By Girish Linganna
Apr 19: In critical situations that pose a threat to one's life, the body instinctively activates its biggest and quickest muscle fibers. This is done to generate the necessary sudden, powerful movements.
A teenager summons the strength to hoist a Volkswagen, freeing his trapped neighbor. A mother musters unthinkable force to repel a polar bear threatening her offspring. A young woman manages to lift a heavy tractor to rescue her father. Such extraordinary acts of strength stem from an adrenaline surge, tapping into the body's emergency reserves and muscular potential that are typically reserved for situations of intense stress.
A young man in India channels his sheer force to shift a massive boulder that has entrapped his friend during a rockslide in the Himalayas. This display of extraordinary human strength is driven by an adrenaline-fueled transformation, unlocking deep reserves of muscular power usually dormant until a life-or-death situation arises.
These instances of remarkable strength, often referred to as "hysterical strength," are difficult to research in a controlled environment because it could put people at risk. To understand this phenomenon better, neuroscientists study the well-known fight-or-flight reaction and the stress-related processes in the brain and body that power these intense bursts of strength.
Our body's quick-reaction systems come from a time when our early ancestors had to fight off or run away from dangers like saber-toothed tigers. These systems have changed over time. Now, we experience milder versions of these reactions in everyday events, such as receiving an upsetting text fron a loved one , hitting the brakes when an animal jumps in front of our car, or getting nervous about speaking in front of a crowd.
Marc Dingman, who is an associate professor of biobehavioral health at The Pennsylvania State University, explains to National Geographic, that we're experiencing the same stress reaction we used to have in dangerous situations, but nowadays, it happens more often in everyday events that aren't life-threatening.
Andrew Huberman, a renowned researcher and neuroscientist at Stanford Medicine, told National Geographic that our body's automatic response system is like a scale. At one end, you have extreme panic and the body's reactions to it, he says, and at the other end, there's a state as inactive as a coma.
Biological reactions to stress can vary widely, from the more commonly experienced symptoms such as a loss of appetite or difficulty sleeping to the less well-known phenomena. An example of a less common response is "hysterical strength," a situation where individuals display extraordinary physical power in high-stress situations.
"Extreme Stress Power Surge"
Hysterical strength refers to the incredible and unexpected physical power that some people have shown during intense moments of stress. As explained by E. Paul Zehr, a neuroscience professor at the University of Victoria in Canada, to National Geographic, this kind of strength goes beyond what we usually think a person can do and can't be replicated when things are calm.
This incredible strength can happen when people face life-threatening situations, like falling into icy water, being attacked, getting stuck under something heavy, or during a serious disaster.
According to Massimo Testa, a sports medicine doctor with Intermountain Medical Group in Utah, as mentioned to National Geographic, this amazing burst of power can also happen when someone is trying to save another person in trouble, not just when they're in danger themselves.
During these intense situations, studies reveal that our brains and bodies work together in amazing ways. The brain sends signals through special chemicals, triggering the release of hormones that help our muscles become stronger and send more blood to the parts of our body that need it most to handle the crisis.
To help the body reach a highly alert state, energy usually spread across various functions like hunting and processing food, overseeing reproductive wellness, or controlling body temperature is redirected to prioritize immediate survival needs.
According to Huberman, every living creature, including humans, typically reacts to stress in one of three simple ways: hold steady, advance, or retreat. All these reactions need energy, but it's the "fight or flight" choices that demand the most effort, channeling all focus towards a single goal.
Huberman explains that when you're in this heightened state, you perceive time at a much faster pace and begin to process moments in finer detail. You absorb a lot more information than usual, and you do it rapidly.
In a conversation with National Geographic, Gordon Lynch from the University of Melbourne's Centre for Muscle Research points out that intense stress can unlock a higher level of muscle strength than we usually access. Generally, we operate with just a fraction of our muscles' possible strength, leaving a vast amount of our muscular potential untapped.
Studies indicate that our muscles have built-in protections to keep them from being overworked. Lynch clarifies that in an emergency, these protective mechanisms can be bypassed. This allows for the immediate use of the biggest and quickest muscle fibers, which are necessary for sudden, powerful movements, letting the muscles reach their full potential.
The Role of Hormones
The fight-or-flight response is triggered by the amygdala, which is a part of the brain that assesses experiences based on their emotional significance. Donald Katz, a psychologist and neuroscientist at Brandeis University, explained to National Geographic that when the amygdala detects something stressful, it quickly alerts the hypothalamus. This communication sets off the body's readiness to either confront the challenge or escape from it.
The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped structure located deep within the brain, specifically in the temporal lobe.The temporal lobe is one of the four main lobes of the brain, situated on the sides of the brain, above the ears. The amygdala plays a crucial role in processing emotions, especially fear and aggression. It helps us recognize and respond to potential threats and is involved in the formation of memories related to emotional experiences.
