How to get an adrenalin rush (without jumping out of a plane)
Keen to boost your immunity and performance at work? Strap yourself in, hold on tight and get ready for an adrenalin rush.
You know the feeling long before you can put a name to it; your heart is racing, your palms are sweating and you’re breathing in an unusually rapid way.
When adrenalin first courses through your body, the experience can be far from pleasant – but the hormone, which is secreted by the adrenal glands, helps the body react quickly during times of emotional and physical stress.
This is known as the “fight-or-flight” response.
“It’s essentially a large movement of blood to places in the body where it can do the most good in situations where you must run or fight, such as your muscles, or opening up your lungs and getting the heart moving,” psychologist Professor Felicity Allen says.
Why bursts of stress can be good for you
Studies show these occasional bursts of stress can improve performance, suppress pain and boost our immune system.
“We know that when a tiny kitten or puppy is picked up, they feel an enormous amount of stress, but we also know that the kitten or puppy that’s picked up the most often – or is stressed the most often – usually grows up to be the biggest, strongest one of the litter,” Prof Allen, who wrote Health Psychology and Behaviour in Australia, says.
Mindset and behaviour expert Alison Earl says what is important here is how we view stress.
“We tend to have negative views on stress in our society, but a fun fact is that stress will kill you, but only if you think it will,” Alison says.
“Stress, if leveraged effectively, has actually been shown to be a productive driver of performance under pressure, connection with others, and even helps us to grow professionally and personally.”
6 ways to get a dose of adrenalin
1. Take up high-intensity exercise
Adrenalin is known to increase energy in the body by raising sugar levels in the blood, and partaking in high-intensity exercise is a healthy option, Alison says.
“We can leverage High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which involves greater stress on the body but has positive benefits for cardiovascular fitness over moderate intensity training,” she says.
2. Have a cold shower
Fancy starting the day with an ice-cold shower or arctic plunge?
Of course not, but studies show immersion in water at 14 degrees Celsius sent adrenalin surging through the bodies of participants at a substantially higher rate than participants who were immersed in water at 32 degrees.
We’re not suggesting jumping into the swimming pool in winter, but why not consider ending your shower with a final cold blast?
3. Challenge yourself
If the thought of trying something new (public speaking, anyone?) terrifies you, that’s the path you need to follow, psychologist and Headspace mental health expert Carly Dober says.
“Manageable stress includes an element of appropriately challenging yourself,” Carly says.
“While pulling yourself out of your comfort zone will look different for everyone, it could include training for a half marathon, electing to go and study, putting yourself forward for a new job, entering a competition or even hosting a party or event.”
4. Scare yourself silly
Prof Allen recommends hitting a fun fair.
“People love being terrorised on roller-coasters and other rides, to the point where they’ll pay good money for the experience,” she says.
It doesn’t have to be a theme park, of course – you could watch a scary movie or put your hand up for that one thing that truly terrifies you, such as open mic night at the comedy club.
5. Think smart
Your adrenalin-boosting plan doesn’t have to be complicated; studies show drinking a cup of coffee – or two – can trigger a similar rush.
6. Focus on your breathing
There’s no shortage of apps and videos dedicated to boosting adrenalin through rapid breath techniques, or explorative studies being conducted which look at the nature of the relationship between the two.
Practise a few of these breathing methods, but remember to remain mindful of your relationship with stress, good and bad.
“Engaging in regular mindfulness practice will help you to manage the physical and cognitive triggers that occur naturally when good stress or bad stress shows up,” Carly says.
“Many programs such as the Headspace App offer guided practices to help you master this.”
Don’t rely solely on adrenalin
Rather than relying on occasional shots of adrenalin to improve your health, you’re better off thinking about gradual increases in the long term.
“The thing about adrenalin rushes is that people eventually adapt, and you need to keep pushing yourself to find something new,” Prof Allen says.
“If you did 10,000 steps a day of brisk walking, or took up another form of regular exercise, that would be more than enough to keep your body healthy and strong.”
More on positive stress, cold showers and how to breathe:
Written by Dilvin Yasa.
