stress hormones
Fight-or-flight chemicals
Stress hormones are chemicals released by the body in response to perceived threats or pressure—primarily cortisol and adrenaline.
They trigger the fight-or-flight response: elevated heart rate, heightened alertness, redirected blood flow.
Chronic stress keeps stress hormones elevated, which can damage health over time.
The term appears frequently in discussions of anxiety, burnout, and modern lifestyle.
- cortisolAdrenal steroid regulating stress
- cortisol levelsHormone concentration indicating stress
- glucocorticoidsAdrenal cortex steroid hormones
- adrenalineEmergency response hormone
- norepinephrineAlertness and stress hormone
anxiety · hypothalamus · burnout · running on fumes · homeostasis · endocrine system · sleep deprivation · cognitive impairment · ACTH · catecholamines · fight-or-flight response · wired · pituitary gland · autonomic nervous system · depression · mental health · sweating · trembling
- stressstrain, stressor, overload, overwhelm, stressors
- hormonesestrogen, testosterone, insulin, hormone, cortisol
- psychoneuroimmunologycortisol, immune function, cytokines, mind-body connection, hypothalamus
- signaling moleculesneurotransmitters, histamine, growth factors, prostaglandins, cytokines
- stress hormonescortisol, adrenaline, epinephrine, norepinephrine, noradrenaline
- exposureschemical exposure, air pollution, pesticides, heavy metals, toxins
stress hormonesoxytocin
Bonding neurotransmitter from hypothalamus
endorphins · serotonin · melatonin · acetylcholine · dopamine