Adrenaline

I'm up early this morning. On one hand, that's a good thing because I "think" best in the mornings and seem to get more accomplished on my to-do list. On the other hand, I only had about 4 hours of good sleep and I have a long and packed day ahead of me. I know that around 3:00 or 4:00 this afternoon, I'll be wanting a nap and won't be able to partake of that luxury today. Why does this always seem to happen? When our schedule for the day is quite full and our bodies haven't had the adequate amount of rest needed to get through the tasks. How much of our lives do we operate on adrenaline?

When I was younger, this sleep deprived/active lifestyle phenomenon seemed to be the norm for me. College (all 10 years of it) consisted of all nighters, studying, writing papers, or completing projects that I waited until the last minute to do. It also consisted of partying with friends and experiencing inebriation on a week night, merging into the next morning. We would then attend that 8:00 am class with red eyes, brain fog, and remnants of alcohol on our breath, no matter how much we gargled with mouthwash (actually it seem to exude from our pores).

But, there's a lot to be said for adrenaline and I, for one have subsisted on its unique qualities for many years. It seems to kick in when we're doing something we love or something we have to do! I doubt it can be measured scientifically, easily anyway, as it deals with brain.....stuff. (I know.....I have a scholarly vocabulary). Nonetheless, whatever it is...it's good stuff.
It's actually a hormone that we naturally produce, via our adrenal gland, when we are in high-stress or physically exhilarating situations. Isn't that cool? To know we have a natural drug in our bodies that kicks in when we need it and we don't even have to pay for it? According to our textbook information on the term "fight or flight," we've been using this awesome drug since we had to fend off wild animals from killing us. Then, there was the "turning the tables" condition of using our adrenaline to actually kill wild animals in order to eat. According to wiseGeek.com, adrenaline is "an early evolutionary adaptation to allow better coping with dangerous and unexpected situations. With dilated blood vessels and air passages, the body is able to pass more blood to the muscles and get more oxygen into the lungs in a timely manner, increasing physical performance for short bursts of time." Huh....it gets even cooler, right?
Whatever adrenaline is, be it scientific, physical, or even spiritual, I know I'm going to be depending on it's effects for the remainder of the day and possibly throughout my life. In fact, I am quite enamored by the fact that this incredible marvel will be accompanying me whenever I need it. It's just one more gift we've been given from mother nature. Now, for that third cup of coffee......