Chapter 14: Stress & Health

Haven DarkJahleisha Hamilton

Abhi KulgodSavannah Smith

What is Stress? Psychological states cause physical

reactions. One of these reactions is stress.

When we feel severe stress, our ability to cope with it is impaired.

Stress & Illness Prolonged stress that is combined with

unhealthy behaviors can increase your risk in having one of today’s four leading diseases.

Stress & Stressors Stress arises less from events

themselves than how we appraise them.

When short-lived, or when perceived as challenges, stressors can have a positive effect.

Experiencing prolonged stress can harm us.

The Stress Response System

Walter Cannon (1929) proposed that the stress response (fast) was a fight or flight response marked by the outpouring of epinephrine and norepinephrine from the inner adrenal glands, increasing heart & respiration rates, mobilizing sugar & fat, and dulling pain.

The hypothalamus and the pituitary gland also respond to stress (slow) by triggering the outer adrenal glands to secrete glucocorticoids (cortisol).

The Stress Response System

General Adaptation Syndrome

According to Canadian scientist Hans Selye, a stress response to any kind of stimulation is similar. The stressed individual goes through three phases:

Stressful Life Events Catastrophic Events: events like

earthquakes, combat stress, and floods lead individuals to become depressed, sleepless, and anxious.

Stressful Life Events Significant Life Changes: the death of a

loved one, a divorce, a loss of job, or a promotion may leave individuals vulnerable to disease.

Stressful Life Events Daily Hassles: rush hour traffic, long

lines, job stress, and becoming burnt-out are the most significant sources of stress and can damage health.

Stress and the Heart Stress that leads to elevated blood

pressure can result in Coronary Heart Disease, a clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle.

Stress and the Heart Personality Types:

› Type A is a term used for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people.

› Type B refers to easygoing, relaxed people. › This personality types come from a study

done by Friedman & Rosenman in 1974).› Type A personalities are more likely to

develop Coronary Heart Disease.

Stress and the Heart Pessimism and Heart Disease:

› Pessimistic adult men are twice as likely to develop heart disease over a 10 year period according to Kubzansky & others (2001).

Stress & Susceptibility to Disease

A psychophysical illness is any stress-related physical illness such as hypertension or headaches.

Hypochondriasis is a misinterpretation of normal physical sensations as symptoms of disease.

Stress & the Immune System

This system includes two types of white blood cells, called lymphocytes.› B lymphocytes fight bacterial infections.› T lymphocytes attack cancer cells and

viruses.› Microphages ingest foreign substances.

During stress, energy is mobilized away from the immune system making it vulnerable.

Stress and AIDS Stress and negative emotions may

accelerate the progression from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Stress and Cancer Stress does not create cancer cells. Researchers disagree on whether

stress influences the progression of cancer, however they do agree that avoiding stress and having a hopeful attitude cannot reverse advanced cancer.

Stress and Immune Conditioning

If the immune system can be suppressed through conditioning, researchers believe that immune-enhancing responses can be inculcated to combat viral diseases.

Health Related Consequences

Stress can have a variety of health-related consequences.

Coping With Stress Reducing stress by changing events

that cause stress or by changing how we react to stress is called problem-focused coping.

Emotion-focused coping is when we cannot change a stressful situation, and we respond by attending to our own emotional needs.

Perceived Control Research with rats and humans

indicates that the absences of control over stressors is a predictor of health problems.

Explanatory Style People with an optimistic explanatory

style tend to have more control over their stressors. They cope better with stressful events, have better moods, and a stronger immune system.

Those who manage to find humor in life’s daily events also benefit because laughter arouses us, massages muscles, and leaves us feeling relaxed.

Social Support Having supportive family members,

marriage partners, and close friends help people cope with stress.

Their immune functioning calms the cardiovascular system and lowers blood pressure.

Managing Stress Having a sense of control, and

optimistic explanatory style, and social support can reduce stress and improve health.

There are many ways to manage stress:› Aerobic Exercise› Exercise & Health› Biofeedback, Relaxation, & Meditation› Spirituality & Faith Communities

Aerobic Exercise Studies suggest

that aerobic exercise can elevate mood and well-being because aerobic exercise raises energy, increases self-confidence, and lowers tension, depression, & anxiety.

