Stress and HealthStress and Health

Psychology 1107Psychology 1107

IntroductionIntroduction Our behaviour has serious health Our behaviour has serious health effectseffects• SmokingSmoking• DrugsDrugs• DietDiet• Reaction to stressReaction to stress

We’ll talk about the last one We’ll talk about the last one but all of these behaviours fall but all of these behaviours fall under ‘behavioural medicine’under ‘behavioural medicine’

Behavioural MedicineBehavioural Medicine InterdisciplinaryInterdisciplinary OTOT MDMD PsychologistPsychologist NutritionistNutritionist Psychology’s part is played by Psychology’s part is played by health Psychologistshealth Psychologists

Health PsychologistsHealth Psychologists

How do our perceptions affect How do our perceptions affect our reaction to stressour reaction to stress

Emotions, personality and Emotions, personality and diseasedisease

When/why do some seek treatment When/why do some seek treatment (and of course why do some not(and of course why do some not

Stress and IllnessStress and Illness Evolution and Evolution and the fight or the fight or flight responseflight response

Made great sense Made great sense 100 000 years 100 000 years agoago

Maybe today you Maybe today you just got pwned just got pwned playing Halo2playing Halo2

Good things about stressGood things about stress Sometimes it will save your Sometimes it will save your life, or help youlife, or help you

FightFight AccidentAccident Test…Test…

What is stress?What is stress? The process by which we The process by which we appriase and cope with appriase and cope with environmental threats and environmental threats and challengeschallenges

Good a definition as anyGood a definition as any Careful, the idea of stress is Careful, the idea of stress is way over usedway over used

How does it work?How does it work? CannonCannon Fight of flightFight of flight Epinephrine, norepinephrineEpinephrine, norepinephrine Heart rate goes upHeart rate goes up Breathing increasesBreathing increases

SeyleSeyle Injected rats with various hormonesInjected rats with various hormones Found enlargement of adrenal cortexFound enlargement of adrenal cortex Shrinkage of thymusShrinkage of thymus UlcersUlcers Other liquids did the same thing!Other liquids did the same thing! Same response to fear, shock etc.Same response to fear, shock etc.

General Adaptation SystemGeneral Adaptation System 1) Alarm reaction1) Alarm reaction

• Heart rate upHeart rate up• Blood to skeletal musclesBlood to skeletal muscles

2) Resistance2) Resistance• Stay ‘up’Stay ‘up’• PeakPeak• Hormones released until you don’t Hormones released until you don’t have any morehave any more

More GASMore GAS 3) Exhaustion3) Exhaustion

• Defenses depleted at this pointDefenses depleted at this point• Very vulnerableVery vulnerable

Lots of this is badLots of this is bad• Leads to destruction of hippocampal Leads to destruction of hippocampal cells caused by cortisol releasecells caused by cortisol release

• So, memory loss!So, memory loss!

Stressful EventsStressful Events

CatastrophesCatastrophes• Nobody likes theseNobody likes these

Significant life changesSignificant life changes• DeathDeath• DivorceDivorce• Job lossJob loss

Stressful EventsStressful Events Daily HasslesDaily Hassles

• Loud neighboursLoud neighbours• Annoying profs…Annoying profs…• Bad weatherBad weather• Coffee maker breaks downCoffee maker breaks down• Your team losesYour team loses

While these seem like nothing, While these seem like nothing, if you are facing other bad if you are facing other bad stuff they can add upstuff they can add up

Perceived ControlPerceived Control Effects of stressors are Effects of stressors are mediated by perceived controlmediated by perceived control

Executive monkeysExecutive monkeys Optimists fare better in life Optimists fare better in life than pessimiststhan pessimists

Less control, more stress Less control, more stress hormones releasedhormones released

Coronary Heart Disease, Stress Coronary Heart Disease, Stress and Personalityand Personality

Friedman and Rosenman got the Friedman and Rosenman got the ball rollingball rolling

Fat in diet and smoking were Fat in diet and smoking were equal in men and womenequal in men and women

Men got CHD not womenMen got CHD not women Men had higher stress jobsMen had higher stress jobs Accountants were fine until Accountants were fine until AprilApril

Type A PersonalityType A Personality Type A personalityType A personality DrivenDriven Time dependentTime dependent Why more CHD?Why more CHD? Sleep lessSleep less Smoke moreSmoke more Fly off the handle Fly off the handle more easilymore easily

angeranger

Stress and the Immune SystemStress and the Immune System Immune system has two types of Immune system has two types of cellscells

B Cells fight bacteriaB Cells fight bacteria T cells fight viruses, cancerT cells fight viruses, cancer Stress suppresses the immune Stress suppresses the immune systemsystem• Diverting resources to the GASDiverting resources to the GAS• More infectionsMore infections• Even more cancerEven more cancer

RememberRemember Only a healthy lifestyle can Only a healthy lifestyle can help you in a big wayhelp you in a big way

You can’t smoke, drink, smoke You can’t smoke, drink, smoke crack, have unprotected sex and crack, have unprotected sex and say “Oh, but I have a positive say “Oh, but I have a positive outlook, so I will be just fine…outlook, so I will be just fine…

Health psychologists are also Health psychologists are also interested in promoting health, interested in promoting health, why people go to the Dr. etc.why people go to the Dr. etc.

In other words….In other words…. How do you deal with stressHow do you deal with stress Aerobic exercise is the keyAerobic exercise is the key Probably helps you stay in the Probably helps you stay in the resistance phase of the GAS for resistance phase of the GAS for longerlonger

Therefore, less exhaustionTherefore, less exhaustion

BiofeedbackBiofeedback Learn to control heartbeat, Learn to control heartbeat, blood pressureblood pressure• Know what it takes to calm downKnow what it takes to calm down• May be no different than other May be no different than other cheaper methods!cheaper methods!

• Really just learning how to relaxReally just learning how to relax

Illness and BehaviourIllness and Behaviour SmokingSmoking

• QuittingQuitting• Biggest deterrents are price and Biggest deterrents are price and the short term effects, not long the short term effects, not long term!term!

NutritionNutrition• Fat is goodFat is good• Fat is badFat is bad

DietingDieting Hard to change your set pointHard to change your set point Dieting alone is less effective Dieting alone is less effective than diet and exercisethan diet and exercise

You do not ‘burn off’ fat and You do not ‘burn off’ fat and turn it into muscleturn it into muscle

Maybe the overweight should Maybe the overweight should accept themsleves?accept themsleves?

AcceptanceAcceptance AdvantagesAdvantages

• Happier so less stressHappier so less stress DisadvantagesDisadvantages

• Still overweight…Still overweight… Much of the publicity is poorly Much of the publicity is poorly donedone

ConclusionsConclusions Stress is goodStress is good Stress is badStress is bad Your mom was rightYour mom was right