HTH 100 CH. 3 Pt. 1
The Body's Acute Stress Response (Level 1): Exposure to stress of any kind causes a complex series of involuntary physiological responses. List some:
- More blood flows to brain, senses sharpen - Hearing ability increases - Perspiration - Respiration rate increases - Digestive system slows as blood supply is diverted to critical areas - Blood-clotting ability increases - Immune system activity decreases - Pupils dilate to bring in more light - Salivation decreases - Heart rate and blood pressure increase - Liver and fat tissues release energy producing substances (such as glucose) into bloodstream - More blood flows to muscles (muscles tense) - Urine production decreases
Common Physical Symptoms of Stress (Level 2): Sometimes you may not notice how stressed you are until your body sends signals. List some physical symptoms of stress:
- Tension headaches, migraine, dizziness - Oily skin, skin blemishes, rashes, blushing, acne - Dry mouth, jaw pain, grinding teeth, insomnia - Backache, neck stiffness, muscle crampes, fatigue, muscle spasms - Tightness in chest, hyperventilation, heart pounding and palpitations - Stomach ache, acid stomach, burping, nausea, indigestion, butterflies - Diarrhea, gassiness, constipation, increased urge to pee - Cold hands, sweaty hands and feet, trembling
In addition to political, economic, and family pressures there are psychosocial stressors! What are some psychosocial stressors? Psychosocial: relating to the interrelation of social factors and individual thought and behavior.
1. *Adjustment to change*: any change in your routine can cause stress - e.g. first days on campus (moving away from home, lack of privacy, trying to make friends, adjusting to a new schedule) - these keep your body in fight or flight mode! 2. *Relationships* - e.g. conflict among coworkers and management - eg. friends, family, romantic relationships 3. *Frustration and conflict*: whenever there is a disparity between our goals (what we hope to obtain in life) and our behaviors (actions that may or may not lead to these goals) frustration occurs. Conflicts occur when we are faced to decide among competing motives, impulses, desires, and behaviors (e.g. to party or to study, get involved or get good grades) 4. *Overload*: occurs when we are overextended and try, as we might, there are not enough hours in a day to do everything - e.g. may experience depression, sleeplessness, mood swings, anxiety, etc.j - unrelenting stress and overload can lead to a state of physical and mental exhaustion known as burnout 5. *Technostress*: (so much technology that its overwhelming such as receiving an email at all hours of the day) and so many social networks that may lead you to compare your life to another's (Facebook, Instagram, twitter, etc.) 6. *Academic & Money Pressures* - e.g. living in expensive student housing, dressing to look good, buying food and books, paying for transportation, insurance 7. *Hassles*: little stressors, frustrations, and petty annoyances - cumulative hassles add up and increase one's allostatic load - e.g. listening to others monopolize class time, waiting in long lines, hunting for parking, loud music while trying to study - these can trigger a fight or flight response!
What is traumatic stress (a type of distress)?
A result of witnessing or experiencing events like major accidents, war, shootings, sexual violence, assault, or natural disasters. - Effects of traumatic stress may be felt for years after event - May cause significant disability and potentially lead to PTSD
Although stress comes from environment and external sources, it can also be a result of internal/individual factors aka the "baggage" that we carry with us. What are some internal stressors?
