Stress: From Burnout To BalanceAll over the world, people are experiencing increasing levels of stress due to a variety of reasons which include pressures at the workplace, marital or family stress and changing social mores, among others. This has contributed to deteriorating health and an alarming growth in lifestyle-related diseases, such as diabetes and chronic heart problems. The author presents an absorbing and comprehensive look at the concept of stress and explores its physiological effects, our body's stress responses and its results. He presents a guide to choosing the most appropriate techniques to manage stress a. |
From inside the book
Page 22
The chase in the savannah is an extremely stressful event and demands
immediate physiological adaptations if the prey has to survive. The body's stress
response mechanism is brilliantly adapted to handle this sort of emergency.
Chronic physical stressors can also affect an organism. Drought, famine,
parasites and other events that cause starvation and other unpleasant
complications are central events in the lives of animals and were also
experienced by early human ancestors.
The chase in the savannah is an extremely stressful event and demands
immediate physiological adaptations if the prey has to survive. The body's stress
response mechanism is brilliantly adapted to handle this sort of emergency.
Chronic physical stressors can also affect an organism. Drought, famine,
parasites and other events that cause starvation and other unpleasant
complications are central events in the lives of animals and were also
experienced by early human ancestors.
Page 26
Allostatic processes can also go beyond immediate homeostasis, and
maintenance of body temperature and dP, to broader aspects of individual
survival, e.g., from pathogens or physical danger. For the immune system, acute
stress- induced release of catecholamine and glucocorticoid facilitate the
movement of immune cells to parts of the body where they are needed to fight an
infection or to produce other immune responses. Finally, in the brain,
glucocorticoids and catecholamines ...
Allostatic processes can also go beyond immediate homeostasis, and
maintenance of body temperature and dP, to broader aspects of individual
survival, e.g., from pathogens or physical danger. For the immune system, acute
stress- induced release of catecholamine and glucocorticoid facilitate the
movement of immune cells to parts of the body where they are needed to fight an
infection or to produce other immune responses. Finally, in the brain,
glucocorticoids and catecholamines ...
Page 35
This reveals that stress-related diseases can arise from turning off the stress
responses too slowly, or turning off different components at different speeds.
Another way to look at it is to visualize two tug-of-war teams skillfully supporting
their rope with a minimum of tension; the bodyworks to carefully maintain
metabolic equilibrium by making adjustments whenever something disturbs this
balance. The strong men in these teams are hormones. The trouble is that some
stress-response ...
This reveals that stress-related diseases can arise from turning off the stress
responses too slowly, or turning off different components at different speeds.
Another way to look at it is to visualize two tug-of-war teams skillfully supporting
their rope with a minimum of tension; the bodyworks to carefully maintain
metabolic equilibrium by making adjustments whenever something disturbs this
balance. The strong men in these teams are hormones. The trouble is that some
stress-response ...
Page 46
Instances of positive feedback certainly occur, but negative feedback is much
more common, particularly so for the stress hormones. We are familiar with this
negative feedback control system from the air conditioners used to cool the
rooms in our homes or the water tank in the toilet. In the case of air conditioners,
when the temperature rises above a certain set point, cool air is blown into the
room. As the room cools down and the temperature drops, a feedback is sent to
the thermostat.
Instances of positive feedback certainly occur, but negative feedback is much
more common, particularly so for the stress hormones. We are familiar with this
negative feedback control system from the air conditioners used to cool the
rooms in our homes or the water tank in the toilet. In the case of air conditioners,
when the temperature rises above a certain set point, cool air is blown into the
room. As the room cools down and the temperature drops, a feedback is sent to
the thermostat.
