When I am stressed due to overwhelming tasks, I usually panic and have a hard time making decisions. This can be considered a fight-or-flight response, which makes my heart beat faster than normal causing fast breathing and shortness of breath. Norepinephrine, which works with epinephrine to support the fight-or-flight response, raises heart rate, breaks down fat, and raises blood sugar levels. There are stages to the fight-or-flight response. Shortness of breath and fast breathing are signs of low oxygen levels in the body, and the heart works hard to pump blood to the brain and muscles. The hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine, are secreted in the adrenal medulla, which prolongs these reactions. The body enters a resistance stage of the stress response, which is started by the CRH, TRH, and GHRH released by the hypothalamus, to be able to respond to stressors over extended periods of time. Compared to the first flight-or-flight reaction, these hormones have a longer half-life and encourage the breakdown of various macromolecules to produce ATP for stress relief. It gives the brain and body the energy it needs to take action. Fight-or-flight gives a burst of energy to take action whether to fight or flee or, in my case, to do the tasks or to delay it. Furthermore, stress eating is another way to alleviate my stress and make me feel better or more productive. Cortisol is released when the body is under stress. Cortisol usually makes a person crave fatty, salty, or sugary foods because it needs a refuel in energy (Cleveland Clinic, 2020). Hence, this may cause weight gain and sluggishness when uncontrolled. I gained a considerable amount of weight during the pandemic because stress eating became my response to stress due to heavy workloads and less socialization with peers and loved ones.
Resources:
Cleveland Clinic. How Stress Can Make You Eat More – Or Not At All (2020, July 1). Cleveland Clinic - healthessentials.