1. *Appraisal:* our appraisal of life's demands, not demands themselves, results in stress - appraisal is the interpretation and evaluation of information provided to the brain by stress 2. *Self-Esteem:* yours senses of self-worth and how you judge yourself in comparison to others - you can improve your ability to cope with stress by increasing self-esteem - high stress and low self-esteem has predicted depression and suicidal ideation 3. *Self-Efficacy:* confidence in one's skills and abilities to cope w/ life's challenges - people with high self-efficacy report fewer stress effects - developing self-efficacy is vital to coping and overcoming academic pressures (e.g. by learning to deal with high test anxiety your confidence may increase and test scores improve, leading to better overall performance) 4. *Type A and B personalities:* - Type A personalities: hard-driving, competitive, time-driven perfectionists have increased risk to heart disease due to increased physiological reactivity and prolonged activation of stress response such as high blood pressure and increased heart rate - Type B personalities: relaxed, non-competitive, and more tolerant of others - None of us are wholly type A or B, depends on the situation! 5. *Type C and D personalities:* - Type C: a suppressor who is stoic, denies their feelings, or the existence of problems in their world, conforms to wills of others, and appears calm and in control as their world swirls around them - Type C is more susceptible to illness such as asthma, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune disorders' and cancer - Type D is characterized by tendency towards excessive negative worry and anxiety, lack of patience with others, and a quick temper. Tend to be direct and decisive with an abundance of self-confidence - Type D is often in leadership roles and management positions, are risk takers, and problem solvers, and enjoy being in charge - Type D =s may be up to 8 ties more likely to die of a heart attack or sudden death 7. Psychological Hardiness: indicates that hardy individuals are unique in their control, commitment, and willingness to embrace challenges in life rather than succumb to them - not only are certain individuals hardy, but some seem to thrive on their supercharged lifestyles (at least in short term) - They are psychologically resilient and adapt positively, picking themselves up and recovering quickly from changes, illness, and challenges
Several factors influence one's response to stressors, what are they? (3)
1. *Characteristics of the stressor* - How traumatic it is, if you can control it, if it caught you by surprise, if anything in your life experience has prepared you for it 2. *Biological factors* - e.g. your age, gender, health status, or whether you've had enough sleep 3. *Past experiences* - things that have happened to you, their consequences, and how you felt or responded
There are several types of distress. Name them (4):
1. Acute stress 2. Episodic actue stress 3. Chronic stress 4. Traumatic stress
Stress refers to 2 different things, what are they?
1. Situations that trigger physical and emotional reactions (stressor) 2. The reactions themselves (stress response)
What is episodic acute stress (a type of distress)
A state of regularly reacting with wild, acute stress to various situations - individuals may complain about all they have to do, their lack of sleep, and focus on negative events that may or may not occur - often reactive - may also respond in a hyperactive, chirpy, happy-happy persona as well
What is acute stress (a type of distress)?
A type of distress that comes from demands and pressures of the recent past and near future. - The short-term physiological response to an immediate perceived threat. - usually intense, lasts for a short time, and disappears quickly without permanent damage to health - We react in a certain moment once (short term physiological response) - e.g. when someone cuts in front of us on the freeway, we take action to avoid the car immediately - e.g. Giving rise to an occasion and putting your most charming self forth: Seeing your crush may cause heart to race, muscles to tense, while you appear cool, calm, and collected on outside - e.g. anticipating a class presentation which causes shaking, sweaty hands, nausea, headache, cramping, and forgetfulness
In the General Adaption Syndrome (GAS), what happens in the Resistance Phase?
Adaption resources are mobilized to combat stressor, and body maintains a higher level of resistance - body tries to return to homeostasis by resisting the alarm responses - however, because perceived stressor still exists, body fails to achieve complete calm or rest and instead stays activated or "revved up" at a level that causes higher metabolic rate
In situations where stress is chronic, triggers may reverberate in the body and keep body systems at a heightened arousal state. The prolonged effort to adapt to the stress response leads to what?
Allostatic load, or exhaustive wear and tear on the body - Allostatic load is "the wear and tear on the body" that accumulates as an individual is exposed to repeated or chronic stress.
Several theories have evolved explaining what happens (physiologically and psychologically) when a person experiences or perceives a stressor. One of the most well-developed and respected theories came from the idea that the body's efforts to protect itself from threats is part of what?
An evolutionary process due to ancestors responding to danger by fighting or fleeing (fight or flight response) - now a days it is fight, flight, or freeze!
What is chronic stress (a type of distress)?
