What Is an Adrenaline Rush?
Adrenaline (also called epinephrine) is a hormone made mostly in your adrenal glands. Your body releases it into your bloodstream within a couple of minutes of a stressful situation. This triggers your body's fight-or-flight response, which gets your body ready to cope with the situation. A quick release of adrenaline is called an adrenaline rush.
Some activities, like skydiving and bungee jumping, can give you an adrenaline rush. Competitions in athletic sports can also give you this rush of epinephrine. This feeling either excites you or amps up your anxiety for whatever event you’re facing.
Adrenaline vs. cortisol
Both adrenaline and cortisol are made in your adrenal glands and released into your blood when you have a stressful experience. But your body releases these different hormones at different times. Your body releases adrenaline at the beginning of your stress response, and it's main effect is to speed up your heart rate and raise your breathing rate and blood pressure. This helps get your body ready to fight or run.
Your body releases cortisol after adrenaline, when the immediate thrill is over but you still need to cope with the situation. Cortisol affects nearly every organ system in your body, so it has a lot of effects. But one of them is to make your liver to release it's stored sugar so you have the energy you need to fight or run.
Adrenaline Rush Symptoms
When you have an adrenaline rush, you may have any of the following symptoms:
- Increased heart rate
- Increased breathing rate
- Sweating
- Reduced ability to feel pain
- Heightened senses
- Increased strength and athletic performance
- Dilated pupils
- Feeling jittery, nervous, or anxious
You may feel these symptoms for up to an hour after the stressor or danger has passed.
What Happens During an Adrenaline Rush
If you perceive something that's dangerous or stressful in your environment, a part of your brain (called the amygdala) that helps process stressful emotions sends a signal to your hypothalamus. Your hypothalamus is the hormonal control center of your body. It then sends a hormone signal to your adrenal glands.
Your adrenal glands are two pyramid-shaped glands that sit above each of your kidneys in your mid-back. They make and release a number of hormones that help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, some of your sex characteristics, and your stress response. One of these hormones is adrenaline.
Effects of Adrenaline
Adrenaline makes your blood vessels contract to direct your blood to major muscle groups, including your heart and muscles. Adrenaline helps you cope with a stressful and potentially dangerous situation by getting your body ready to think and act quickly. It does this by:
- Enlarging your pupils to improve your vision by letting in more light
- Increasing your heart rate so more oxygen is delivered to other parts of your body
- Relaxing your airway so you can take more oxygen into your lungs
- Slowing your digestion so you don't waste energy trying to digest food in the middle of a crisis
- Releasing stored energy from your liver so you have a quick source of energy for your muscles
- Increasing your mental concentration
How an Adrenaline Rush Works
When the adrenaline in your blood reaches the cells in your sympathetic nervous system, smooth muscles, and some of your organs, it binds to special receptors on the surface of these cells. This causes the receptor cell to release a message-amplifying molecule it was holding called cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). cAMP rapidly spreads the signal throughout the cell, and this causes the symptoms of an adrenaline rush, depending on which cells it has been activated in.
For instance, when adrenaline binds to smooth and cardiac muscle cells, it causes them to contract, which:
- Keeps most of your blood circulating to your heart, lungs, central nervous system, and the large muscles in your arms and legs
- Increases your blood pressure and heart rate
- Increases the amount of blood your heart moves with each contraction
- Increases how much oxygen your body uses
- Increases your ability to burn fat
- Increases your body temperature
- Makes your liver release stored blood sugar for a quick source of energy
- Slows down your digestion so more blood can go to your heart, lungs, and other muscles
When adrenaline binds to the cells in your central nervous system, it helps increase your attention, alertness, vigilance, and cognition. Adrenaline also seems to temporarily reduce your ability to perceive pain.
How to Get an Adrenaline Rush?
