1. Ch Stress & Health

2. You will find out about:
Your stress response system
Does money & optimism effect stress?
How can you have better health & cope with stress?

3. Stress response system - fight or flight
Walter Cannon
With stress, the body prepares for fight or flight
Adrenaline & noradrenaline (stress hormones)
Heart rate and respiration increases
Blood diverted from digestion to skeletal muscles
Dulls pain
Releases sugar for energy

4. Body’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Applies to all stress situations
Phase #1 = Alarm
Respiration increases
Temperature increases
Heart rate increases
Blood diverted to skeletal muscles

5. General Adaptation Syndrome
Phase #2 = Resistance
Hormones (e.g. adrenaline) increase
Phase #3 = Exhaustion
Tiredness, More vulnerable to illness
Mental breakdown
Possibly death

6. General Adaptation Syndrome

7. Does control effect your reaction to stress?
Rats receiving a shock (stress) with no control developed ulcers
Rats that could turn off (control) the stress by turning a wheel did not develop ulcers
Uncontrolled stress = ulcers

8. Control and stress

9. Does money effect stress?
Wealthy (more control) = longer life
Poor ( less control) = shorter life
Be careful about cause and effect
Wealthy can afford more health care and better foods

10. Does optimism effect stress?
Yes
Optimists perceive more control & cope better with stress

11. Hopelessness

12. Does a stressful personality type affect your heart?
Type “A” Personality
Hard driving, impatient, time sensitive, supermotivated, verbally aggressive and easily angered
More prone to heart attacks
Type “B” Personality
Easy going and relaxed
Less prone to heart attacks

13. Does stress cause cancer?
Cancer rates are higher among widowed, divorced, or separated.
Stress does not create cancer cells
Stress weakens the body’s defenses

14. How can you have better health and cope with stress? (Summary)
Aerobic exercise
Biofeedback
Meditation
Social support

15. Aerobic exercise
Helps reduce stress, depression and anxiety

16. Biofeedback
Can help people relax by providing information about changes in muscle tension.

17. Meditation (Relaxation)
Quiet time to relax and enjoy the tranquility
Reduces the bad effects of stress such as headaches, hypertension, anxiety and insomnia

18. Social Support
Being able to confide fears & frustrations to close friends will reduce stress.
Happily married couples live longer

19. Are alternative medicines effective?
E.g. Acupuncture, massage therapy, spiritual healing, herbal remedies, aromatherapy.
The value of these remedies are often over estimated due to:
Placebo effect
(You get what you expect)
Spontaneous remission
(The body cures itself)

20. Smoking & health
Smoking correlates with higher rates of depression, chronic disabilities (e.g. lung cancer) and divorce.
More addictive than heroin or cocaine

21. Nutrition (You are what you eat?)
Want to improve your concentration and alertness?
Eat a (low-carbohydrate)high protein meal
E.g. Meat, fish, chicken
High carbohydrate meals (e.g. bread, potatoes, pastas) makes us feel sleepy and relaxed