Fit & Well: Stress Management and Sleep Chapter 10 Lecture PDF

Fit & Well: Core Concepts and Labs in Physical Fitness and Wellness 16th Edition Thomas D. Fahey Paul M. Insel Walton T. Roth Claire E. Insel 10: Stress Management and Sleep ...

Fit & Well: Core Concepts and Labs in Physical Fitness and Wellness 16th Edition Thomas D. Fahey Paul M. Insel Walton T. Roth Claire E. Insel 10: Stress Management and Sleep  What Is Stress? Stressor: any physical, psychological, or emotional event or condition that produces usually negative reactions. Stress response: the physical, psychological, and emotional reactions to a stressor. Stress: the mostly negative physical, psychological, and emotional experience that accompanies the stress response. © McGraw Hill LLC 2 Figure 10.1 Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Symptoms of Excessive Stress PHYSICAL COGNITIVE EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL Dry mouth Confusion Anxiety Crying Fatigue Inability to Depression Disrupted eating habits Frequent illnesses concentrate Edginess Disrupted sleep Gastrointestinal Negative thinking Hypervigilance Problems problems Poor judgment Impulsiveness communicating Headaches Worrying Irritability Sexual problems High blood pressure Forgetfulness Social isolation Pounding heart Increased use of Sweating tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs Access the text alternative for slide images. © McGraw Hill LLC (left to right): Kdonmuang/Shutterstock; Tom Merton/Caia Images/Glow Images; fatchoi/iStock/Getty Images; LSC Young couples/LatinStock Collection/Alamy Stock Photo 3  Physical Responses to Stressors: The Nervous System 1 The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Autonomic nervous system: the branch of the nervous system that controls basic body processes; consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. The parasympathetic division (rest and digest) slows the metabolism, restores energy supplies, and calms the body when any threat has passed. The sympathetic division (fight or flight) reacts to danger or other challenges by almost instantly accelerating body processes. © McGraw Hill LLC 4  Physical Responses to Stressors: The Nervous System 2 Sympathetic nerves release a neurotransmitter to affect nearly every organ, sweat gland, blood vessel, and muscle to enable your body to handle an emergency. Norepinephrine: the neurotransmitter released by the sympathetic nervous system onto specific tissues to increase their function in the face of increased activity. When released by the brain, norepinephrine causes arousal (increased attention, awareness, and alertness); it is also called noradrenaline. In general, the sympathetic division commands your body to stop storing energy and use it in response to a crisis. © McGraw Hill LLC 5  Physical Responses to Stressors: The Endocrine System Endocrine system: the system of glands, tissues, and cells that secretes hormones into the bloodstream to influence metabolism and other body processes. Hormone: a chemical messenger produced in the body and transported in the bloodstream to targeted cells or organs for specific regulation of their activities. © McGraw Hill LLC 6  Physical Responses to Stressors: The Two Systems Together 1 Physiological changes occur as the result of the release of key hormones. Cortisol: a hormone secreted by the cortex (outer layer) of the adrenal gland; also called hydrocortisone. Epinephrine: a hormone secreted by the medulla (inner core) of the adrenal gland that affects the functioning of organs involved in responding to a stressor; also called adrenaline. In addition, the brain releases endorphins—chemicals that have pain-inhibiting effects. © McGraw Hill LLC 7  Physical Responses to Stressors: The Two Systems Together 2 The almost instantaneous physical changes, formerly known as the fight-or-flight reaction, are now called the fight, flight, or freeze reaction: a defense reaction that prepares a person for conflict or escape. The fight-or-flight reaction gives you the heightened reflexes and strength to respond to danger. The freeze response stops all motion and is driven by a different neurotransmitter. The physical changes vary in intensity, but the same basic set of reactions occurs in response to any type of stressor. © McGraw Hill LLC 8  Figure 10.2 The Fight, Flight, or Freeze Reaction Access the text alternative for slide images. © McGraw Hill LLC 9  The Return to Homeostasis After the stressful situation, you begin to feel normal again—the parasympathetic division takes command, halts the stress response, and restores homeostasis. It calms your body by slowing a rapid heartbeat, drying sweaty palms, and returning breathing to normal. Homeostasis: a state of stability and consistency in a person’s physiological functioning. © McGraw Hill LLC 10  The Fight, Flight, or Freeze Reaction in Modern Life The fight, flight, or freeze reaction is a survival mechanism and part of our biological heritage. In modern life, it is often inappropriate. Many stressors do not require a physical response. However, the reaction prepares the body for physical action regardless of whether such action is necessary or appropriate. © McGraw Hill LLC 11  Cognitive and Psychological Responses to Stressors 1 Cognitive appraisal of a potential stressor strongly influences the response. Two cognitive factors can reduce the magnitude of the stress response: Successful prediction. Perception of control. The way we appraise potentially stressful situations is highly individual and strongly