What is stress? stressor stress response physical responses to stress somatic nervous system autonomic nervous system norepinephrine

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1 What is stress? 1. Situations that trigger physical and emotional reactions stressor 2. The reactions themselves stress response so stress just describes the general physical and emotional state that accompanies a stress response physical responses to stress 2 systems in your body control our physical response to stressors: the nervous system and the endocrine system the nervous system brain, spinal chord, nerves somatic nervous system things under your control autonomic nervous system unconscious nervous system o ex. Digestion, breathing o parasympathetic in action when you are relaxed helps you digest food, store energy, and grow o sympathetic activated during times of arousal exercise, pain, fear, etc use neurotransmitter norepinephrine (also called noradrenaline) uses it to get out your stored energy and use it the endocrine system triggered by the sympathetic nervous systm system of glands tissues and cells releases hormones and prepares body to react to a stressor working together fight or flight reaction (sir walter cannon) the mind registers that you are facing a threat and activates the sympathetic nerve system the message goes to the endocrine system and causes a release of key hormones like cortisol (or hytocortisone), and epinephrine hormones trigger psychological changes like: o heart + respiration rates accelerate to increase O2 flow o hearing/vision become more accurate o liver releases extra sugar into the blood stream to boost energy o perspiration increases to cool the skin o brain releases endorphins chemicals that can inhibit or block pain Physical changes vary in intensity but the same physical reactions occur in response to both positive and negative stressors o Positive ex a job promotion or working out (eustress) o Negative writing an exam when you re scared of them (distress) the return to homeostasis parasympathetic division restores homeostasis because it calms you down once the stressful situation is over this is your body repairing itself so its ready for the next thing that s thrown at it sometimes our bodies prepare us for disaster even when we don t realize it! Emotional and behavioral responses to stressors factors that reduce severity of stress response: successful prediction and perception of control effective/ineffective responses anxiety depression and fear are common controlled by the somatic nervous system effective prevention o ex. Laughing more, doing yoga, things you can improve in every day life ineffective over reaction, drug/alcohol abuse tend and befriend another way that people can respond to stress (in a nurturing way instead of a distressed way) depends on bodily functions oxytosin in women but also in men, is a product of stress (social factor)

2 personality and stress personality sum of cognitive, behavioral and emotional tendencies effects how people react to stressors personality types o type A competitive, controlling, impatient higher stress levels more trouble coping with stress studies show that this personality could increase risk of heart disease o type b relaxed less frustrated o type c difficulty expressing emotion feelings of hopelessness and despair exaggerated response to minor stressors o type d distressed feel but don t express negative emotion anxious and worry a lot expressing emotions is beneficial, not expressing them is problematic using expression in a way to exaggerate stress is unhealthy though hardiness personality trait that allows you to deal with stress (see stress as a challenge not a burden) resilience social and academic success in at-risk populations like low income families and those with disabilities o nonreactive resilience a person does not react to stressor o homeostatic resilience a person may react strongly but returns to baseline quickly o positive growth resilience a person learns and grows fom the stress experience its unlikely that you can change your personality to become more stress resistant but you can develop better coping strategies! Cultural background Clashing of cultures can be a big source of stress for students Different cultures learn to deal with things differently Learning to accept and deal with other cultures around you can help you be less stressed Gender Gender role the things our culture expects of us based on our gender some coping mechanisms for stress may be acceptable for one gender and not another (ex. Boys don t like to cry) expected gender roles can be a cause of stress Experience Past experiences effect how you deal with stress today Fun fact: 47% of Canadian university students feel unter strain The stress experience as a whole Table 3.1 page 70 symptoms of excess stress The more intense the emotional response, the stronger the physical response Basic stress strategies: Building greater social support through relationships Participating/contributing to family and community Setting higher but realistic expectations for yourself Building life skills like communication, decision making and conflict management Avoiding the urge to control the outcome of everything Knowing your limits Trusting others

