Adrenalina: what it is and what are its effects

Have you seen those guys who appear in commercials for sports brands, climbing up the steep slopes of some mountain, hanging upside down?

Iron Man competitors, mountain bikers, surfers... All of them could be perfectly on the cover of Men's Health, and they seem to have fun doing what they love most (often for money), looking great and enjoying perfect health. What is your secret?

Don't hesitate. It's adrenaline.

What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger

In addition to pure excitement and enjoyment, these types of sports allow you Lose weight, gain strength and flexibility, improve your concentration...

If your closest experience to feeling extreme emotions is running a few extra minutes on the treadmill or summoning up the courage to ask that girl at the gym for an appointment, you'll want to know the nature and effects of adrenaline. But... What exactly is adrenaline?

Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone that appears as the body's response to stress. Centuries ago, in fact, it could make the difference between life and death. Our heightened senses prepared us to fight or to flee.

So, what was originally an instinct for survival, now applies to this type of high-risk sports. An athlete, when participating in a sport or physical activity, releases adrenaline into their circulatory system. This produces a increased energy sent to muscles and their response is to increase their ability to react. This results in an increase in alertness, caused by the excitation of the central nervous system. The body begins to sweat to cool the muscles, and the pupils dilate in an effort to absorb more information from the environment. The athlete is now ready to take action.

When adrenaline is released into the bloodstream, it invariably finds its way to the heart. And this one, when you notice the increase in adrenaline levels, immediately intensifies the rhythm and strength of your heartbeat. The result is a increased blood pressure, which in turn allows a increase in respiratory exchange, making there more oxygen available. The more oxygen reaches your muscles, the better your performance will be.

Better to avoid excesses

However, an excess of adrenaline can have negative consequences for the body. Some of these include high blood pressure, headache, anxiety, nausea, and insomnia.

In fact, there are people addicted to adrenaline, what is known as the Pontius syndrome. This involves an alteration in the perception of danger, which implies that activities involving a high (sometimes excessive) level of risk are perceived as normal.

Therefore, as in any aspect of life and sports activity, we must know how to control adrenaline, to avoid these possible negative effects and take advantage of all its benefits, improve our performance and feel that feeling of euphoria that helps us to enjoy and disconnect from the routine.

Carlos Sainz Karting