related to emotions. A moderate level of stress, handled appropriately, can actually promote optimal performance. © McGraw Hill LLC 12  Figure 10.3 Stress Level, Performance, and Well-Being A moderate level of stress challenges individuals in a way that promotes optimal performance and well-being. Too little stress, and people are not challenged enough to improve; too much stress, and the challenges become stressors that can impair physical and emotional health. Access the text alternative for slide images. © McGraw Hill LLC 13  Cognitive and Psychological Responses to Stressors 2 Effective and ineffective responses: Although our responses are determined in part by personality or temperament, we often moderate or learn to control them. Effective behavioral responses such as talking, laughing, exercising, meditating, learning time-management skills, and becoming more assertive can effectively counter symptoms of stress and enable us to function at our best. Ineffective behavioral responses include overeating; expressing hostility; and using tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs. © McGraw Hill LLC 14  Cognitive and Psychological Responses to Stressors 3 Personality and stress: Personality: the sum of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional tendencies. Some personality traits enable people to deal with stress more successfully. Hardiness, a form of optimism, allows some people to view potential stressors as challenges and opportunities and to view fewer situations as stressful. Resilience allows people to accept reality, hold on to a belief that life is meaningful, and improvise. © McGraw Hill LLC 15  Cognitive and Psychological Responses to Stressors 4 People belonging to Gen Z—born between 1997 and 2015—were reporting greater responses over common stressors such as work, money, and health. Gen Z teens and adults are facing unprecedented uncertainty and experiencing depression and negative health impacts. Despite recognizing mental health challenges, Gen Zers diagnosed with a mental disorder are nearly twice as unlikely to seek treatment as compared to millennials. © McGraw Hill LLC 16  Cognitive and Psychological Responses to Stressors 5 Gender and stress: Some responses to stressors may be deemed more appropriate for one gender than another. Gender roles are cultural creations rather than biological facts, and there is tremendous cross-cultural variability in the meanings assigned to being female or male. Cultural background: Students come to the United States from around the world, but the resulting clash of cultures can be a source of stress. Reaction to stress is influenced by upbringing and cultural background. © McGraw Hill LLC 17  Cognitive and Psychological Responses to Stressors 6 Experience: Past experiences dramatically influence the evaluation of a potential stressor. Effective behavioral responses can overcome the effects of negative past experiences. The stress experience as a whole: The physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms of excess negative stress are intimately interrelated. The more intense the emotional response, the stronger the physical response. © McGraw Hill LLC 18  Stress and Wellness: The General Adaptation Syndrome General adaptation syndrome (GAS): a pattern of stress responses consisting of three stages—alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Eustress: stress resulting from a pleasant stressor. Distress: stress resulting from an unpleasant stressor. In the alarm stage, which includes the sequence of events in the fight, flight, or freeze reaction, the body is more susceptible to injury because it is geared up to deal with a crisis. The resistance stage is a new level of homeostasis in which the body is more resistant to disease and injury than normal. Exhaustion is a life-threatening result when a stressor persists or several stressors occur in succession. © McGraw Hill LLC 19  Figure 10.4 The General Adaptation Syndrome During the alarm stage, a lower resistance to injury is evident. With continued stress, resistance to injury is actually enhanced. With prolonged exposure to repeated stressors, exhaustion sets in, with a return of low resistance levels seen during acute stress. Access the text alternative for slide images. © McGraw Hill LLC 20  Stress and Wellness: More Recent Ideas about Stress Researchers have developed instruments to measure brain waves, skin conduction, heart rates, and muscle tone. These tools allow for the study of immediate and long-term effects of the stress response. Allostatic load: the long-term negative impact of the stress response on the body. A person’s allostatic load depends on many factors, including genetics, life experiences, and emotional and behavioral responses to stressors. A person’s allostatic load can increase over time. © McGraw Hill LLC 21  Stress and Specific Conditions 1 Stress and the immune system: Increased levels of stress hormones are linked to a decrease in the number and functioning of immune cells. Some of the health problems linked to stress-related changes include vulnerability to colds and other infections, asthma and allergy attacks, and flare-ups of chronic diseases. Chronic stress may cause prolonged secretion of cortisol and accelerate the course of diseases that involve inflammation. Mood, personality, behavior, and immune function are intertwined. © McGraw Hill LLC 22  Stress and Specific Conditions 2 Cardiovascular disease: During the stress response, heart rate increases, blood vessels constrict, and blood pressure rises. Chronic high blood pressure is a major cause of strokes and heart attacks. People who respond to situations with anger and hostility are more likely to have heart attacks. © McGraw Hill LLC 23  Stress and Specific Conditions 3 Other health problems can be worsened by stress, including: Digestive problems. Tension headaches and migraines. Insomnia and fatigue. Injuries. Menstrual irregularities, impotence, and pregnancy complications. Psychological problems. © McGraw Hill LLC 24  Common Sources of Stress: Major Life Changes Any major change in life that requires adjustment and accommodation can be a source of stress. Early adulthood and the college years are associated with many significant changes. Even positive changes can be stressful. Life changes that are traumatic may be linked to subsequent health problems in some people. Personality and coping skills are important moderating influences. © McGraw Hill LLC 25  Common Sources of Stress: Daily Hassles and College Stressors Daily hassles can be a big source of stress and can contribute to a general decrease in overall wellness. For many students, college means being away from home and family for the first time. Nearly all college students share stresses such as: Academic stress. Interpersonal stress. Time pressures. Financial concerns. Worries about the future. © McGraw Hill LLC 26  Common Sources of Stress: Job- Related Stressors Worries about job performance, salary, job security, and interactions with others can contribute to stress. Tight schedules leave less time for stress-proofing activities. When people are given opportunities to shape their job descriptions and responsibilities, job satisfaction goes up and stress levels go down. If job-related (or college-related) stress is severe or chronic, it can result in burnout—a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. People who are highly driven and people in the helping professions are especially susceptible. © McGraw Hill LLC 27  Common Sources of Stress: Relationships and Stress Interpersonal relationships can be one of the most significant sources of both stress and support. In stressful circumstances, many people lean on friendships, which are often more stable and longer lasting than intimate partnerships. Intimate love relationships are among the most profound human experiences, often initially characterized by high levels of passion. Communication is key to developing and maintaining any type of relationship. © McGraw Hill LLC 28  Common Sources of Stress: Social Stressors Social networks, real and virtual, can improve your ability to deal with stress but can also become stressors. College can involve big changes in real social networks. This may be especially true for those for whom English is not their first language. Electronic or virtual networks can impinge on personal space, waste time, and distract you. Extensive surveys in Britain have showed that links between social media and well-being may depend on our age. © McGraw Hill LLC 29  Common Sources of Stress: Other Stressors Environmental stressors are external conditions or events such as a noisy atmosphere, unpleasant odors, pollen, industrial accidents, violence, and natural disasters. Continuing earlier trends, the majority of adults in 2022 reported significant stress related to issues of inflation, mass shootings, and political and racial discord. Internal stressors include pressures we place on ourselves and our physical or emotional states. Striving to reach goals can enhance self-esteem but not when expectations are unrealistic. © McGraw Hill LLC 30  Managing Stress Things that can be done regarding stress: Develop healthy exercise habits. Strengthen your support system. Improve your communication skills. Identify and moderate individual stressors. Practice relaxation and mindfulness techniques. © McGraw Hill LLC Tassii/Getty Images 31  Managing Stress: Nutrition A healthy, balanced diet can help cope with stress. Eating wisely enhances feelings of self-control and self-esteem. Limit or avoid caffeine. © McGraw Hill LLC 32  Managing Stress: Social Support 1 Meaningful connections with others can play a key role in stress management and overall wellness. A sense of isolation can lead to chronic stress and increase one’s susceptibility to illness. To maintain social ties: Foster friendships and family ties. Keep your family ties strong. Diversify your social support. Get involved with a group. © McGraw Hill LLC wundervisuals/E+/Getty Images 33  Managing Stress: Social Support 2 Half of college students report feeling lonely. Write down what is making you feel lonely. Invite someone to lunch, coffee, or some area of campus. Talk on the phone with friends or family. Attend events on campus. Make eye contact. Volunteer. Speak with classmates. Organize group visits to nearby attractions. Don’t minimize what you’re feeling. Visit your campus counseling center. © McGraw Hill LLC 34  Managing Stress: Communication Good communication skills can help everyone form and maintain healthy relationships. Communicating in an assertive, confident way can prevent potentially stressful situations from getting out of control. Keys to good communication in relationships: Self-disclosure. Listening. Feedback. Suppressing your feelings or inappropriately expressing anger are counterproductive. © McGraw Hill LLC 35  Managing Stress: Conflict Resolution If conflict isn’t handled in a constructive way, it can damage or destroy a relationship. Basic strategies: Clarify the issue. Find out what each person wants. Determine how you both can get what you want. Work out a plan for change. Solidify the agreements. Review and renegotiate. © McGraw Hill LLC 36  Managing Stress: Striving for Spiritual Wellness Spiritual wellness is associated with more effective coping skills and higher levels of overall wellness. It is also linked to longer life expectancy, reduced risk of disease, faster recovery, and improved emotional health. To develop spiritual wellness, choose activities that are meaningful to you. This may involve looking inward, spending some quiet time alone with your thoughts and feelings. It may also involve reaching out to others. © McGraw Hill LLC 37  Managing Stress: Confiding in Yourself through Writing Set aside time to write down your feelings about stressful events in your life. This form of coping with stress may be especially helpful for those who find it difficult to open up to others. Writing about traumatic and stressful events may have a short-term negative effect on mood; however, over the long term, stress is reduced, and positive changes in health occur. © McGraw Hill LLC 38  Managing Stress: Time Management 1 Strategies for improving your time management: Set priorities. Schedule tasks for peak efficiency. Set realistic goals and write them down. Budget enough time. Break up long-term goals into short-term ones. Keep track of the tasks you put off. Consolidate tasks when possible. © McGraw Hill LLC 39  Managing Stress: Time Management 2 Strategies for improving your time management, continued: Delegate responsibility. Say no when necessary. Give yourself a break. Avoid your personal “time sinks.” Stop thinking or talking about what you’re going to do, and just do it. © McGraw Hill LLC LJM Photo/Disability Images 40  Managing Stress: Cognitive Techniques Practice affirmations and avoid negative self-talk. Act constructively and problem solve. Define the problem and identify its causes. Consider several solutions and weigh their positive and negative consequences. Make a decision and make a list of things you must do to act on it. Do them. Evaluate the outcome and revise your approach if necessary. Modify your expectations and live in the present. Cultivate your sense of humor. © McGraw Hill LLC 41  Table 10.1 Avoiding Negative Self-Talk COGNITIVE DISTORTION NEGATIVE SELF-TALK POSITIVE SELF-TALK Focusing on negatives School is so discouraging—nothing but School is pretty challenging and has its one hassle after another. difficulties, but there certainly are rewards. It's really a mixture of good and bad. Expecting the worst Why would my boss want to meet with I wonder why my boss wants to meet with me this afternoon if not to fire me? me. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Overgeneralizing [After getting a poor grade on a I'll start working on the next paper earlier. paper] Just as I thought—I'm That way, if I run into problems, I'll have incompetent at everything. time to talk to the TA. Minimizing I won the speech contest, but none of It may not have been the best speech I'll ever the other speakers was very good. I give, but it was good enough to win the wouldn't have done as well against contest. stiffer competition. Blaming others I wouldn't have eaten so much last night I overdid it last night. Next time I'll make if my friends hadn't insisted on going different choices. to that restaurant. Expecting perfection I should have scored 100% on this test. I Too bad I missed one problem through can't believe I missed that one carelessness, but overall I did very well on problem through a careless mistake. this test. Next time I'll be more careful. © McGraw Hill LLC 42  Managing Stress: Relaxation and Body Awareness Techniques 1 Relaxation response: a physiological state characterized by a feeling of warmth and quiet mental alertness. Heart rate, breathing, and metabolism slow down. Blood pressure and oxygen consumption decrease, and blood flow to the brain and skin increases, and brain waves shift from an alert beta rhythm to a relaxed alpha rhythm. Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing and relaxing the muscles one by one. Visualization can improve performance. Imagine yourself floating on a cloud, sitting on a mountaintop, or lying in a meadow; your body will respond. © McGraw Hill LLC 43  Managing Stress: Relaxation and Body Awareness Techniques 2 Several breathing techniques can be used for on-the-spot tension relief and long-term stress reduction. Deep, slow breathing is associated with relaxation, while rapid, shallow, often irregular breathing occurs during the stress response. Belly breathing and tension-release breathing are two techniques that involve a deliberate focus on breathing. Experts suggest inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. Practice is important. © McGraw Hill LLC 44  Managing Stress: Relaxation and Body Awareness Techniques 3 Mindfulness: the intentional cultivation of attention in a way that is nonjudging and nonstriving. Techniques for mindfulness include forms of meditation and neuromuscular activities. Yoga emphasizes physical and breath control and integrates components of flexibility, muscular endurance, and muscle relaxation. Tai chi is a system of self-defense that incorporates philosophical concepts from Taoism and Confucianism. Listening to music can also relax us, influencing pulse, blood pressure, and the electrical activity of muscles. © McGraw Hill LLC 45  Other Stress-Management Techniques Biofeedback, hypnosis and self-hypnosis, and massage require a partner or professional training or assistance. All take practice, and it may be several weeks before the benefits are noticeable. Biofeedback helps people reduce their stress response by enabling them to become more aware of their level of physiological arousal. Some measure of stress is electronically monitored. With practice, people can exercise conscious control. © McGraw Hill LLC 46  Counterproductive Strategies for Coping with Stress Unhealthy coping techniques to avoid include: Alcohol. Tobacco. Other drugs—stimulants, marijuana, and opioids. Binge eating. None of these methods address the actual cause of the stress in your life. © McGraw Hill LLC 47  Getting Help If you feel you need guidance beyond the information in this text, excellent self-help guides can be found in bookstores or the library; helpful websites are listed in “For Further Exploration” at the end of the chapter. Peer counselors can offer sympathetic listening and steer those seeking help to appropriate resources. Support groups are typically organized around a particular issue or problem. Psychotherapy, especially a short-term course of sessions, can be helpful in dealing with stress-related problems. © McGraw Hill LLC 48  Is It Stress or Something More Serious? 1 Symptoms that may indicate a more serious problem: Depression, anxiety, or other emotional problem begins to interfere seriously with school or work performance or with relationships. Suicide is seriously considered or attempted. Hallucinations, delusions, incoherent speech, or loss of memory occur. Alcohol or drugs are used to the extent that they impair normal functioning. © McGraw Hill LLC 49  Is It Stress or Something More Serious? 2 Depression: a mood disorder characterized by loss of interest, sadness, hopelessness, loss of appetite, disturbed sleep, and other physical symptoms. Someone who has symptoms of major depression for more than two weeks should consider treatment. Most communities and many colleges have hotlines and/or health services and counseling centers that can provide help. © McGraw Hill LLC 50  Sleep Sleep is as important to healthy living as are healthful diet and exercise. Adequate sleep: Improves memory, creativity, and mood. Fosters feelings of competence and self-worth. Works against depression and anxiety. Lowers food craving and maintains the immune system. Helps prevent cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain, certain cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases. © McGraw Hill LLC 51  How Sleep Works: The Physiology of Sleep Sleep occurs in two phases. Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep includes stages of successively deeper sleep. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the second phase of one sleep cycle, during which dreams occur. When people fall asleep, they cycle through the stages of NREM and then REM sleep. The sequence lasts about 90 minutes and then the cycle repeats. © McGraw Hill LLC 52  Natural Sleep Drives The homeostatic sleep drive is the drive for sleep that builds up the longer you are awake. When people are awake during the day, the neurochemical adenosine accumulates in the brain and promotes sleep onset. A reasonably early wake time every day helps that process. The circadian rhythm is the sleep and wake pattern coordinated by the brain’s master internal clock. Travel and some personal habits can cause the internal body clock to be out of sync with the time zone. The master clock can be reset by “time-givers” such as activity, exercise, eating, and, most importantly, light. © McGraw Hill LLC 53  Adequate Sleep and Your Health Poor-quality or insufficient sleep has been associated with numerous health problems and impairments. The stress hormone cortisol is released during sleep, but it is the lack of sleep that has the greatest impact on stress. Extreme sleep deprivation can cause hallucinations, psychotic symptoms, and a significant increase in heart attack risk. Drowsy driving is responsible for an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in damages each year. Drowsiness slows your reaction time and lessens your ability to pay attention and make good decisions. If you are drowsy while driving, pull over. © McGraw Hill LLC 54  Sleep Disorders As many as 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders. Insomnia is trouble falling asleep or staying asleep; it is considered chronic insomnia if sleep disruption occurs at least three nights a week and lasts at least three months. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) involves uncomfortable sensations in the legs that make sleep more difficult. Sleep apnea occurs when a person repeatedly stops breathing for short periods while asleep; treatments include lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, and breathing devices. © McGraw Hill LLC 55  Figure 10.6 Sleep Apnea Sleep apnea occurs when soft tissues surrounding the airway relax, “collapsing” the airway and restricting airflow. Access the text alternative for slide images. © McGraw Hill LLC 56  Improving Sleep You likely get less than the recommended amount of sleep per night. Support natural sleep rhythms and drives. Create a good sleep environment. Avoid substances that disrupt sleep. Treat conditions that interfere with sleep. © McGraw Hill LLC 57  Figure 10.7 Sleep Needs Change over the Course of the Life Span Access the text alternative for slide images. © McGraw Hill LLC Source: National Sleep Foundation. 2020. How much sleep do you really need? (www.thensf.org/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-really-need/). 58