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14 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Stress Defined |
What we experience when we face challenges in our lives - elicits a stress response Distress - negative stress; typical idea; exams, divorce, deadlines Eustress - positive stress; marriage, graduation, job promotion
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Negative Stress Causes |
Biological - substance abuse, nutritional excess Psychological - personality types, mental predispositions ( perfectionist, obsessiveness) Interpersonal - lack of social skills, shyness, insecurity, environmental strain |
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General Adaptation Syndrom |
Stage of Adaptation - anxiety, irritability, vulnerability till stress is resolved; "Arousal and alarm", "Fight or flight", "Tend and befriend" Stage of Resistance - strain, worry, cynicism, difficulty sleeping Stage of Exhaustion - anxiety and depression; "crash and burn" |
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Stress Response - Viscious Cycle of Stress |
1. Actual/perceived threat activates sensory + higher reasoning center in cortex 2. Cortex sends message to amygdala (principle mediator of stress response) 3. Separately, preconscious signal may precipitate activity in amygdala 4. Amygdala releases CRH, stimulating brain stem 5. Stimulated brain stem then activates SNS via spinal cord 6. In response, adrenal glands produce epinephrine. A different pathway simultaneously triggers adrenals to release glucocorticoids (cortisol). The 2 types of hormones act on muscle, heart, and lungs to prepare body for "fight or flight" response 7. If stress becomes chronic, cortisol induces/stimulates locus coerulus 8. Locus coerculus releases NE which communicates with amygdala 9. Amygadala produces more CRH Cycle repeats |
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Adrenal Hormones |
Catechlamine: Epinephrine (E) and Norepinephrine (NE); released when situation presents a challenge to an individual Cortisol/Glucocorticoids - released when individual is faced with a threat or unpleasant challenge How much the person feels in control of the stress influences wheither E and NE or cortisol is released |
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Homeostasis and Allostasis |
Homeostasis: ability of organism to change and stabilize its internal environment despite constant changes to external environment; body temperature, blood pressure; important to keep within narrow range Allostasis: wide range of functioning of coping/adaptation systems, depending on variety of factors (time of day, internal needs, external demands); how well we can adapt; coping abilities Alostatic Load: cost of coping/adapting; ongoing stress/elevations can lead to illness and disease |
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Cross-Stressor Adaptation Hypothesis |
A stressor of sufficient intensity and/or duration will induce adaptation will induce adaptation (coping) of stress response systems Exercise training is thought to develop cross-stressor tolerance (physiological adaptations) by: Habituation: decreased magnitude of response to some familiar challenge Sensitization: an augmented (increased) response to a new stressor that subsides quickly - efficient or maximized |
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Measurement of Stress |
Self-reported - asking someone how stress they are; Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) measures degree to which situations in one's life are viewed as stressful; no physiological Cardiovascular - most frequently used physiological measure; HR+BP; doesn't say why change occured; measurements fluctuate on variety of different levles; can look at variability Hormonal - E, NE, cortisol levels, before, during and after |
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Exercise and Stress - Self-Reported Data |
People report feeling less stressed following acute exercise bouts They are less stressed in general when they are physically active, opposed to being sedentary Exercise seems to be helpful in reduction of stress |
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Cardiovascular Fitness Research |
Results are inconclusive Some have pointed towards cardio being positive, others have not fully supported; no results are negative Mechanisms responsible for sympathetic aspect of physiological stress response (NE, E) and the response to exercise stress may be different Confounded physiological responses |
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Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Cortical Axis Research |
Comparing of fit and and unfit older women; found fit women had lower cortisol response, no diference in ACTH (E, NE) and CV measures; concluded aerobic fitness affects the HPA axis by reducing cortisol response |
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Immune Function Research |
Men who exercised for 5 weeks before being told they were HIV+ had little change in psychological and immunological measures (didn't get worse); control group showed significant anxiety and depression and significantly decreased killer cell activity Exercise may have beneficial effect when it comes to handling stress (related to illness) |
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Reactivity vs. Recovery Research |
Evidence suggests that fitness or exercise may provide a more rapid recovery from the stressor once it is no longer present - intensity and duration(shorter) of reaction changed Appeared advantage to being a more fit individual |
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Mechanisms Explaining the Exercise Effect - Physiological Toughness Model |
Psychophysiological framework Explains how exercise can reduce the immediate effects (initial reaction) of stress and can enhance recovery from stressors - both important in stress response Intermittent but regular exposure to stressors (regular exercise) can lead to psychological coping, emotional stability (neuroticism), and physiological changes Physiological changes lead to adaptive performance in challenge/threat situations, enhancement of immune system function, and greater stress tolerance |
