Lots of us used to experience a critical situation, where applying physical strength was crucial. When I was a child, 2 massive house-dogs chased me; I still remember that incredible speed I developed and how I climbed over 2 meter fence. In most probable case the thing that got me out of trouble was adrenaline. But first of all what is adrenaline? Adrenaline – is one of the most powerful hormones. It is produced in the adrenal glands and is part of the body’s response to acute stress, which can be called the “fight or flight”. This system causes blood vessels to narrow, the heart beat faster and expand the airways.

Fight or flight

The expression “fight or flight” is often used to describe the body’s response to a situation of great stress. This evolutionary adaptation allows to react to danger almost immediately. When a person is faced with a potentially dangerous situation, the hypothalamus, located in the brain, gives a signal to the adrenal glands release adrenaline, and several other hormones directly into the bloodstream. The body reacts to these hormones for a few seconds, giving the person almost instant physical impulse – power and speed increase and reduced ability to feel pain.[1] According to @SportScience experiment was conducted to observe the strength of punch with and without adrenaline shot. You can see the whole experiment  here

Because of adrenaline’s unique qualities, some people try to get it unnaturally, thus hoping to always remain in “shock” effect, however studies have proven that If adrenaline is released, but there is no real danger, the person may remain restless and irritable. The reason for this is that the adrenaline causes the body to produce glucose in the blood sugar level rises, and the body gets its energy, which has no outlet.

Summarizing everything above, I think what adrenaline does to our body is incredible. We transform our body into something powerful and do things that we won’t normally do without it. Yet there are tons of research going on, scientist wonder whether or not is it possibly to create drug that increases level of adrenaline without side effects and how, in future, to control the adrenaline hormone itself?

[1] “Build Muscle. Cut Weight. Get in Shape. ORDER RUSHFIT.” GSP Rushfit. N.p., 13 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Sept. 2015. <http://blog.gsprushfit.com/top-5-benefits-of-adrenalin/>.