Question: why does our heart beat really fast when we get nervous excited?

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  1. Psychologists call this a “fight or flight” response. Our bodies pump adrenaline into the blood, which makes the heart beat faster and other things. This then allows us to run away from danger, or to stand and defend ourselves if running is not an option.

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  2. This response helps us to survive and usually kicks in during situations which we sense are ‘dangerous’, such as being chased by a tiger, giving a speech in public, or trying to impress someone who you think is cute.

    Adrenaline is pumped into the bloodstream from the adrenal glands, which sit just above each kidney. Adrenaline is a hormone (a chemical we produce which affects the way our body functions) that increases heart rate, makes our airways bigger, and allows us to use more stored energy so that our muscles can work harder.
    It’s called the fight-or-flight response because it prepares us to fight the threat, or get away from it really quickly, by pumping more blood around the body, allowing us to breathe in more oxygen, and making more energy available to the muscles.

    This response used to be really important to protect us from predators that were trying to eat us. This sort of threat doesn’t occur too frequently these days, but we still have this response in situations which feel threatening or even exciting. Adrenaline can be helpful in short bursts, but it’s damaging if it hangs around for too long, such as in people who are very stressed and never resolve the threatening situation. An ‘adrenaline rush’ should clear once the situation has been dealt with, but exercise is a helpful way to get rid of it more quickly. Try doing a few push-ups if you’re nervous before giving a speech!

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  3. This is a quite complicated process called as the fight or flight response. If something causes us to be nervous, scared or, excited, adrenaline is released into the body which results in a faster heartbeat and our lungs open up so we can breathe in more oxygen so we can access stored energy to react faster than usual. Whether we decide to face the cause of our nervousness or run from it comes down to how we think.

    This video goes through how and what happens when adrenaline is released into the body. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g25d7_Afmc

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  4. The answers above have it right. Fight or flight. Adrenaline into blood. Prepares body for extreme physical effort. Exactly like when you activate “Maximum Strength” in Crysis. But without the nanomeds. Which don’t really exist.

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