Writing about night – Elizabeth Kay
Night is the time when sabre tooths and cave bears were out and about, and our eyesight was not as well adapted as theirs was. Night is scary, which is probably an evolutionary adaptation for keeping human beings safely in their caves when predators were out and about. These days the most dangerous night-time predators are leopards, crocodiles, vipers and mosquitoes. And other humans. Fear is a natural r esponse that triggers an adrenaline rush and results in the same fight-or-flight response that anger does: your heart rate and breathing quicken, your breathing becomes shallow, you feel flushed, your muscles tense up, you feel shaky, and weak at the knees. With fear, you might also find that you become dizzy or lightheaded, feel nauseous, and experience pain, tightness or heaviness in the chest. Fear causes specific behaviour patterns so that we can cope in adverse or unexpected situations that threaten our wellbeing or survival – like a fire or a physical attack. It’s a familiar emo...