Heart Disease and Stress Miller and Blackwell state, “Though people have long believed that certain thoughts and feelings are toxic for their health, only in the past 30 years has convincing evidence accumulated to support this view… specific cognitive and emotional processes do contribute to the development and progression of medical illness,” (Miller & Blackwell, 2006, p. 269). Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Through many experiments, research has shown that stress increases the health concerns directly related to heart disease. Stress is a part of everyday life, yet individuals perceive and process stress differently. Stress Stress is defined as, “the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging,” (Myers, 2013, p. 487). When stressors arise in people’s lives, the response can be positive and pose a challenge and make people more focused. If the stressor is thought to be a threat or negative, the person could become more distracted and stressed. From hurricanes and earthquakes, to driving down the street and being cut off, stressors can be presented in many different ways and fall into one of three categories. The three main categories are, catastrophes, significant life changes and daily hassles, but all play a vital role (Myers, 2013). Inflammation When the body processes stress, it is both a physiological and psychological process. Outside sources activate the immune response of inflammation, which if persistent, studies have shown develops symptoms of depression and progression into cardiac disease. Walter Cannon (1929) observed stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine from the adrenal glands b... ... middle of paper ... ...covered about personality traits along with Type A and Type B reactions to stress, the scientific community can move closer to lowering the chronic heart disease in patients that are effected by stressors. References Alfred B. Heilburn, J., & Friedberg, E. B. (1988). Type A Personality, Self-Control, and Vulnerability to Stress. Journal of Personality Assessment, 420-424. Miller, G. E., & Blackwell, E. (2006). Turning Up the Heat. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 269-272. Myers, D. G. (2013). Psychology, Tenth Edition. New York: Worth. Neelakantan, S. (2013). Mind over myocardium. Nature, S16-S17. Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004, July). Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry. Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Infrmation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361287/
In the Unnatural Causes film, UC Berkley Professor and Epidemiologist, Leonard Syme, states that an important component of overall health is the “ability to influence the events that impinge on your life,” or another words, the means by which you are able to effectively manage the stressors in your life will greatly impact your health (2015). It is common knowledge that stress can negatively impact your health and the film points out that chronic stress affects the body by increasing cortisol levels, heart rate, blood pressure, circulating glucose levels and decreases the immune system’s response. All of this increases the risks of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses (Smith, director, 2015). If we have power, control and
Therefore, prolonged stress included adverse psychological and physical health effects as well as the increased risk of premature death (Denollet, J., et al.
Bibliography 3rd edition Psychology (Bernstein-Stewart, Roy, Srull, & Wickens) Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, Massachusetts 1994
To a great extent, stress can be a helpful response, especially for prehistoric humans. During this era, our species needed to react quickly to outside stimuli through a response of “fight or flight”. Through stress, certain hormones are released to help the individual resist the stressor, which may have meant running away from a natural predator. Thus, stress is a positive response that ensures the survival of the species. However, stress over a prolonged period of time causes exhaustion in the individual. Consequently, although stress can be helpful for individuals today, many often experience chronic stress, inflicting varying degrees of damage to their bodies.
In the past thirty years there have been a significant number of studies done to establish a connection between psychological stress and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD refers to the negative change towards the normal process of the heart and blood vessel system (What Is Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease)?, online). Psychological stress is defined, but not limited to being a demanding condition in which the normal behavioral conditions are exceeded thus overwhelming the behavioral resources of the organism (Kamarck, 2012). In the world today it has been shown that the impacts of psychological, social, and environmental stressors from daily lives are increasing the physical well being of individuals. Two different types of stressors can attain cardiovascular responses: "acute major life stressors and chronic exposure to continuing stressors" (Dimsdale, 2008). A stressor is any condition which causes stress on an individual. One may be exposed to acute stressors during periods of intense stress that are not regular to one’s lifestyle. Those who are exposed to constant chronic stressors are at an increased risk for hypertension, atherosclerosis, and stroke (Hojt, online). The increased levels of psychological stress present in individuals lives is providing for alarm due to the direct correlation it has with risk for cardiovascular disease.
