Adrenaline: The Hormone Of Activation, Stress And Headaches

We have all heard of adrenaline or epinephrine, it is a hormone generally related to activation, motivation and that energy we need in our day to day to feel good.

This hormone, which also acts as a neurotransmitter, can be our best ally. Now, it is interesting to know that, at the same time, it can be that adverse substance that shapes chronic stress, our headaches and anxiety.

Today in our space we propose you to know more about adrenaline, that multipurpose and essential substance for our body and behavior.

What is adrenaline?

Adrenaline is, as we have already said, a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter and is produced in the adrenal glands and in some areas of our central nervous system.

We could define it as a chemical mediator that works by changing the activity of several of our organs, such as the heart.

• The main purpose of this hormone is to prepare us to flee or fight against a threat.
• Likewise, it  empowers all our physical resources to reach a goal, either to escape from it or to face it.

This activation is achieved in several ways:

• Increase heart rate.
• Raises blood pressure.
• It increases the capacity of our lungs to retain air.
• Dilate the pupils.
• It carries a greater concentration of blood to the muscles of the arms and legs.
• It maximizes our glucose levels to be able to carry them to the brain.
• It decreases blood flow to the intestine and redirects it to the muscles.
• Tasks as essential as digestion or the absorption of nutrients are left in the background, since these tasks require a lot of energy expenditure.

How is the release of adrenaline controlled?

When a risk appears, when we experience fear, intense emotion or anxiety, the nerves connected to the adrenal glands stimulate the secretion of adrenaline to release it into the bloodstream.

The amount of adrenaline that is released is just enough for us to experience its effect over 3 or 5 minutes, this interval is enough to be able to react without our organs being greatly affected.

However, the biggest problem with adrenaline is that when we experience stress for a long time, the hormone cortisol also favors the appearance of adrenaline.

In these cases, its presence in our body is not limited to 3 or 5 minutes. Sometimes it can take days or weeks to seriously alter our health, as the Mayo Clinic suggests in this report:

• Tachycardia
• Dizziness
• Bad digestions,
• Headaches

Positive and negative effects of adrenaline

The human being would not maintain his true essence without this fabulous hormone. Perhaps, first of all that has been explained so far, we have formed a somewhat negative image of her.

However, it is necessary to understand all the importance that this substance has in our day to day life and even in our personality style.

positive effects

We have all experienced those pleasant “highs” when we play sports, when we dance, when we ride a fairground ride, when we fall in love.

• All of these sensations make up what neurologists sometimes call “a brain drug.”
• In fact, there are people who feel a real addiction to this type of situation where adrenaline shoots up to the maximum, such as, for example, extreme sports.
• It is also interesting to know that adrenaline can keep us away from depression, since it also mediates the production of serotonin, which according to this study from Warneford Hospital (United Kingdom), is the hormone of mental well-being.

Negative effects

Excessive worry, constant fear, persistent anxiety and even having to make physical efforts over many hours results in an excessive release of adrenaline, we will notice it immediately through these symptoms:

• Muscle pain
• Tension in the neck, arms, or legs
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision or pressure in the eyes
• Headache
• Sleeping difficulties
• Stomach ache
• Hypertension
• Persistent tiredness

Leading an active life where moments of exercise or socialization are combined with relaxation and good stress management would undoubtedly be a sensational way of working on our quality of life.

Let’s make it possible.