Adrenaline is a hormone that increases heart rate and dilates airways in response to stress. Humans evolved to use it to act quickly under pressure, and some actively seek out activities that stimulate this response, such as sports, extreme sports, certain foods, and some computer games.
Adrenaline, or epinephrine, is a hormone that dilates an individual’s airways and increases their heart rate when faced with a stressful situation. The hormone is secreted by the adrenal glands to help ensure survival in dangerous situations. Many people come to enjoy the surge of energy that comes with an adrenaline rush and actively seek out activities that will stimulate this stress response. Participating in sports, eating certain foods, or playing some computer games can all increase this hormone.
Humans most likely evolved the ability to use adrenaline to act quickly and effectively under pressure or danger. This hormone is the key trigger of the “fight or flight” response that is activated when an individual is faced with immediate danger, such as potential violence or personal injury. Some people actively seek out extremely stressful situations to feel the rush associated with this experience. They may enjoy activities such as driving fast cars, engaging in heated debates, or studying martial arts.
Participation in sporting activities is a well-documented method of increasing hormone levels. The fast-paced action of popular sports like soccer, basketball, and lacrosse is similar enough to fight-or-flight emergencies to cause the body to produce adrenaline. Other action junkies satisfy their need for racing by engaging in extreme sports like surfing, snowboarding, motocross, and rafting.
An individual can also increase the amount of the hormone his adrenal glands secrete under stress by including certain foods in his diet. Diets particularly high in protein and caffeine will increase the amount released during stressful situations. Individuals who prefer to stay in perpetual fight flight mode throughout the day will find they have a craving for excess sugar to provide for the next perceived emergency. Including healthy proportions of fresh vegetables and fish or chicken will ensure that a person has the proper nutrients available to balance the metabolism after reacting to an emergency situation.
In addition to diet, sports and dangerous situations, there are a handful of other methods of increasing adrenaline in the human body. Many computer games have been shown to simulate the types of real-world situations that cause release into the human body, especially first-person shooters, sports games, and popular multiplayer RPGs.
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