Some of the effects of adrenaline include: These are intended to ensure your survival but can be a problem if you aren’t in a stressful situation. When adrenaline is released, it causes specific reactions in your body. Within minutes of experiencing stress, adrenaline is sent into your blood toward other organs to cause certain responses.Įpinephrine’s effects on your body. Like the other catecholamine hormones, adrenaline is produced in the adrenal glands. This is the fight-or-flight response, at the heart of which is adrenaline. When you experience stress, your heartbeat quickens, you start to sweat, and you feel the need to get away. This isn’t far from the truth, but there’s a little more to the story. You may think of adrenaline as a mysterious chemical that makes you focused and strong enough to lift a car. Increase the amount of blood pumping from your heartĪdditionally, they break down fat and increase blood sugar (glucose) levels to give your body more energy.These two hormones work together in stressful situations to increase blood flow throughout your body. When you yank your hand back from a hot stove or when you find yourself craving something sugary in the candy aisle, that’s dopamine at work.ĭopamine’s roles spread far and wide, including:Ī dopamine imbalance can lead to a loss of motor control (such as Parkinson’s disease), addiction, ADHD, and schizophrenia.Įpinephrine and norepinephrine. This chemical controls your responses to sensory information. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger in your brain. They also play roles in some of your everyday bodily functions. When you experience stress, these two hormones leap into action. Epinephrine (also called adrenaline), norepinephrine, and dopamine make up a small but important hormone family called catecholamines.Įpinephrine and norepinephrine are the hormones behind your “fight-or-flight” response (also called the fight, flight, or freeze response). Epinephrine and norepinephrine have a lot in common.

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