An adrenaline rush is something you often hear people talk about, but what does it mean exactly?
In some cases, an adrenaline rush can be seen as associated with a positive event. For example, if you do something exciting, you might get a rush of adrenaline.
It can also happen in adverse situations. As an example, when you’re in a car accident, you may experience an adrenaline rush. That can mask pain from an underlying injury and you might not get medical help, which can then create complications.
The following are some of the details about what happens during an adrenaline rush and what the term really means.
What is Adrenaline?
When we experience stress, our body produces the hormone adrenaline. Adrenaline’s purpose is to prepare us for fight or flight. The production of adrenaline occurs at the adrenal glands, which are above your kidneys.
Once adrenaline is produced, it sets off a set of specific bodily processes, most of which are meant to help us escape from danger.
Adrenaline reduces your ability to sense pain, temporarily increases your strength, and makes you more mentally focused so your thinking is clear.
In some cases, people experience adrenaline release even when they aren’t facing any type of threat or danger, and the effects on the body are the same.
In situations that aren’t a threat, like a job interview, you may experience stress, which can then trigger an adrenaline rush. For some people, extreme activities like skydiving can trigger it.
Some people like the feeling, and they might do things specifically to trigger it.
Your adrenal glands are also responsible for producing other hormones like cortisol.
Adrenaline is informally known as the fight-or-flight hormone.
What Happens During An Adrenaline Rush?
An adrenaline rush starts in your brain. If you perceive something stressful or dangerous is happening, the information goes to your rain’s amygdala. Our amygdala plays a role in processing emotions.
After the amygdala realizes the perceived danger, a signal is sent to the hypothalamus, another part of the brain. The hypothalamus is like the control center of your brain, using the sympathetic nervous system to communicate with the rest of your body.
The adrenal glands then receive a signal, and their response is to release adrenaline into your bloodstream.
When adrenaline is in your bloodstream, it does the following:
- Binds to liver cell receptors to break down glycogen which is sugar molecules, into smaller, usable sugar called glucose. The purpose is to boost your muscle energy.
- Adrenaline will bind to your lung muscle cell receptors, speeding up breathing.
- Your heart is stimulated to beat faster.
- Your blood vessels contract so that they can direct blood toward your major muscle groups.
- Muscle cells below the surface of your skin are stimulated to sweat.
- Adrenaline binds to receptors on your pancreas to stop the production of insulin.
Particular symptoms of an adrenaline rush are:
- Sweating
- Rapid breathing and heart rate
- Decreased pain sensations
- Increased strength
- Dilated pupils
- Feeling on-edge or nervous
- Heightened senses
Can You Control Adrenaline?
If you’re in a situation such as a car accident, it’s normal and even beneficial to have an adrenaline rush. This is when you are at risk, and an adrenaline rush can help you get through the situation. If you are in an accident, do be mindful of the role adrenaline could be playing in hiding your injuries from you at the moment, and see a doctor even if you don’t think you need to.
However, some people experience chronic stress and frequent, persistent surges of adrenaline.
When that happens, it can increase your blood pressure and damage your blood vessels. If you have regularly high adrenaline levels, you might experience weight gain, anxiety, headaches, and insomnia and have an increased risk of stroke or heart attacks.
To control adrenaline rushes that are happening in your daily life when they should be, you can try relaxation and mind-controlling techniques like meditation and deep breathing. You can also try yoga, which combines movement with breathing exercises.
Eating a healthy diet, exercising, and limiting your consumption of alcohol and caffeine is helpful.
In rare cases, frequent adrenaline rushes or feeling like you’re constantly in fight-or-flight mode can be indicative of a more serious underlying health issue such as a tumor or post-traumatic stress disorder.
If you think you’re experiencing adrenaline rushes more than you should be, or they seem to be a pervasive part of your life, you should speak to your doctor to rule out any underlying causes.