The hypothalamus, located at the base of the brain, serves as a crucial link between the nervous and endocrine systems. It regulates various bodily functions such as temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep, hormone production, as well as controlling the autonomic nervous system. This system has two parts: the sympathetic system, responsible for our "fight or flight" response, and the parasympathetic system, which promotes relaxation and rest. Like a boss, the hypothalamus gives instructions to keep our bodies running smoothly, including heart rate, digestion, breathing, and overall balance.
These systems handle important tasks like controlling our heart rate, breathing, and blood flow. They make sure our cardiovascular system works well, regulate our respiratory performance, and manage the widening and narrowing of blood vessels and airways in our lungs. Think of them as the managers overseeing these vital functions to keep our bodies functioning smoothly.
When the hypothalamus triggers a stress response, it releases chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. These messengers travel throughout the body and send a signal to the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys. The adrenal glands then get ready to respond to the stress. It's like the hypothalamus sounding an alarm, and the adrenal glands preparing to deal with the situation.
This triggers a quick release of the hormones adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine).
According to Holly Blake, a professor of behavioral medicine at the University of Nottingham Medical School in England, speaking to National Geographic, this release of hormones boosts heart rate and blood pressure, opens up airways for increase oxygen intake, and tightens blood vessels. This directs more blood to key muscles in the heart and lungs.
The release of these hormones also sharpens your senses like touch, sight, and hearing. This helps you react more effectively to sudden changes around you.
Adrenaline can temporarily lessen how much pain you feel. Mihail Zilbermint, a doctor and the director of the endocrine hospitalist program at Johns Hopkins Medicine, told National Geographic that adrenaline can block the pathways that send pain signals through the brain and spinal cord. Additionally, a rush of endorphins, which are natural painkillers, often plays a role in this process.
Endorphins are natural chemicals in your body that help relieve pain and boost happiness, making you feel good during activities like exercise and stress.Endorphins are released by the pituitary gland and the central nervous system.The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain, and the central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord, running from the head down the spine.
These hormones can lead to muscle strains or injuries during intense stress because they suppress your normal pain signals. Huberman explains that typically, your body's pain signals help protect you. However, when these signals are blocked, you might not notice if you tear a muscle or dislocate a shoulder because your focus is on protecting yourself or others from serious danger.
How Stress Responses Impact Everything
When we face intense emergencies, our bodies produce stress hormones that can help us react quickly and survive. However, even in everyday situations, we still release a little bit of these hormones.
According to Huberman, the way our bodies respond to stress varies. If someone is slightly stressed, they'll experience a mild version of this response. However, in a full-blown panic, the body's reaction is much more intense.
Research indicates that stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline are frequently released in many of us. Melissa Leber, a physician and director of Emergency Department Sports Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, explained to National Geographic that adrenaline is produced in response to stress. This can happen during a sports event, a performance, a significant test or presentation, during a conflict, or when the body is fighting an illness or infection.
Cortisol is a hormone that helps your body manage stress. It is produced in the adrenal glands, which are small organs located above your kidneys. This hormone helps control your mood, motivation, and fear.
Some people experience stress more often than others, which means they tend to have stress responses more frequently and more intensely.
According to Huberman, people with stressful jobs or those who often don't get enough sleep are more likely to be constantly feeling both tired and stressed out, compared to those who don't face these issues.
Zehr explains that extreme athletes, like those who participate in endurance or power sports, tend to activate their stress systems more intensely and for longer durations than most people typically do.
Lynch notes that while stress hormones can offer short-term advantages, their frequent and prolonged presence in our system can cause long-term issues. He explains that although these hormones are necessary for our bodies to respond to various situations, too much of them can ultimately be detrimental.
The Effects of Severe Stress
Lynch points out that long-term stress, which keeps levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol high, can damage the body's organs and systems, resulting in harmful health effects. Common problems caused by chronic stress include high blood pressure, sleep issues, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
Huberman notes that stress can influence the part of your brain responsible for memory. In short-term, high-stress situations, like those involving fight-or-flight responses, it might enhance memory because your brain aims to remember how to evade similar future scenarios. However, he warns that prolonged, ongoing stress can greatly weaken your memory over time.
At its most extreme, the stress response, which includes phenomena like hysterical strength and the urge to fight or flee, can result in particularly troubling effects.
Zehr explains that 'hysterical strength' occurs when the body bypasses its normal safety limits, which can be extremely dangerous. He notes that if we operated at our maximum capacity all the time, our lives would likely be much shorter.
Blake mentions that when our bodies release too much adrenaline in response to a perceived threat that doesn't actually occur, it can lead to symptoms like dizziness, sleeplessness, and a jittery feeling. In more severe cases, it can even harm the heart.
When extreme stress responses are linked to trauma, a person might develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can affect them for a long time.
Huberman points out that even if someone doesn't have PTSD, recovering emotionally from a high-stress reaction can be difficult. The fight-or-flight response turns on very quickly, but it takes much longer to calm down. Some people might continue to dwell on the experience for hours or even days afterward.
People affected this way might find it hard to focus, have changes in their appetite, and struggle with sleeping well at night.
Huberman notes, "We're human, and there are times when we're stressed that we simply can't switch it off."
(The author Girish Linganna of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach out to him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)