Fight or flight

• Increased heart rate 


  To speed up the blood flow to vital organs and improve the spread of adrenaline around the body
• Faster breathing rate 


  To improve oxygen intake
• Production of sweat


  To facilitate temperature regulation
• Pupil dilation 


  To improve vision
• Muscle tension 


  To improve reaction time and speed
• Reduced functioning of the digestive and immune systems


  To save energy for prioritised functions such as running
• Amygdala


  A small almond-shaped structure in the temporal lobe that processes emotions, especially fear and anxiety, and triggers the fight or flight response
• Hypothalamus


  A small region in the brain that regulates body temperature, hunger and thirst, and modulates the fight or flight response
• SAM Pathway

  A physiological pathway that triggers the fight or flight response through the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, adrenal glands, and medulla, releasing adrenaline
• CRH


  Corticotropin-releasing hormone produced in the hypothalamus, which stimulates the release of ACTH from the pituitary gland, leading to the release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex
• ACTH


  Adrenocorticotropic hormone produced by the pituitary gland, which stimulates the release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex in response to stress or anxiety