the fight or flight response

• What system is activated when someone encounters a stressor?

  The sympathetic nervous system
• What is the primary hormone released by the adrenal medulla during the fight/flight response?

  Adrenaline
• What are the physiological effects of adrenaline during the fight/flight response?

  • Increased depth of breathing
  • Increased heart rate
  • Pupillary dilation
  • Increased sweat production
  • Decreased salivation
  • Decreased digestion
• Why does the body increase the depth of breathing during the fight/flight response?

  To get more oxygen into the blood for energy
• What happens to heart rate during the fight/flight response?

  It increases to pump oxygenated blood faster
• How does pupillary dilation benefit an individual during a stress response?

  It enhances vision, especially in the dark
• What is the role of sweat production during the fight/flight response?

  To regulate body temperature
• What functions decrease during the fight/flight response?

  Salivation and digestion
• What happens after the stressor has been dealt with in terms of the nervous system?

  The parasympathetic nervous system takes over
• What occurs in the body during the rest and digest stage after a stressor?

  • Decrease in depth of breathing
  • Decrease in heart rate
  • Pupils constrict
  • Increase in salivation
  • Increase in digestion
• What happens to adrenaline levels once the stressor is resolved?

  Adrenaline levels fall