition of digestion, and an excess secretion of acid in the stomachall in response to feelings of anxiety and stress.
Read More on Anxiety and Stress: Getting Started Systems in the Body Affected by Anxiety Quiz: How Balanced are Your Neurotransmitters? Keep it SIMPLE tip Think Good Thoughts Nutritional Therapies Restore Your Ability to Manage Stress with a Stress-Reducing Diet Restore Your Ability to Manage Stress with Stress-Reducing Supplements Complementary Therapies Reduce Stress with Reflexology
|
|
home | contact
us | disclaimer| privacy policy | terms and conditions | press room
|
