Stress Flashcards
(46 cards)
Stressors
Specific events or chronic pressures that place demands on a person or threaten the person’s well being
Stress
Physical and psychological response to internal or external stressors
Sources of stress
- Can include both positive AND negative life events
- Events are most stressful when there is nothing that can be done - i.e., reduced perceived control
Chronic stressors
Sources of stress that occur continuously or repeatedly
Fight or flight response
An emotional and physiological reaction to an emergency that increases readiness for action
What does the fight or flight response activate?
Cascading response of the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical) axis
HPA axis response
- Threat triggers brain activation in hypothalamus
- Stimulates adrenal glands to release hormones like catecholamines (EP and NEP) and cortisol (increases level of glucose in blood to acquire more energy)
- Activation of sympathetic nervous system and deactivation of parasympathetic nervous system
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Non-specific stress response. Has three stages: alarm, resistance and exhaustion
Alarm (GAS)
Body mobilizes resources to respond to the threat; fight–or-flight response; pulls resource from stored fat/muscle
Resistance
Body adapts to high arousal state and tries to cope with the stressor. Continues to draw on body’s resources; stops other processes.
Exhaustion
- Damage occurs; body becomes susceptible to infection, organ damage, premature aging, death, etc.
- Reserves depleted
Cell division’s role in aging
When a cell divides the telomeres (caps at end of each chromosome to prevent them from sticking) become shorter. If they’re too short, cells can’t divide -> tumours and diseases.
Chronic stress effects on cell division
Chronic stress leads to shorter telomere length and lower telomerase (telomere repairing enzyme) activity. Cortison can reduce activity of telomerase.
What can prevent the shortening of telomere length?
Exercise/meditation prevent chronic stress from shortening telomere length
Psychoneuroimmunology
Study of how the immune system responds to psychological variables (i.e. stressors). Stressors cause hormones (glucocorticoids aka cortisol) to flood the brain, exhausting the immune system and suppressing it.
Immune system
Complex response system that protects the body from bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances
White blood cells
Produce antibodies that fight infection
Experiment with cold virus
Healthy volunteers exposed to common cold
- Some got the cold, others did not
- Stress made the difference; chronic stress exposure = cold, brief stressful events = no cold
What’s the relationship between low social status, stress and health?
More difficulty to provide for yourself/family, exposed to more environmental toxins, can’t afford to/don’t have access to doctors, etc.
Stress and cardiovascular health
- Activation of sympathetic NS causes increased BP; prolonged increased BP damages blood vessels
- Damaged blood vessels accumulate plaque
- Plaques detach and block narrow blood vessels, block blood supply = heart attack
Type A behaviour pattern
Tendency towards easily aroused hostility, impatience, time urgency, and competitive achievement strivings; opposite is type B
What’s the correlation between Type A behaviour and cardiovascular health?
Students who respond to stress with anger/hostility are 3x more likely to develop premature heart disease; 6x more likely to have an early heart attack
Primary appraisal
Interpretation of a stimulus as stressful
Secondary appraisal
Determining whether the stressor is something you can handle or not; aka your level of control; determine if stressor is threat or challenge