Exercise and Health Other research reveals that exercise

not only boosts our mood, but also strengthens the heart, increases blood flow, keeps blood vessels open, and lowers both blood pressure and the blood pressure reaction to stress.

Biofeedback, Relaxation, and Meditation

Biofeedback systems use electronic devices to inform people about their physiological responses and gives them the chance to bring their responses to a healthier range.

Relaxation and meditation have similar effects in reducing tension and anxiety.

Spirituality & Faith Communities

Regular religious attendance had been a reliable predictor of a longer life span with a reduced risk of dying.

Investigators suggest that there are 3 factors that connect religious involvement and better health.

Modifying Illness-Related Behaviors

Researchers are persuaded that health-promotion programs would cost less than many countries now spend on treating diseases.

The Risks of Smoking “Evidence shows that smoking harms

nearly every organ of the body.” Even though 97% of Americans believe

that smoking is harmful, people still do it.

Non-smokers live healthier AND happier lives.

When & Why Do People Start Smoking?

Smoking is a pediatric disease, which means it usually begins during early adolescence.

Adolescents are self-conscious and think the world is watching their every move; so if someone says “You’re not cool if you don’t smoke”, you’re more likely do it to fit in.

Why Do People Smoke?

Why Do People Not Stop Smoking?

Once addicted to nicotine we find it very hard to quit. Tobacco products are as addictive as heroin and cocaine.

A smoker becomes dependent and develops tolerance.

Nicotine also stimulates the central nervous system to release neurotransmitters that calm anxiety .

Biopsychosocial Factors

Helping Smokers Quit Set a quit date. Inform family and friends. Throw away all cigarettes. Review successful

strategies. Use a nicotine patch or

gum. Abstain from alcohol. Exercise. Avoid places where others

are likely to smoke.

Smoking Abstinence Programs.

Make cigarettes more expensive.

Obesity and Weight Control Fat is an ideal form of stored energy

and is readily available. Significant obesity, especially among

children, increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, gallstones, arthritis, and certain types of cancer, thus shortening life expectancy.

The Social Effects of Obesity Obesity can be

socially toxic, by affecting both how you are treated and how you feel about yourself.

Some studies show that weight discrimination is greater than race and gender discrimination.

The Physiology of Obesity Fat Cells: there are 30-40 million fat

cells in the body. These cells can increase in size or number in an obese individual.

Set Points and Metabolism: Once one becomes fat, we require less food to maintain our weight. When weight drops below this set-point, the person’s hunger increases and metabolism decreases.

The Genetic Factor Identical twin studies reveal that body

weight has a genetic basis. Despite shared family meals, adoptive

siblings’ body weights are uncorrelated with one another or adoptive parents.

Given an obese parent, a boy is 3 times, a girl 6 times, more likely to be obese.

The Food and Activity Factor

Lack of exercise is a major contributor to obesity. Just watching TV for two hours resulted in a 23% increase of weight when other factors were controlled.

Over the past 40 years average weight gain has increased. Health professionals are telling US citizens to limit their food intake.

Losing Weight In just the US, two-thirds of the women

and half of the men say that they want to lose weight.

When you are motivated to lose weight, begin a weight-loss program, minimize your exposure to tempting foods, exercise, and forgive yourself for lapses.

Vocabulary Behavioral Medicine: an interdisciplinary field

that integrates behavioral & medical knowledge and applies that knowledge to health & disease.

Health Psychology: a subfield of psychology that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine.

Stress: the process by which we perceive & respond to certain events.

General Adaptation Syndrome: Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in 3 stages – alarm, resistance, exhaustion.

Vocabulary Coronary Heart Disease: the clogging of the vessels

that nourish the heart muscle. Type A: Friedman & Rosenman’s term for competitive

hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people.

Type B: Friedman & Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people.

Psychophysiological Illness: stress related illness; hypertension or headaches.

Lymphocytes: two types of white blood cells that are part of the body’s immune system.

Coping: alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods.

Vocabulary Problem-Focused Coping: attempting to alleviate

stress directly. Emotion-Focused Coping: attempting to alleviate

stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor. Aerobic Exercise: sustained exercise that

increases heart and lung fitness. Biofeedback: a system for electronically

recording, amplifying, and feeding back info regarding a subtle physiological state.

Complementary & Alternative Medicine: unproven health care treatments not taught widely in medical schools.