Epinephrines Role in Stress Response

Epinephrine's Role in Stress Response Stress Management Effects on Health Print How Your Body Uses Epinephrine in Stress Response By Elizabeth Scott, MS twitter Elizabeth Scott, MS, is a wellness coach specializing in stress management and quality of life, and the author of 8 Keys to Stress Management. Learn about our editorial policy Elizabeth Scott, MS Updated on October 21, 2019 How Stress Impacts Your Health Overview Signs of Burnout Stress and Weight Gain Benefits of Exercise Stress Reduction Tips Self-Care Practices Mindful Living 4FR/Getty Images Also known as adrenaline, epinephrine is a naturally occurring hormone thats used during the bodys stress response. During the fight-or-flight response response, the adrenal gland releases epinephrine into the bloodstream, along with other hormones like cortisol, signaling the heart to pump harder, increasing blood pressure, opening airways in the lungs, narrowing blood vessels in the skin and intestine to increase blood flow to major muscle groups, and performing other functions to enable the body to fight or run when encountering a perceived threat.? The Role of Perceived Threat The term perceived threat makes an important distinction and brings up a critical point to remember: as in the case of chronic stress, the bodys stress response is repeatedly triggered on a daily basis in response to actual physical and psychological threats as well as perceived psychological threats. As a result, the body can become exhausted, and the overabundance of epinephrine and cortisol, as well as other aspects of the bodys stress response, can become maladaptive, resulting in lowered immunity and other health problems.   Good Stress Another important thing to remember about epinephrine and the bodys stress response is that it can be triggered in response to negative stress as well as excitement or eustress. While eustress or positive stress can help maintain vitality, its still important to maintain balance in how much your stress response is triggered  and to avoid too much total stress. Relieving Stress If you find that your bodys stress response seems to be triggered much of the time, its important to find stress relievers that work well for you.  This may not be the stress relievers that you read about as the most effective, but the stress relievers that work well enough and are enjoyable enough that youll practice them regularly.  Here are a few to consider. Short-Term Stress Relievers: Having a few stress relievers up your sleeve that can help you to calm your body quickly can help you to reverse your stress response and move on after you face a stressor.   Healthy Habits: Maintaining habits that help you to relieve long-term stress can help you to build resilience.  The key is to practice them regularly, and not just when you feel stressed.   Change the Way You Look at Things: Changing your perception of a situation can alter the frequency and severity of your stress reaction to whats going on in your life.  Sometimes the mind plays tricks on us and makes it seem like things are bleak or more stressful than they actually are.  Even when the stress is real, you can minimize it by altering the way you talk to yourself (your self-talk), what you choose to focus on, and the meaning you  attribute to various situations  You can read about some strategies for improving your way of experiencing the world by shifting your perspective.