Some ways to experience an adrenaline rush include:
- Skydiving
- BASE jumping, cliff jumping, or bungee jumping
- Rock climbing
- Zip lining
- Snowboarding
- White water rafting
You may also have an adrenaline rush if you have:
- A panic attack
- A traffic accident
- A scary experience, such as watching a horror movie or going to a haunted house
Negative Effects of Adrenaline
The sudden onset of stress and excess stress hormones released in your body can have negative effects, including:
- Agitation or irritability
- Anxiety or nervousness
- Headaches
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Chest pain
- Heart rhythm changes, including irregular heartbeat, palpitations, increased heart rate
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar
- Tremors
- Muscle weakness
- Inability to sleep
The physical and emotional stress placed on your body and heart can be damaging to your heart. A condition known as broken-heart syndrome happens when the blood flow to your heart is reduced because of intense emotional distress.
How to Control Adrenaline
Some ways you can help calm yourself after an adrenaline rush include:
Practice your favorite breathing technique.
Breathing techniques work by stimulating your vagus nerve. Your vagus nerve is part of your parasympthetic nervous system that helps regulate your heart rate, digestion, and mood. Your parasympathetic nervous system does the opposite of what your sympathetic nervous system does. You can help calm yourself by stimulating your parasympathetic nervous system. Examples of breathing techniques include:
- Box breathing. You can do this standing up, but your best bet is to sit down with your spine straight and your chest open. Roll your shoulders back to help with this. Inhale for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, and exhale for a count of four. Repeat this cycle for a couple of minutes or until your heart rate drops and you feel more relaxed.
- 4-7-8 breathing. Sit down with your chest open. Inhale for a count of 4, hold this breath for a count of 7, and then exhale for a count of 8. Repeat this cycle for 2-5 minutes.
- Alternate nostril breathing. Sit down with your chest open. Rest the ring finger and thumb of one of your hands on either side of your nose, next to your nostrils. Use your thumb to close the closest nostril and inhale slowly through your open nostril. Hold your breath for a moment while you use your ring finger to close the other nostril and remove your thumb to open the first nostril. Exhale slowly through your open nostril, then inhale slowly and hold your breath while you use your thumb to close the closest nostril and remove your ring finger to open your second nostril. Inhale slowly through your open nostril and repeat the cycle for about 10 minutes.
Listen to calming music or nature sounds.
Music that many people find relaxing include traditional Native American, Celtic, and Indian stringed instruments. Instrumental music featuring light jazz, classical, or easy listening music along with sounds or rain, thunder, and other nature sounds may also be relaxing. Many channels on YouTube will make playlists with relaxing music and nature sounds available. You can also try the music resources on your meditation app.
Take a walk, especially if it's in a relaxing place, like a park or nature trail.
Enjoy a chat with a friend or family member.
Takeaways
The symptoms you have after experiencing a stressful or potentially dangerous situation is called an adrenaline rush. It may make you breathe heavily, your heart race, and your palms sweat. The feeling can be exhilarating because it can help increase your attention, alertness, and cognition. Some people seek out an adrenaline rush by engaging in extreme sports, such as bungee jumping and sky diving. Too much adrenaline can lead to anxiety, headaches, and changes in your heart rate and blood pressure. You can help control the effects of adrenaline by practicing breathing techniques, listening to relaxing music, walking, or having a nice chat with a friend.
Adrenaline Rush FAQs
Why do I get an adrenaline rush at night?
If you're awakened by an adrenaline rush, it may be that you were dreaming about something stressful or dangerous that triggered a stress response. Or if you're having trouble sleeping, it may be that you had a stressful day, but are only allowing yourself to feel the emotions as you lay down to sleep. To calm yourself and get to sleep, try practicing a breathing technique, listening to music, journaling, doing some gentle stretching, or meditating.
Why do I like adrenaline rushes?
In some people, an adrenaline rush can make your brain release special chemicals called dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine and serotonin are neurotransmitters that are involved in regulating your mood. When dopamine and serotonin are released, you may feel a sense of wonder, freedom, and purpose that is pleasant. If this describes you, an adrenaline rush may help you release tension, regulate your emotions, and feel peace-of-mind.