Anxiety is a state that most people have experienced at some time. It is linked in with our autonomic nervous system and our ‘fight or flight’ response. This is a protective mechanism and a primal response that has existed since the days of the caveman. Long, long ago, our (human) lives were very different from the way they are now. Long ago the threats we used to experience were those of being in danger from a sabre tooth tiger.
When our brains noticed this danger our autonomic nervous system (ANS) activated the adrenal glands (which sit atop the kidneys) to secrete chemicals (hormones) called adrenaline and noradrenalin which get the body ready to either fight the threat or run away from it (flight). There are two sections of the ANS and it is the sympathetic nervous system that creates this release of energy and prepares the body for action. The other section of the ANS (the parasympathetic nervous system) then works to restore balance to the body.
The bodily signs of this fight or flight response are:
• Increased heart rate
• Increased strength of the heartbeat
• Blood is pumped to the thighs, biceps, heart and brain
• Blood is pumped away from the fingers and toes and the digestion
• Breathing is accelerated and deepened
• Increased sweating
• Mind’s attention is shifted and focuses on immediate surroundings for danger
Each of these signs has a purpose:
• Blood is pumped more readily to the needed areas of the body and the muscles are prepared for action.
• Blood is removed from the digestion since digestion is not a vital function when your life is in danger. It is also removed from the extremities so that you are less likely to bleed to death if you are seriously injured during your dealings with the threat. This also creates the cold and clammy hands, and tingling sensations in the feet and toes of anxiety sufferers.
• Deeper breathing helps the body tissues receive more oxygen. Side effects however can be choking sensations, smothering, tightness in the chest and dizziness or lightheadedness. It can also create a reeling of unreality and confusion.
• Increased sweating keeps the body cool and also makes the skin more slippery and harder to catch hold of if a predator tries.
• Mentally, because the brain’s attention is on the lookout for threats, the memory can suffer, as can concentration and focus.
In our next post (next week) we explain the relevance of these changes to anxiety sufferers.
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