Adrenaline and Cortisol Team Up During a Stress ResponseOne of the differences between adrenaline (also called epinephrine) and cortisol is the speed at which they work. Epinephrine levels rise quickly to meet an emergency. They drop just as quickly when the emergency is over. Cortisol builds up more slowly and works on a larger scale. It's also slower to go back down to normal. Often the cortisol is just getting started while epinephrine level is heading back down. These two stress hormones work together just fine as long as the stress encountered is not prolonged. When the threat is over and there's a recovery period, all goes back to normal. That's the way this system was intended to work. However, in today's hectic, fast-paced society too often things don't happen that way. So many of us are hurried, overextended and our minds and senses are daily bombarded with information - sights and sounds of radios, tvs, advertisements, neon signs, road signs wherever we drive. Through 24 hour news coverage we hear of every flood, earthquake, terrorist attack, child disappearance that happens throughout the globe. Just a few minutes of the news cast has been found to raise stress levels. Add to this our daily emails, huge work load, concern over finances, world economy, gas prices - the list goes on. This overload of information causes epinephrine in our body to be regularly supercharged. We spend a lot of time in a state of fight or flight. Adrenaline rush and adrenaline crash.The initial surge of epinephrine makes you feel good. You may be one of those "adrenaline junkies" who live their lives seeking that rush. When epinephrine bursts out (reaching the brain within within seconds) the slower moving cortisol is activated to support the fight or flight response. When the epinephrine quickly retreats back to it's normal state allowing the body to relax, the cortisol is still building up in the bloodstream.If you are continually going in and out of a state of rising and falling epinephrine, your cortisol level will keep increasing. The higher your cortisol level, the longer it takes to recover from the rush. When your epinephrine goes back to normal while cortisol is still high, the dark side of these stress hormones surfaces - anxious feelings, negative thoughts. And this all occurs just as your body is relaxing. This is the adrenaline rush and crash cycle. It's the elevated cortisol that doctors are so concerned about. It's long-term elevated levels in the blood stream affects how your whole body functions. It has been found to be the culprit behind a large number of stress diseases - cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, obesity, emotional illnesses from depression, anxiety and panic attacks to phobias, and is even the changing of brain cells leading to schizophrenia. There is good news.You can prevent, or at least minimize, the damage that stress does to your body. There are a large number of stress relief techniques. Many of them are rather simple everyday things you can do throughout your day. Many are not at all time consuming. Some of them entail a change of habits. Most of them require a degree of changing your thinking. It's actually your thoughts that are behind how you deal with stress.In some cases, you may need to get professional help.By reading this right now, you are in the beginning stage of helping yourself. You will come to understand what you are dealing with. Stress is damaging to your body and you need to do something to combat it. As scientists are quickly expanding their knowledge of brain function during stress, doctors and psychologists and coming up with new and more accurate medications and ways of testing needs. And with so many self help techniques available, there is something for everyone. You can discover a stress management technique that fits your needs. Return from Adrenaline and Cortisol to What is Stress
|
