Whenever I am stressed (specifically with school activities such as needing to present or recite), usually, my heart rate increases, I become tense, and my hands begin to sweat. Now that I have studied the endocrine system, I understand that these body reactions are “fight or flight” responses to stress.
Starting with my increased heart rate, my body actually releases a hormone called “adrenaline” which causes one’s breathing and heart rate to increase which helps in dealing with the “stressful” situation. Next, muscles become tense to be ready to respond by either fighting or fleeing from the situation. Lastly, sweating. Since our body has released "adrenaline", during the "fight-or-flight" response, this actually activates several glands and one of those is the sweat glands. Furthermore, sweat makes the body cool down and prevents it from overheating as it is the body's natural "airconditioning". Sweating allows the body to more likely survive a stressful event by not being exhausted from the heat.