Understanding Survival Traits and Human Fight or Flight Physiology During and After a Car Accident
If you've been in a car accident or any other traumatic event, you've likely felt an extreme sense of urgency take over your body.
That extreme sense of urgency is meant to give you the ability to react quickly to danger.
And maybe after your car accident, you walked away pain-free claiming, perhaps mistakenly, that you haven't suffered any injuries.
Many patients report auto accident injuries arising 2 to 3 days after the incident and often leave a crash reporting no injuries.
What is the science behind this, and does this protect us from harm?
Natural hormones are secreted throughout the body when we undergo a traumatic event.
Car accidents aren't the only thing that can spark this reaction.
Other activities that can induce these chemical reactions are bungee jumping, sky diving, a nail-biting football game, stunts, and even watching a movie or reading a book.
We usually don't think twice about these heightened senses, but when our lives are threatened, we develop an instinctive defense against danger.
Experiencing a car accident certainly qualifies as a catastrophic event.
In the article below, we will discuss our body's response to a car accident and find out what really goes on.
Table of Contents
- Fight or Flight
- What Is Adrenaline
- Physical Side Effects From Adrenaline During a Car Accident
- After Effects of Adrenaline Surge
- Visit An Arrowhead Chiropractor After Your Accident
Fight or Flight
Our "fight or flight" response is triggered when adrenaline is released into the body.
The fight or flight response is a built-in mechanism that dates all the way back to our earliest ancestors.
It allowed them to cope better with dangerous and unexpected situations.
Our blood vessels and air passages dilate so the body can pass more blood to the muscles.
This quickly increases oxygen in the lungs, resulting in a boost in physical performance for short bursts of time.
This happens often after a car accident.
We get a burst of energy that gives us the power and strength to either escape or attack.
Our fight or flight response and the corresponding rush of adrenaline can be intense and used to avoid danger or react quickly during traumatic events.
This is why some people don't feel any pain at the scene of a car accident even after sustaining injuries.
What Is Adrenaline?
Adrenaline is a natural hormone produced by the adrenal glands.
It is secreted throughout the body when we undergo traumatic experiences.
An Adrenaline Rush is an incredibly intense feeling that could include sadness, happiness, or any other intense emotion.
The purpose of this adrenaline is to create a powerful natural reaction, so our bodies have the strength to escape or attack a dangerous threat.
Physical Side Effects From Adrenaline During a Car Accident
There are several physical side effects you can experience from adrenaline after your car accident.
- Tunnel vision often causing threats from the side to disappear from your field of vision
- Tunneled hearing preventing you from hearing attacks or warnings that come from the side
- No feelings of pain
- Heightened senses
- Intense boost of energy
- Increased breathing
- Dilated blood vessels
- Increased blood flow
After-Effects of Adrenaline Surge
What happens when your body begins to come off of the adrenaline rush?
- Your hands can shake, making you feel weak. This is because of the falling blood sugar that was pumped into your system during the adrenaline rush.
- Some people faint when they come off of an adrenaline rush. This fainting is caused by a drop in blood pressure and heart-rate, and should not be confused with the fear response.
- An unexpected release of intense emotion that was suppressed during the adrenaline surge.
Visit An Arrowhead Chiropractor After Your Accident
You should always seek medical attention immediately after a car accident, even if you don't feel discomfort right away.
Your doctor will be able to tell you if you've sustained any injuries, even if you don't feel like you have.
Your doctor can also monitor any symptoms of potential injuries, including red flags to watch out for.
And if you decide to make any personal injury claim after your injury, it's imperative you have documentation of your treatment.
You need to be able to prove that you sought medical help within a reasonable amount of time.
Waiting too long to see a doctor could risk losing your claim due to the fact of insufficient medical care after an accident.
We understand that if you were involved in a vehicle crash and suffered injuries, finding a trusted medical facility can be challenging.
Our Lithia Springs Car Accident Doctor, has a quality team of doctors and chiropractors that have been treating auto accident injury patients for years.
They are well aware of the fight or flight response and will treat car accident patients accordingly.
Our Lithia Springs office can also refer you to the best personal injury attorneys to help you through the difficult legal processes regarding your accident.
We offer free consultations and same-day appointments, click the button below tog et started.
