Amygdala and Stress

In the first place, the amygdala gets its name from the Latin word for almond.

You can understand why it's called that.

It mimics the shape of an almond.

Essentially, the dimensions are same.

Amygdale is plural, so you really have two of them.

The amygdala plays a crucial role in our capacity to experience emotions like fear.

The brain is a multifaceted organ with many important tasks, including regulation of fear reactions, hormone secretion, and the generation and storage of emotional memories.

Migdal stimulation causes the heart to race and the release of several hormones if, for example, a saber-toothed tiger suddenly appears behind you when you're out on a stroll.

One may compare the amygdala to an alarm system.

It allows us to respond rapidly whenever danger is detected.

When activated, the amygdala relays warning signals to the prefrontal cortex based on data gathered from the sensory organs (such as the eyes, hearing, and nose).

The warning signal is now sent to the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for either validating it or turning it off.

As you go along, you hear what may be a saber-tooth tiger.

Even though your Migdal is sending warning signals to your prefrontal brain, the sound may not be be dangerous.

When you look back, you see a little cat, and your rational brain immediately shuts off the alert.

Emotionally charged memories are also formed and stored in the amygdala.

In addition to helping us pay attention to our environment, it also reacts to and summons other brain regions to focus on what's going on, so improving the capacity of the rest of the brain to learn.

Now, hyper vigilance, or being always alert, may result from the Amygdalus being continually active, just as anxiety, excessive startle reactions, irritation, and angry outbursts can result from being constantly aware.

Think about the effects on a young person who witnesses repeated acts of violence after experiencing trauma themselves.

Anything external, such as a sound or scent, that serves as a reminder to the body of the initial trauma is considered a danger.

The amygdala is triggered by facial expression, which then alerts the rest of the body and causes the production of hormones.

When a traumatic incident happens, our brain sends a signal to two glands that look like ice cream cones and rest atop our kidneys.

The adrenal glands are responsible for the production of the strong hormones epinephrine and nor epinephrine.

Adrenaline and noradrenaline are two common names for these hormones.

These individuals raise stress-related physiological responses such as heart rate and blood pressure by increasing blood sugar levels. The brain also signals the pituitary gland, a little gland at the base of the brain, to stimulate the adrenal glands into producing cortisol.

Now A hormone with several roles, cortazar serves many purposes.

However, it accomplishes its aims by maintaining a steady level of glucose in the blood, which is used as a source of energy by the body.

Again, cortisol releases glucose from storage to fuel our organs so that we can flee from danger or sprint furiously.

It's like having a full tank of gas dumped into your car all of a sudden.

These marvelous, naturally occurring processes in the human body shine in the face of a brief, intense stressor, such as an assault by a saber-toothed tiger.

However, being in a state of hyper arousal for an extended period of time might cause damage to the same systems you're relying on for protection. Organ system chemicals have been linked to an increased risk of a wide range of health issues, including anxiety. depression difficulties digesting Insulin resistance and hypoglycemia coronary illness disrupted sleep rise in weight Constant stress and trauma in one's surroundings and daily life may have a negative impact on one's long-term health, as can difficulties with memory and focus. Your blood pressure will rise due to stress at work or on the commute home. After our brains have eliminated the threat, our bodies should return to equilibrium and stop releasing stress hormones.

We've established that the stress that doesn't go away may be hazardous to a person's health and well-being in the long run; this is something we need to keep in mind.

It is important to recognize the occurrence of hyper arousal and to provide assistance in a way that reduces the body's natural warning and arousal systems.

Assisting someone who has endured trauma and is now always on edge by doing all you can to reduce anxiety in the face of frightening stimuli may have a profound effect.

The biology of trauma is complex, but it's crucial that we comprehend the physiological processes at play in times of mistrust and trauma, and he did a great job of explaining them here.