Stress

Stress can be miserable. We all experience it. You're probably dealing with some of it now as you study for the test. On that note, instead of stressing, take the time to methodically write out the things you need to still study. Get working on what it is that you need to focus on. Keep in mind that it is almost all multiple choice (no essay this time because I never got to send it out to you)... so you should be OK.

What happens to our bodies physiologially during periods when we are stressed?

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The hypothalamus gets called into action. The hypothalamus is the one to do this, because it gets all sorts of information from our bodies (about both physical and psychological stress). When we are worrying, our brain reports this to our hypothalamus, and then the hypothalamus takes over.

The hypothalamus does the following:

	As the CEO of the autonomic nervous system, it kicks the sympathetic nervous system into action. Sympathetic nervous system activity triggers our fight or flight reaction.
	It also signals the adrenal medulla, which responds by releasing even MORE epinephrine into our bodies.
	It activates the adrenal cortex, too (via CRH to the anterior pituitary, so that the anterior pituitary releases ACTH)... this causes the adrenal cortex to release cortisol. Remember that cortisol is involved in controlling our metabolic activity. Cortisol during stress enables us to have more energy available to respond to any given situation.

If you think about it, that means that the hypothalamus enables us to freak out (through the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal medulla), and to have the energy to continue to freak out (through the adrenal cortex) for a while.

Your book has a pretty good diagram of this in Figure 13.35 .