The physiology of stress (The ‘fight or flight’ syndrome)

This is best understood when recognized as a set of involuntary, mostly physical reactions experienced when we perceive our well being is threatened. The nature of the threat may be physical or emotional. It could be a hooded mugger confronting us with a knife, our boss giving us unfair criticism, a flaring row with a loved one, or ‘just one of those days’.

The brain registers a threat to our comfort zone, which triggers adrenalin, which activates physical changes. The syndrome has existed as a survival mechanism since pre-human times and is still a fundamental animal reaction, virtually unaltered through the ages. Our bodies are preparing for a fight or flight, which is useful for the mugger scenario, but unhelpful if you are in your boss’s office with your arms and legs primed for action!

The main changes are:

•    The heart is the engine, speeding up to drive oxygen enriched blood quickly to where it is needed –         mostly the muscles of our arms and legs, which tense ready for action.

•    We breathe more heavily to take in the extra oxygen required.

•    We sweat, in anticipation of expending extra energy, keeping our muscles from overheating.

•    The digestive processes slow, maybe stop, as hormones are diverted for more urgent use elsewhere.

•    We may need to relieve ourselves of any ‘excess load’.

•    The stomach signals a reluctance to swallow, even saliva, so our mouth dries.

•    Our senses, especially our sight (pupils dilate), are heightened.

Many of these reactions are self-evident and immediate. What is not felt is the increased level of cortisol in the blood. Often referred to as the ‘stress hormone’, it is an anti-inflammatory agent, useful if you’ve been beaten up, but which, if over-produced over time, suppresses our immune system, making us more susceptible to illness or infection.

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