When you go to a theme park, do you head straight for the roller coasters? Well you may be craving
adrenaline. Hi I'm Janice Creneti and this is what is adrenaline. Adrenaline is a substance
in your body, it's a hormone, a neurotransmitter. It's the kind of thing that helps carry information.
Adrenaline is responsible for what you might have heard of as being the fight or flight
response. You know when your best friend is playing a practical joke on you, sneaks up
from behind you and scares you half to death and you feel that tight sensation. And you
feel your blood start to race, well it's your body's way of getting prepared to either fight
or to flee, fight or flight. And adrenaline is responsible for that. Adrenaline primarily
helps more oxygenated blood move to your muscles. Well obviously that's where it's going to
be needed if you are going to run away, using your leg muscles or if you are going to try
to punch somebody using your arm muscles. One of the other things that happens during
an adrenaline rush is that since your oxygenated blood is being directed towards your muscles,
it's pulled away from your skin. That's why you look a little pale. It's also pulled away
from your digestive system which is why you may feel that sort of queasy butterflies in
your stomach feeling. Adrenaline without it you can't fight and you can't flee. And it's
also responsible for a lot of other important functions in your body. I'm Janice Creneti
and this is what is adrenaline.
