Table of Contents
What is the Alarm Stage of Stress?
The alarm stage of stress is the initial stress response commonly referred to as the fight-or-flight stage of stress. More appropriately, it is the fight, flight, or on occasion, the freeze stage of stress. The freeze stage is rather rare, and the effect is when a person is unable to move – they are frozen by fear.
The alarm stage of stress is an autonomic reaction produced by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis intended for survival and instantly engages the sympathetic neuroendocrine system that instantly responds with survival hormones. This results in immediate biochemical changes throughout the mind and body.
The alarm stage of stress can be evoked by an internal or external physical threat such as a bacterial or viral attack or an actual physical attack and also by a perceived or real psychological threat.
Your emotions also affect your stress response and must be considered in stress management. Negative emotions such as hate, envy, fear, sadness, and anger may easily produce an unhealthy individual stress response. The frequency and duration of negative emotions may easily contribute to a plethora of physical or psychological symptoms or manifestations due to the negative effects on your nutritional status.
Physiological changes associated with the Alarm Stage of Stress.
The alarm stage of stress instantly produces psychophysiological changes. Your sympathetic neuroendocrine system takes over and in an instant; your body produces a flood of powerful stress hormones (e.g., adrenaline, aldosterone, cortisol, etc.). You are now in the “fight-or-flight” mode.
Your HPA axis can actually engage prior to conscious awareness of a threat, however, typical changes include:
- Your pupils dilate
- your digestive system slows
- your heart rate increases
- your blood pressure raises
- your glucose levels rise
- your strength increases
- your mental acuity (survival awareness) increases (psychological change)
Keep in mind, myriad other changes happen during the sympathetic neuroendocrine dominance. All of these changes create tremendous demands on your nutritional biochemistry.
Primary biochemical effects of the Alarm Stage of Stress.
The hypothalamus and pituitary of the HPA axis are anatomically and functionally related. Both glands have neural and endocrine functions and secrete many hormones that trigger the adrenals for the stress response.
Once signaled, the adrenal glands are the primary endocrine glands in the stress response. The adrenals produce many hormones that control a multitude of changes in your biochemistry that ultimately produce psychophysiological effects.
In the kidney, aldosterone acts to preserve electrolyte and acid-base balance in response to changes in dietary sodium (Na+ ) or potassium (K+ ) intake.
Johnston JG, Welch AK, Cain BD, Sayeski PP, Gumz ML, Wingo CS. Aldosterone: Renal Action and Physiological Effects. Compr Physiol. 2023 Mar 30;13(2):4409-4491. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c190043. PMID: 36994769. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36994769/
The mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone produced by the zona glomerulosa (the adrenal cortex) is important for regulating sodium and potassium which also affects blood pressure as well. Aldosterone signals the kidneys to absorb more sodium into the bloodstream and release potassium into the urine. Aldosterone also helps regulate the blood pH by controlling the sodium and potassium levels.
The alarm stage of stress is pro-inflammatory due to the excess production of aldosterone. Remaining in the alarm stage produces chronic inflammation and can result in a plethora of symptoms or manifestations.
Keep in mind, the adrenal medulla is simultaneously producing the hormone adrenaline.
Hair Analysis and the Alarm Stage of Stress
A hair analysis can be immensely helpful to reveal the alarm stage of stress because sodium and potassium are two of the elements analyzed. However, it is important to consider many patterns revealed on the results for proper interpretation. This includes toxic elements.
On the graphic results, you will see a sharp increase in the sodium level relative to potassium. Sodium, a stimulatory nutrient, increases through the signaling system from the HPA axis to the adrenals that signal the kidneys to retain sodium.
As sodium increases, it becomes antagonistic toward magnesium (and many other nutrients) and begins to create a deficiency. Magnesium is a stress buffer and a sedative nutrient. This increases the sodium/magnesium ratio and decreases the calcium/potassium ratio.
Other mineral nutrients, through increased retention, utilization, or excretion include potassium, zinc, copper, cobalt, chromium, and selenium. These are both stimulatory and sedative nutrients alike.
A partial list of additional nutrients include vitamins C, D, E, B1, B6, and B12. Because of the dynamics of nutrient interrelationships where every essential nutrient depends on another (cofactors), these in turn, affects amino acids and fatty acids (the 3’s, 6’s, and 9’s).
For example, isoleucine, leucine, and valine are branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) and are more associated with the physical side of stress. Metabolically, they require vitamins B6 and B1. Next, they require copper and B2 derivatives as cofactors. Finally, biotin, magnesium, and alpha-ketoglutarate derived from glutamic acid are required for proper BCAA metabolism. The disruptions of direct and indirect nutrient interrelationships occur throughout all stages of stress.
Lysine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, cysteine, citrulline, and aspartic acid are the amino acids associated with mental or psychological stress. The metabolic functions of these amino acids are further disrupted by the demands placed on their vitamin and mineral cofactors during stress.
In addition, tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, taurine, GABA, N-Acetyl-Carnitine, glutamine, Aspartic Acid, glutamic acid, arginine, glycine, histidine are amino acids that may be compromised by the demands placed on their vitamin and mineral cofactors during the stress response.
Lastly, the alarm stage of stress begins to create potential issues in the nutrient transport systems due to the increased retention of sodium. Sodium is a nutrient transporter independently and in conjunction with other nutrients. The sodium/potassium ratio becomes imbalanced resulting in additional transport issues for cellular health.
As you can see, the alarm stage of stress places tremendous demands on your biochemistry (nutritional status) Are you in the alarm stage of stress?
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Follow the Gazelle!
Nature provides an excellent example of how the stress response “should” unfold. You can follow the gazelle through each stage of stress. We picked the gazelle because we think most people have seen a nature show featuring the gazelle at the watering hole.
As the gazelle is at the watering hole drinking some water, the crocodile makes a sudden lunge toward the gazelle. Instantly, the gazelle experiences the alarm stage of stress.
This is known as the “fight-or-flight” stage of stress. The adrenal response evokes the same response in its neuroendocrine system as it does ours. As such, tremendous demands on its biochemistry ensued as well. If escape was successful, our gazelle will move into the resistance stage of stress.
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