Marie is experiencing the: Sympathomimetic effects (fight-or-flight state).
The sympathetic nervous system is a component of the autonomic nervous system, managing the activity of visceral organs and the automatic functions of the body, such as breathing or beating of the heart. The sympathetic nervous system is involved in many unconscious physiological activities through two neuromodulators of the catecholamine family: adrenaline, but especially norepinephrine (fight-or-flight hormones). * It accelerates the metabolism and is activated for example in case of danger or fear, to prepare the individual to escape. * It affects the cardiovascular system: it increases the heart rate and induces peripheral vasoconstriction, causing an increase in blood pressure. * At the digestive level, it slows the muscular contractions of the intestines but promotes the release of glucose by the liver. * It also has a bronchodilator effect, that is to say, it causes the increase of the diameter of the bronchi.
