The sympathetic nervous system works on the all-or-nothing principle. In other words, when it becomes active, the whole system takes action and reacts. Parasympathetic and sympathetic etc. are like brothers sitting at the end of the seesaw. When one goes down, the other goes up. In other words, either all symptoms are felt or no symptoms are felt; It is very rare for there to be a change in only a certain part of the body. This explains why there are many symptoms in a panic attack, not just one or two. One of the most important effects of the sympathetic nervous system is the secretion of two chemicals called adrenaline and noradrenaline from the adrenal glands. These two chemicals are then used by the sympathetic nervous system to maintain its activity, so the anxiety response continues to increase for a while after it begins. The rapid functioning of the sympathetic nervous system is slowed down in two ways. The first is the elimination of adrenaline and noradrenaline by other chemicals in the body. Secondly, the parasympathetic nervous system (which generally has the opposite effect of the sympathetic nervous system) becomes active and creates the feeling of relaxation again. It is very important to know that the body will eventually find this flight-fight response sufficient and will activate the parasympathetic nervous system, resulting in a feeling of relief. In other words, anxiety does not last forever or gradually increase to a level that can harm the person. Another point that should not be forgotten is that the elimination of chemical messengers adrenaline and noradrenaline is achieved within a certain period of time. Therefore, even if the danger passes and the sympathetic nervous system stops reacting, you may feel anxious and excited because these chemicals will remain in your body for a while. Keep in mind that this is an absolutely natural and harmless situation. In fact, this situation even has an adaptive function, because in the primitive wild life where humans emerged, the danger was like a dangerous animal that frequently reappeared, and therefore it is necessary for the organism to continue the escape-fight response for a while in order to be ready for the danger that arises again.
Activity in the sympathetic nervous system increases heart rate and strength. This allows more oxygen to be sent to the tissues and the breakdown products formed in the tissues to be removed more quickly. Therefore, in cases of severe anxiety or panic, the heart beats excessively. In addition to this increase in activity in the heart, there are also changes in blood flow. Basically, blood is transferred from areas where blood demand is reduced (by constriction of blood vessels) to areas where it is needed more (by widening of blood vessels). For example, blood is withdrawn from the skin, fingers and feet. Clotting cells increase. This has another special benefit because if the organism is attacked or cut, the risk of bleeding to death is reduced. Therefore, during anxiety, the skin becomes pale, cold, and fingers and toes become cold and sometimes numbness and tingling occur. In addition, blood is directed to large muscles such as the calf and arm muscles that will provide movements in order to prepare the body for movement. During the flight-fight response, there is an increase in respiratory rate and depth. This is very important for the defense of the organism, as tissues need more oxygen as they prepare for movement. However, due to this increased breathing, symptoms of shortness of breath, shortness of breath, feelings of suffocation, and even chest pain and constriction are felt. Most importantly, if the person is not in motion at that moment, the most important side effect of this increased respiratory rate is a decrease in the amount of blood flowing to the brain. Although this condition, which does not pose any danger, occurs only with a small and insignificant decrease in blood flow, it causes some disturbing (but not harmful) symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, drowsiness, feeling of detachment from the environment, and flushing. The emergence of the flight-fight response also increases sweating. In addition to making this skin more slippery and difficult to hold, it serves a very important adaptive function by cooling the body and preventing it from overheating. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system also causes many other symptoms that do not cause any harm: For example, the pupils dilate to receive more light, which causes blurred vision. Dry mouth occurs as a result of decreased saliva secretion. The functioning of the digestive system slows down, abdominal pain A feeling of nausea arises, and even constipation may occur. Finally, in order to prepare for escape and fight, many muscle groups of the body contract, which generally causes tension, pain in various places, and tremors. The neck and shoulder muscles contract the most and fibromyositis develops.
In general, the flight-fight response increases the metabolism of the whole body. For this reason, hot and cold flashes are felt, because as a result of this process, a lot of energy is lost and the person may feel tired, exhausted and exhausted. As previously mentioned, the flight-fight response prepares the body to attack or flee. Therefore, it is not surprising that the person experiences a great desire to escape or aggression along with this reaction. When this is not possible (due to social restrictions), these urges may manifest themselves as walking around, stamping their feet, or yelling at people. In general, what is experienced are feelings caused by being stuck in a corner and the need to escape. There is a sudden and automatic shift in attention to detect sources of danger in the environment. When a person is anxious, it becomes difficult to focus on daily tasks.
Anxious people often complain about not being able to concentrate on their daily tasks and experiencing forgetfulness. Sometimes, people experiencing anxiety may not have a clear source of threat. But many people cannot accept that there is no explanation for things. Humans are creatures that think and find reasons. Therefore, when they cannot provide a clear explanation for their symptoms, most people turn to themselves and try to find an explanation. In other words, “if there is nothing I can feel anxious about, there must be something wrong with me-my body.” In this case, the brain invents a new explanation such as "I must be dying, I am losing control, or I must be going crazy." According to the real data given to us by science, this is an explanation that is far from the truth.
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