Adrenal response

[jinasphinx]

I'm on this mailing list for women swordfighters in the SCA. And on it someone recently asserted that when the fight-or-flight reaction is triggered, men "freak out" and take a while to calm down. Whereas women start calm (or maybe it was get calm very quickly), but then after the event is over, we have the freakout (crying). I haven't heard this before; is this from a study, or widely known in sports?

([Edit:] I thought everyone, male or female, felt like crap when they come down off the adrenaline, because you've just used up your entire supply of adrenaline for the day.)

I tried doing a web search but all I keep finding is that damn tend-and-befriend study.

Comments

*scratches head*

[flinx.livejournal.com]

I dunno. Having been both a heavy-fighter (polearms rock!) and a light-fighter (too slow!), I've seen both reaction types in both sexes. Also, with having been something of a hot-dog skier when I was younger (and lighter and more flexible), I've seen the same thing on the slopes, too.

As for the feeling like crap afterwards, it's not because your adrenals just blew out--it's that your body just burned up much of your quick-and-ready sugar stores, your blood pressure's going dramatically back to normal, and blood-flow in your brain is resuming normal patterns. Doesn't matter if the adrenaline is a single huge bolus, a steady trickle, or a series of small peaks. You get jittery afterwards, period.

Admittedly, I'm not an endocrinologist. These are just my observations from my own experiences.

Re: *scratches head*

[jinasphinx.livejournal.com]

Interesting! Thanks for posting. I didn't know you'd done SCA fighting! And you're the closest to an endocrinologist on my friends list. :) My one experience with a big adrenaline rush was when I took one of those self-defense classes where the guy comes out in a giant padded suit. After the class, when the jitters had gone away, I felt very sad. I went home and cried for a while. I also feel sad when my blood sugar's low so your point about burning up sugar stores sounds spot-on to me.

Re: *scratches head*

[flinx.livejournal.com]

Ja, I was a proto-stick-jock whilst in Chicago. Needed something to do to vent frustration. I never got cleared by the marshals for real combat, but I had a lot of fun at practices. Depending on whether or not I get into grad school, I may once again resume activity in the lists... as Lydia's certainly dragging me back into the Society, anyway. Heh. (Incidentally, if you ever see the name 'Pan' Cieszimir Brygant z Obrona, or just 'polish Sasha', that's me. ;-) )

And, yeah, I'm not an endocrinologist, and I certainly recognize that there's a whole biological network in there that I'm not going to even try and touch. There's enough to keep track of in immunology. =-)

But, yeah, most of my info is anecdotal. As waterfaery said below, individuals vary. I know that I've trained myself towards a very calm response, as, for example, it tends to make me a very good driver under crappy conditions (not uncommon in MI winters). Same thing in tight spots in melee or when biking or skiing. I come off as composed, and I really use the heightened awareness to good effect, but when I'm done, I'll be totally drained. Blood-sugar crash, muscle strain, the works.

One of the reasons that I'm not much of a thrill-seeker--I don't get that rush of emotion, as I've trained myself to get it out of the way.