3 Stress and health More then 75% of Canadians are stressed at least once a month Many theories have come about that try to explain the relationship between stress and disease General adaptation syndrome (GAS) This is a response to stressors There are pleasant stressors and unpleasant stressors Eustress reaction triggered by pleasant stressor Distress reaction triggered by unpleasant stressor Alarm o in the middle of flight-or-fight stage so person is getting their bodies ready for crisis o can experience indigestion, headaches, disrupted eating/sleeping in this stage o drop in our bodies homeostasis resistance o with continued stress, body develops more resistance to injury and stress new lever=l of homeostasis o person can cope with normal life and added stress at this stage exhaustion o first 2 stages involve lots of energy so if the stress keeps happening the body will become exhausted o life threatening state o low resistance to disease o symptoms disorganized thinking and distorted perception other 3 rd stage recovery o where we don t see a huge drop in resistance coping criticisms o assigns limited role to psychological factors o assumes that responses to stress are uniform Allostatic load Long term wear and tear of stress Dependant on genetics, life experiences, emotional/behavioral responses to stressors High load comes from common stressors and is linked with many health problems (ex. Heart disease, hypertension, obesity etc) When your allostatic load exceeds your ability to cope, you are more likely to get sick Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) The study of inteactions between the nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system The idea is that stress effects the immune system and therefore effects our health Increased levels of cortisol is linked to a decreased number of immune system cells called lymphocytes Epinepherin promotes the release of cells but reduces their efficiency Neuropeptides translate stressful emotions into biochemical events which allows stress to take on a physical component Acute stress enhancement of immune response Chronic stress reduces efficiency of immune system The dalai lama Joined scientists to discuss how stress effects health Suggests that stress in life leads to negative emotions such as fear, jealousy, anger, which turned into violence Believes world peace begins with inner peace, tolerance and compassion to understand meaningful dialogue first you must understand others Links between stress and specific conditions Short term consequences cold, stomach ache (not severe)

4 Long term CVD, high blood pressure, impaired immune function, accelerated aging, cancer, type 2 diabetes, psychological problems Cardiovascular disease (CVD) o Heart rate increases, blood vessels constrics, blood pressure rises o Major cause of atherosclerosis disease where blood vessels become permanently damaged and cakes with fat o Because of the blocked arteries, someone with this condition can have a heart attack even with a little stress o Stress also increases inflammation which is a key component to damaging blood vessels o Fun fact: 80% of canadians know that prolonged stress increases risk for CVD Psychological problems o Enzyme PKC influences brains prefrontal cortex o Excess of this can negatively influence decision making o PTSD is a big one Altered functioning of the immune system o PNI research o Can increase susceptibility to things like a cold, asthma, allergies, herpes/hiv, etc ) Other health problems o Digestive problems o Headaches/migraines o Insomnia/fatigue o Injuries caused by repetitive strain and other factors o Menstrual irregularities o Loss of interest in previously enjoyable things Workaholics 31% of Canadians (19-64) identified themselves as workaholics 65% worry they don t spend enough time with fam and riends 56% reported that they didn t have time for fun complained more about sleep problems more likely to repot fair/poor health no differences in income, education, marital status, fam structure, place of residence, job satisfaction between the workaholics and the non-workaholics basically, working more doesn t increase quality of life more likely to be dissatisfied as a workaholic 7 traits of a workaholic o unsatisfying work/life balance o working more hours then average o working more doesn t give a sense of accomplishment so they work more o feeling stressed o stuck in a routine o inability to finish a to-do list (tack one thing off another thing gets tacked on) o exaggerated sense of works role in life Common sources of stress Major life changes Any changes in your life that require adjustments can be causes of stress people who repel themselves from stress are less likely to get sick daily hassles big changes are stressful but studies show small that ones are worse because they happen more often post secondary stressors academic stress you need to keep your grades up, test anxiety interpersonal stress managing relationships is hard in university especially if friends and family are not supportive time pressures due dates are stressful financial concerns