An ongoing state of physiological arousal in response to an ongoing or numerous perceived threats - can linger indefinitely and wreak silent havoc (widespread destruction) on your body systems - E.g. caregivers watching a loved one struggle with an illness - E.g. transition to college - E.g. during your first few days at a new job - e.g. The symbolic death of a love relationship gone south, survivors may struggle to balance need to process emotions with need to stay caught up in classes, work, and every day life
What is the definition of a stressor?
Any real or perceived physical, social, or psychological event or stimulus that causes our bodies to react or respond.
In the General Adaption Syndrome (GAS), what happens in the Exhaustion phase?
Body runs out of adaption energy stores for adjusting to stressor and resistance drops below normal - hormones, chemicals, and systems that trigger and maintain the stress response are depleted by oxytocin and the body puts on the stress brakes - beginning to bring your systems back into balance - may feel tired or drained
What are some life effects of stress (level 3)?:
Diseases related to stress: - cardiovascular disease - Weight Gain - Alcohol Dependence - Hair loss - Impaired immunity and libido - Diabetes - Digestive Problems
When stress levels are low, the body is in a state of what?
Homeostasis (aka balance) - all body systems are operating smoothly to maintain equilibrium
What are some intellectual effects of acute stress?
Impairs short-term memory, particularly verbal memory - (Verbal memory consists of remembering terms and what they mean)
What are some intellectual effects of prolonged stress?
May be linked to cortisol (a stress hormone) which shrinks the hippocampus - (Cortisol levels may spike, shrinking the hippocampus) - Hippocampus is involved in the storage of long-term memory, which includes all past knowledge and experiences. - Elevated cortisol levels: interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function and bone density, increase weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease.
What stresses us?
Money - 69% Work - 65% Economy - 61% Family responsibilities - 57% Relationships - 56% Family health problems - 52% Personal health concerns - 51%
What is distress?
Negative stress - more likely to occur when tired, under the influence, under pressure to do well, coping with illness, financial trouble, or relationship problems - e.g. taking an exam or not being able to pay one's monthly bills
What is eustress?
Positive stress - presents the opportunity for personal growth and satisfaction and can improve health - e.g. getting married, the excitement of a first date, or winning a major competition
Why do you always get sick during finals week?
Prolonged stress can compromise the immune system and leave you vulnerable to infection - If you spend exam week in a state of high stress, sleeping too little, and worrying a lot, chances are you will reduce your body's ability to fight off cold and flu viruses
What may be one of the single greatest contributors to mental disability and emotional dysfunction in industrialized nations?
Stress - Studies have shown rates of mental disorder, particularly depression and anxiety are associated w/ various environmental stressors - The high incidence of suicide among college students is assumed to indicate high personal and societal stress in the lives of young people
What is the definition of stress?
The mental and physical response and adaptation by our bodies to real or perceived change and challenges.
What is General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?
The pattern followed in the physiological response to stress consisting of the alarm, resistance, and exhaustion phases - an explanation of the body's internal fight to restore homeostasis when stressed - Dr. Hans Selye
What is adaptive response?
The physiological adjustments the body makes in attempt to restore homeostasis - Stressors trigger a crisis-mode physiological response, after which the body attempts to return to homeostasis by means of an "adaptive response."
In the General Adaption Syndrome (GAS), what happens in the Alarm phase?
The stressor disrupts the body's stability, temporarily lowering resitance - aka "the fight or flight response" - e.g. you hear someone behind you and you walk faster, only to hear the other person walking faster too. Your sense go on high alert, breathing quickens, heart races. You stop, take off your backpack, and prepare to fling it at your would be attacker. You turn around, arms flailing, and scream. The would be attacker screams back, in relief its just one of your classmates trying to stay close out of her own fear of the dark.
In what ways can we respond to a stressful situation?
Through the fight or flight or freeze response - due to evolution
T/F: Stress is not necessarily always bad for you, some stress is healthy!
True!
