Fight Or Flight: What Is It?

Fight or fight response is like confronting a lion.

The fight or flight response is the body’s reaction to a “perceived harmful event, attack or threat to survival.” The fight or flight response is best understood by imagining that you are running through the woods in the dark trying to get away from a lion. Or you might imagine that you are now having to confront the lion and fight for your life!

Fight Or Flight: Noticeable Effects

Again, the fight or flight response is best understood by imagining that you are running through the woods in the dark trying to get away from a lion. What changes in your body do you think you would notice? In the dark, your pupils will dilate. You get tunnel vision trying to focus on what is right in front of you. You will start turning your head to scan all around you because you don’t know which direction the lion will pounce from. We call this surveillance mode and it makes it very difficult to focus on any one thing for long. Physicians usually diagnose surveillance mode as attention deficit disorder.

Fight Or Flight: Hidden Effects

With the fight or flight response, there are many hidden effects that happen without you consciously causing them to happen. One such hidden effect is the release of adrenaline which increases muscle strength so you can run as fast and as long as you can or to stop and have a death fight with the lion.

Another hidden effect is the forcing of most of your oxygen, energy and nutrients from your internal organs. Instead, your body sends the oxygen to your legs for flight and to your arms to fight. At this point, digestion and the production of urine will slow down or stop all together. Your body will release the hormone called cortisol to increase your blood pressure and blood glucose level. Cortisol will also suppress the immune system since a strong immune system is not needed for fight or flight.

Fight Or Flight: Noticeable Effects

Fight Or Flight: Hidden Effects

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