5 worries about the future job related stressors unemployment= stress employment= less time to worry about your health )eating right, exercise ) burnout state of physical, mental, emotional exhaustion occurs most often in highly motivated individuals if this happens, you need a vacation, or just a better working environment/job management social stressors can be real or virtual real social networks o discrimination, prejudice, trying to relate to people virtual social networks o new technologies can be time savers o it can however move into your personal space, waste time and cause stress (like if you re busy and a fiend keeps calling you) environmental stressors like when you re at a restaurant but the environment is so loud and gets you annoyed ex: natural disasters, acts of violence, industrial accidents they are inconveniences, sometimes easy to avoid like a noisy restaurant, but sometimes not easy like a violent neighborhood internal stressors pressuring ourselves to reach goals those are good but unrealistic expectations can cause stress managing stress you can take the following steps have a support system impove your communication skills develop healthy eating, exercise, and sleep habits learn to identify and deal with small stressors people who can do this are healthier and have more time to enjoy life social support support of friends and family contributes to the wellbeing of the mind studies have shown: o students living in overcrowded appartments function better if they ve got a good support system o students who have strong relationships with their parents cope with stress better o married people live longer communication o good communication= expressing your feelings without putting down those of others o 2 extremes never expressing yourself and expressing yourself too openly o both are unhealthy o fun fact: only 21% of canadians deal with stress by talking to others exercise o exercise relaxes you o 10 min walk can energize u for up to 2 more hours o walks help decrease anxiety and blood pressure o don t overdue it, that s not good either because exercise can become one of the stressors in your life nutrition o too much coffe can increase levels of cortisol and increase blood pressure o whats caffine in? tea coke chocolate

6 cold medicine aspirin weight-loss preperations sleep o most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep every night o 2 phases REM and NREM (non rapid eye movement) o during NREM blood pressure drops respiration + heart rates drop body temp declines growth hormone is released brain wave patterns become slow and even o REM Dreams happen Heart rate rises Blood pessure rises Breathing rate rises Brain activity increases Muscles/limbs relax (temporary poralysis) o Stress hormone levels Slow duting rem Peak in the morning o Sleep deprivation mental/physical processes slowly deteriorate Increases risk of suicide Can lead to hallucinations o Fun fact: canadians spend over $340 million a yea on alcohol to help promote sleep o Sleep problems Women have a harder time falling and staying asleep Men sleep about 11 min more then women Insomnia trouble falling asleep or staying asleep 75% of canadians with insomnia report incidents of stress sleep apnea when a person stops breathing during sleep meds or a special apparatus can be used to treat it time management o over commitment, procrastination can case stress o prevention strategies set priorities schedule tasks for peak efficiency set realistic goals and write them down budget enough time any project you have, estimate how long it will take you to finish and then tack on another ¼ of that time break up long term goals into short term ones visualize the achievement of your goals keep track of tasks you put off consider doing your least favorite tasks first consolidate tasks when possible like walking to the store so youre doing your errands and exercising at the same time identify quick transitional tasks things to do while youre waiting for another task, like watering your plants while youre waiting for your laundry delegate responsibility ask for help when you have to much to do say no when necessary give yourself a break avoid your personal time sinks things like TV and facebook

7 stop thinking about doing it just do it confiding in yourself through writing o keeping a diary to write down your feelings o helps get your stress out on paper cognitive techniques o change unhealthy thought patterns o think and act constructively how many worries were pointless last week? Reduce them! If you encounter a stressor, think about how youll deal with it differently next time so that s its not so bad o Take control Everything is more stressful when youre not in control o Problem solve Define problem Identify cause Consider all solutions Weigh positive and negative consequences for each solution Make decision choose a solution List what you ll need to do to act on your decision Begin to carry out you list Evaluate the outcome Study: coping with stress National online survey of over 1000 youth between /5 youths reported daily stress in high and very high ranges top stressors were school (69%) money (24%) and body appearance (24%) 19% said that on a regular basis talk to others about how to deal with their stress 42% keep problems to themselves teenage girls reported the highest level of stress