Reactions to intense anxiety and fear

Fear is one of the earliest and most basic human emotions. Both fear and anxiety are the body's own way of signalling threat and danger. Our bodies show different reactions but here are the most common ones.

• Increased sweat production by the sweat glands  

• The heart beats faster and pumps out more blood 

• Excessive or underactive salivation
  

• Pupils dilate
  

• Digestion slows down or stops
  

• The brain secretes the hormone adrenaline
  

• The brain puts the body's sensory organs on alert
  

• The brain distributes blood to the limbs and organs with vital functions
  

• Increased secretion of blood sugar
  

• Faster breathing or difficulty breathing. Increased oxygen uptake and widened nostrils with faster breathing.

Hasan Durna