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Stress and the Body’s Response. Mind/Body Health RRCC Holistic Health Spring 2011. What is stress?. Stress = non-specific response of the body to any demand ( Selye ) Eustress = pleasant & beneficial (for mind and body) Distress = unpleasant & can be destructive
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Stressand the Body’s Response Mind/Body Health RRCC Holistic Health Spring 2011
What is stress? • Stress = non-specific response of the body to any demand (Selye) • Eustress = pleasant & beneficial (for mind and body) • Distress = unpleasant & can be destructive • Both = similar physiological response (but not identical)
Definitions of Stress • The inability to cope with a perceived threat to one’s mental ,physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, which results in a series of physiological responses and adaptations • Eastern: an absence of inner peace • Any change experienced by the individual • A state of anxiety produced when events and responsibilities exceed one’s coping abilities • Physiologically, the rate of wear and tear on the body • Physics: tension or force placed on an object
General Adaptation Syndrome • Homeostasis- the body attempts to maintain a stable and consistent physiological state • -3 stages of GAS • alarm- immediate response • resistance- mobilizing body’s resources to withstand stress • exhaustion- impaired functioning • recovery also possible here
General Adaptation Syndrome - Alarm stage -SNS activated -adrenal medulla- epinephrine, norepinehprine -fight, flight, freeze, faint -tend and befriend -Resistance stage -cortisol -immune suppression
Autonomic Nervous System Response • Sympathetic NS- fight or flight (actually fight, flight, freeze, or faint) • Parasympathetic NS- resting and digesting
SNS activation • Increases in -heart rate -blood pressure -respiration -blood glucose -metabolism -mental processing -muscular tension -pupil size -blood coagulation -immune function • Digestive system suppressed
Alarm Stage Sympathetic NS activation Adrenal medulla- Catecholamines (epi, NE)
Resistance Stage • Adaptation to stressor • HPA axis • Cortisol released • Immune suppression- LAS and B & T cells
Further Reading http://www.bishop.edu/health/homeostasis.pdf a little more in-depth look at stress, the GAS, and the LAS