Stress-Response
Acute Stress Response: Cardiovascular/Respiratory
Purpose: to increase cardiovascular tone to speed delivery of mobilized glucose and oxygen to tissues that need it--heart, skeletal muscle and the nervous system
Activation of the sympathetic division of the ANS lead to release of norepinephrine in tissues and epinephrine (and to a lesser degree norepinephrine) within the bloodstream; these catecholamines mediate increases in cardiovascular tone.
- in crease in breathing rate
- increase in heart rate
- increase in blood pressure
- shunting of blood away from the digestive tract and toward the heart, skeletal muscle and nervous system
- in addition, vasopressin is released from axon terminals in the posterior pituitary and acts to stimulate water reabsorption in the kidney; this increase in blood volume also serves to increase blood pressure