When presented with a potentially threatening situation, the sympathetic nervous system — a part of the body’s autonomic nervous system, which regulates bodily functions like the heartbeat, breathing, and blood pressure — responds by triggering a “fight-or-flight response,” releasing the stress hormone cortisol to make the body alert and prepared to face the threat.
Stress causes physiological changes, like a heightened state of awareness, faster breathing and heart rates, elevated blood pressure, a rise in blood cholesterol, and an increase in muscle tension.