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Module 5
Contents
Depression | 116 |
Memory and Stress | 136 |
Pain | 147 |
Aging | 155 |
Stress Management | 165 |
Techniques for Stress Management | 172 |
ThePWord | 190 |
Index | 207 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
activity allostasis allostatic animal arteries bacterium behavioural blood pressure bloodstream body body's stress response brain breath cardiovascular cause chapter chemical chronic stress cognitive cortex damage declarative memory depression diabetes digestive system discussed disrupt drugs effects of stress emotional energy epinephrine exercise experiments face factors fat cells fatty acids function glands glucocorticoids glucose hippocampus hormones hostile human immune system increase infection insulin interleukin involved lead levels LHRH live look macrophage marital stress mones muscles nerve neuron neurotransmitter norepinephrine older individuals organs pain signals patients person physiological pituitary poor poverty problem Procedural memory prolactin psychological receptors reproductive system response to stress result risk role scientific scientists secretion Selye sense serotonin social stomach stored stress management stress response stress-response hormones stressors studies suppression sympathetic nervous system symptoms synapse techniques theory things tion turn ulcers women
Popular passages
Page 119 - The basic unit of the nervous system is the nerve cell, or neuron, which generates and propagates nerve impulses.
Page 28 - For example, glucocorticoids, so named because of their ability to promote conversion of protein and lipids to usable carbohydrates, serve the body well in the short run by replenishing energy reserves after a period of activity, such as running away from a predator. Glucocorticoids also act on the brain to increase appetite for food and to increase locomotor activity and food-seeking behavior lLeibowitz and HoebeL 1997i, thus regulating behaviors that control energy intake and expenditure.
Page 26 - ... a threat, real or implied, to homeostasis, and homeostasis refers to the maintenance of a narrow range of vital physiological parameters necessary for survival. In common usage, stress usually refers to an event or succession of events that cause a response, often in the form of "distress" but also to a challenge that leads to a feeling of exhilaration, as in "good
Page 24 - Allostasis also clarifies an inherent ambiguity in the term homeostasis and distinguishes between the systems that are essential for life (homeostasis) and those that maintain these systems in balance (allostasis).
Page 24 - Homeostasis — stability of physiological systems that maintain life; used here to apply strictly to a limited number of systems such as pH, body temperature, glucose levels, and oxygen tension that are truly essential for life and are, therefore, maintained over a narrow range. Allostasis — achieving stability through change. A process that maintains homeostasis (see above), even though the "set points" and other boundaries of control may change with environmental conditions.
Page 28 - Inactivity and lack of energy expenditure creates a situation in which chronically elevated glucocorticoids can impede the action of insulin to promote glucose uptake. One of the results of this interaction is that insulin levels increase, and together insulin and glucocorticoid elevations promote the deposition of body fat.
Page 29 - In addition, our blood pressure rises and falls during the day as physical and emotional demands change, providing adequate blood flow as needed. Yet, repeatedly elevated blood pressure promotes generation of atherosclerotic plaques, particularly when combined with a supply of cholesterol and lipids and oxygen free radicals that damage the coronary artery walls (Manuck et al.
Page 134 - Coke in the brain's ventral putamen, a region thought to process feelings of reward (monkeys, for instance, exhibit activity in the ventral putamen when they receive food for completing a task). Indeed, in people who preferred Pepsi, the ventral putamen was five times as active when drinking Pepsi than that of Coke fans when drinking Coke. In the real world, of course, taste is not everything. So, Montague tried to gauge the appeal of Coke's image, its 'brand influence,' by repeating the experiment...
Page 155 - In this section, we are going to take a look at the processes that get Oracle started.
Page 61 - Oxygen-rich blood is pumped from the lungs to the left side of the heart. From there it is pumped through the body's largest artery, the aorta, to the rest of the body.
Bibliographic information
| Title | Stress: From Burnout To Balance Response Bks |
| Author | Vinay Joshi |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | SAGE, 2005 |
| ISBN | 0761933123, 9780761933120 |
| Length | 209 pages |
| Subjects | › › Business & Economics / Organizational Behavior Medical / Infectious Diseases Self-Help / Self-Management / Stress Management |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |