What is stress?

• Physical and psychological challenges to the integrity of an organism

• Characteristics (from Kim & Diamond)

o Stress is accompanied by physiological arousal
o Stress must be perceived as threatening
o Stress depends on whether an organism perceives it has control
• The last 2 are debatable

Homeostasis
• maintenance of the internal environment in the face of a changing external environment

• physical and psychological challenges to the integrity of an organism provoke responses to

counteract those threats

4 Levels of Homeostatic Regulation

1. Internal reflexes; organs regulate their own function

2. Autonomic nervous system and endocrine system
3. Brainstem and hypothalamus
4. Higher brain centers; integrate emotional activity, memory, awareness to modulate output of #3
The Autonomic Nervous System
• Sympathetic division
 Energy expenditure
 Skin conductance responses
• Parasympathetic division
 Energy conservation
 Heart rate controlled by both divisions
 Respiration controlled by both divisions
 Adrenal cortex at stress
Stress
Hypothalamus

Pituitary gland

Adrenal gland

Cortisol (anti stress hormone)

ACTH

Aldesteron

Sex hormone

1. Glucose amount in Blood

1. Glycogen in liver + dissolve the fat layer and produces glucose
2. Decreases the secretion of insulin in Pancreas

Fluids in blood (high blood pressure)

Kidneys absorb Na+ Ions highly - so the fluids in blood increase

2. Decreases immunity
[Possibility of Cancers- healing of the wounds decreases- bones decay]
1. Dissolves protein in the body
2. Decreasing immunity cells (Eosinophils & Lymphocytes)
3. Anti bodies decreases
4. NK cells decreases
5. Reduction of Lymph nodes

3. Mental effects
Anxiety symptoms
Depressive symptoms
Psychotic symptoms
 All the consequences of cortisol excess
 Fatigue  Decreased immune system
 Sleep disturbances  Increased risk for osteoporosis
 Bone loss  Sugar cravings
 Weight gain waist, increased belly fat  Low energy
 Loss of muscle mass, contraction skin  Night sweats
 Anxiety  Binge eating
 Memory lapse  Increased cholesterol, triglycerides and
 Irritability blood sugar

Adrenal medulla at stress

Stress

Hypothalamus

ANS

Sympathetic arousal

Adrenalin & Noradrenalin

1. Increases glucose in blood [Glycogen in liver + dissolve the fat layer and produces glucose]
2. Expand the arteries in the hart and increase blood supply to the hart.
3. Expand the blood vassals in body muscles, but shrink the blood vassals in the skin
4. Expand the respiratory track & helps the intake of Oxygen
5. Decrease the activities (digestion) of the digestive track
6. Increase the activity of sweating glands

GH (vegetative) Growth hormone

• At short term stress - GH

• Stress for longer periods Cortisol GH (Children become short)
Emotion vs. Stress
• Emotion: a concerted, generally adaptive, phasic change in multiple physiological systems in
response to the value of a stimulus (from Adolphs, 2002)

• Emotion is more general (could be positive or negative) and more short-lived (though a
negative emotion can lead to stress over time) than stress

• Example: fear of doing poorly on an exam upon learning about exam in January, stress
develops throughout the term as the exam approaches in March

Stress & Memory

• Anecdotal reports suggest that acute stress impairs memory
• Study by Kirschbaum et al (1996) showed this effect in humans
• Effect of cortisol administration alone was similar to that of stress
• Kirschbaum and colleagues put subjects through stress or gave a dose of cortisol...
• ...then they learned a word list and a spatial task...
• ...then memory was tested on the same day.
• Memory was impaired in the stress & cortisol groups

Fatigue, Stress and Decision Making,

 Some level of stress and perhaps fatigue can bring about clarity and concentration. Too much
fatigue and stress however – will disrupt decision making capabilities.

Chronic stress is thought to be an underlying factor in many diseases

 Heart Disease,
 High Blood Pressure
 lung problems- Colds, flu
 Cirrhosis of the liver
 Cancers
 Depression, headaches
 Chronic fatigue, chronic pain
 Ulcers, Inflammatory Bowel Disease
 Graying hair, hair loss
 Accidents
 Suicide.

• Stress can cause headaches ,indigestion, exhaustion, neck and shoulder pain
• Stress can also result in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, overuse of alcohol, compulsive
overeating, and poor sleep habits.
 Effects of Stress on Immunity System

Stress

Reduce
Reduce Protein
appetite Brain (-) Neuropeptides
[When living with Negative thoughts]
(in short term)

Reduce Hypothalamus
Immunity Reduce
Immunity

ACTH Pituitary Gland

Cortisol

The Effects of Cortisol on Immunity System

1. Scatters the protein in our body.
2. Reducing Eosinophilers & Lymphocytes (immunity cells)
3. Reduce the anti bodies.
4. Reducing the Natural Killer (N.K) cells.
5. Reduction of Lymph nodes.

Stress and the Immune System

• Stress appears to suppress the immune response. (More infections & Even more cancer)

Immune system has two types of cells

1. B Cells fight bacteria
2. T cells fight viruses, cancer [Killer T-cells are lower during periods of high stress]

• Adrenaline and cortisol that are released during stress appear to increase suppressor T-cells,
decrease helper T-cells, and decrease functioning of phagocytes and lymphocytes.

• Chemicals released by our nerves suppress immune functioning in nearby cells.

 How Stress Affects The Blood Circulation System
Stress

Hypothalamus
Increasing
Pulse Rate
ANS Pituitary

Increasing of ACTH
blood pressure

Cortisol (increase
fluid in blood)
Shrink the blood vessels Adrenalin
(In the skin)
Noradrenalin

Increasing of
blood pressure

When Stressed

• Increase the Cholesterol in blood.

Possibility of forming a blood clot (STROK) is high.

• Increase of certain habits - Using drugs/ smoking/ eating meat regularly.

If continues for a longer period

• Angina Pectoris ( Ache in the Heart)

• Myocardial Infarction. (heart muscles being dead, due to lack of blood)
 Fatal

Effects of Stress on Alimentary (canal) + Digestive System

1. Stress ANS (Sympathetic arousal) dry mouth

2. Stress / Anxiety epiglottis Swallowing Difficulties

3. Anxiety short & quick breaths Abdomen gets filled with air
“Butterflies in the Stomach”
4. Stress Parasympathetic arousal

1. Abdomen filled with air

Peptic ulcer 2. Malfunction of the upper-
(Feeling of abdomen pain or burn) -valve of the stomach.
• One big erosion a cluster
- of smaller erosions
• Blood supply to the stomach increases.
• Increase of acid secretion. Peptic acid moves up
• Possibility of getting erosions increases. (iSrSï)
• Later erosions become ulcers

 Increase of intestinal acid “Burning heart“

Gastritis (Epithelia gets damage)

 Intestinal movement’s increases & lacking of water absorption (Loose motion)

 The need to go to the toilet from time to time when getting ready to go somewhere or at outside
the home (Irritable bowel’s syndrome)

 Blood supply to the intestinal wall increases

 Over movement of layers in the big intestine(motility increases) cause damage to motility

Depression function of the intestine muscles decreases Constipation

Anxiety intestine fills with air Feeling of filled stomach
“Butterflies in the Stomach”

Unusual outgrow (Getting fat)

Stress/Anxiety (Long term)

Pituitary Gland

ACTH

Cortisol

Cortisol Bringing the fat in lower part of the body toward upper parts such as; face, stomach, back,
neck and storing the fat in those places. (Like a barrel)
 Effects of Stress and Diabetes

Stress

Hypothalamus

ANS Pituitary

ACTH

Cortisol

Increase glucose level in blood

1. Glycogen in liver + dissolve the fat layer and produces glucose
2. Decreases the secretion of insulin in Pancreas

Adrenalin & Noradrenalin

Increase the glucose level in blood

Glycogen in liver + dissolve the fat layer and produces glucose
 How Stress Affects the Respiratory System

Stress At higher Anxiety

Parasympathetic Breath speed increases

 Squeezing (Constriction) the Respiratory track (tube) Over releasing out of CO2 from
 Increase phlegm (mucus) [YAf,AIAu, Y%djh]

Respiratory track blocks with phlegm Acidity of blood increases NdIausl nj

Entering air into the alveoli [.¾M] is disturbed

Astma Veins supplying blood to the brain, contract

Blood supplement to the brain decreases by 30℅

Panic attacks

Stress
Parasympathetic

Fluids secretion increases in Respiratory System

(Increment of phlegm secretion) [YAf,AIAu, Y%djh]

Catarrh (Cold /freezing) mSki

Neuroendocrine Mechanisms - Stress and Asthma

• Common clinical observations of adverse relationship between stress and human disease
• Adverse effects of psychological stress on asthma have been documented.
• Depression and stress can augment humoral immunity and favor production of IgE
• Immunological changes may shift from TH1 to TH2 and promote allergic responses
• Growing set of data provide evidence for association between chronic psychological stress and the
pathogenesis of atrophy and asthma