The Solid facts document of the World Health Organization (2003) identifies stress as a powerful social determinants of health, indicating the harmful effect of the prolonged hormonal, physiological response to stressful stimuli, on the cardiovascular and immune systems of the human body.
Gall, S. B., Beins, B., & Feldman, A. (2001). The gale encyclopedia of psychology. (2nd ed., pp. 271-273). Detroit, MI: Gale Group.
There is overwhelming evidence that daily stress may be harmful to the overall health of humans (Cohen, Tyrrell, and Smith, 1991; Glaser, Rice, and Sheridan, 1987; and Schleifer, and Keller, 1991). The mechanism by which stress influences health outcomes is thought to involve the immune system.
Stress has been known to have an adverse affect on an individual’s physical, mental and social health. Stress can be defined as an autonomic response to any demand that can include change (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). These demands or stressors do not affect all people equally and can contribute to illness through various direct and indirect health behaviors (Glanz, Rimer, & Viswanath, 2008, p. 211). Due to positive or negative stress, health behavior characteristics affect each individual differently. “ How individuals experience and cope with stress affects whether and how they seek medical care and social support”, which can cause a negative impact on the addressed health behavior (Glanz, Rimer, & Viswanath, 2008, p. 212).
Stress does not directly causes infections or ill-health to a person. Instead, the products produced in the process of stress interfere with the usual operations of the immune system. Numerous studies have proved that stress has an immunosuppressive effect, which means the functions of the immune system is reduced when an individual is experience stress (Gross et al., 2008). Corticosteroids are initially produced during the alarm stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), they do not usually cause any harm to the immune system. However, if the presence of corticosteroids is prolonged in the blood due to chronic stress, they can interfere with the production of the antibodies leaving the body vulnerable to harmful virus and bacteria (Gross et al., 2008). As described in the G.A.S model by Selye, individuals might experience drastic changes in their body such as high blood pressures and heart rates in order to cope during the stressful situations. If these changes are prolonged, this could lead to permanent damage to the body (Bailey et al, 2008).
Hewstone, M. Fincham, F. and Foster, J (2005). Psychology. Oxford: The British Psychological Society, and Blackwell Publishing. P3-23.
The connection between stress and human health has been receiving a tremendous amount of attention in the popular as well as scientific literature in recent decades. Knowledge of both has been expanding considerably and is in constant review and literature and studies produced surrounding the topic are continually expanding. In simple terms and as explained by the National Health Services (2014), stress in humans is the feeling of being under too much ‘mental, physical and emotional pressure’. Pargman (2006) explains that stress is a human response to a specific stimulus or stressor yet it can be both negative and positive. For instance, a student completing an essay is in fact not the stimulus, however the time frame, deadline date, quantity
Stress is defined as “any circumstance that threatens or is perceived to threaten one’s well-being and thereby tax one’s coping abilities” (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, p. 72). Stress is a natural event that exists literally in all areas of one’s life. It can be embedded in the environment, culture, or perception of an event or idea. Stress is a constant burden, and can be detrimental to one’s physical and mental health. However, stress can also provide beneficial effects; it can satisfy one’s need for stimulation and challenge, promote personal growth, and can provide an individual with the tools to cope with, and be less affected by tomorrow’s stress (Weiten & Lloyd, 2006, p. 93).
Stressors, the sources of stress, include three types of events, referred to as daily hassles, major life events, and catastroph...
First, stress is defined as an unpleasant state of emotional and physiological arousal that people experience in situations that they perceive as dangerous or threatening to their well being (Patel, 14). Stress is a universal feeling to everyone but the word stress means different things to different people. Some people define stress as events or situations that cause them to feel tension, pressure or negative emotions such as anxiety or anger (Patel, 15). Other people may view stress as a process involving a person’s interpretation and response to a threatening event. In any case, stress has many facets of how one perceives and responds to the certain predicament that is ailing them.