Ch.5 Homeostasis, Adaptation and Stress Flashcards
Explain homeostasis, and list categories of stressors that affect homeostasis.
Homeostasis is a relatively stable state of physiologic equilibrium; it means “staying the same.”
The body maintains consistency by adjusting and re-adjusting in response to changes in the internal and external environments that foster disequilibrium.
Examples of Stressors: Prematurity, Aging, Fear, Powerlessness, Isolation, Poverty, Guilt and Doubt.
Identify beliefs about the body and mind based on the concept of holism.
Holism is the foundation of two commonly held beliefs:
Both the mind and the body directly influence humans and
The relationship between the mind and the body can potentially sustain health as well as cause illness.
Identify the purpose of adaptation and possible outcomes of unsuccessful adaptation.
Adaptation (the response of an organism to change) requires the use of self-protective properties and mechanisms for regulating homeostasis.
Prolonged or chronic stress leads to the last stage of exhaustion. Enduring stressors without relief drains your physical, emotional, and mental resources to the point where your body is no longer able to cope with stress
Trace the structures through which adaptive responses take place.
Neurotransmitters and Neuropeptides
Central Nervous System
Autonomic Nervous System
Endocrine System
Differentiate between sympathetic and parasympathetic adaptive responses.
When a situation occurs that the mind perceives as dangerous, the sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for a fight-or-flight response.
The parasympathetic nervous system restores equilibrium after danger is no longer apparent. It does so by inhibiting the physiologic stimulation created by its counterpart, the sympathetic nervous system.
Define stress, and list factors that affect the stress response.
Stress is the physiologic and behavioral responses to disequilibrium.
It has physical, emotional, and cognitive effects.
Discuss the stages and consequences of the general adaptation syndrome.
He maintained that:
- The body’s physical response is always the same
- It follows a one-, two-, or three-stage pattern: alarm stage, stage of resistance, and in some cases, stage of exhaustion
If the stage of resistance is prolonged, however, the process can become maladaptive and pathologic. It can lead to stress-related disorders and in some cases, death.
Explain psychological adaptation and possible outcomes.
Coping Mechanisms: When appropriate and moderate, coping mechanisms enable people to maintain their mental equilibrium.
Coping Strategies: Therapeutic coping strategies usually help the person acquire insight, gain confidence in confronting reality, and develop emotional maturity.
Name three levels of prevention that apply to reducing or managing stress-related disorders.
Primary prevention involves eliminating the potential for illness before it occurs. An example is teaching adolescents principles of nutrition and methods to maintain normal weight and BP.
Secondary prevention includes screening for risk factors and providing a means for early diagnosis of disease. An example is regularly measuring the BP of a client with a family history of hypertension.
Tertiary prevention minimizes the consequences of a disorder through aggressive rehabilitation or appropriate management of the disease. An example is frequently turning, positioning, and exercising a client who has had a stroke to help restore functional ability.
Describe the nursing activities helpful to the care of clients prone to stress and approaches for preventing, reducing, or eliminating a stress response.
Some general interventions appropriate during the care of any client include:
- Providing adequate explanations in understandable language
- Keeping the client and family informed
- Demonstrating confidence and expertise when providing nursing care
- Remaining calm during crises
- Being available to the client
- Responding promptly to the client’s signal for assistance
- Encouraging family interaction
- Advocating on behalf of the client
- Referring the client and family to organizations or people who provide postdischarge assistance.
____________ are chemical messengers synthesized in the neurons, which allow for communication across the synaptic cleft between neurons.
Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters, when released, temporarily bind to receptor sites on the ____________ neuron and transmit their information.
Postsynaptic
Another chemical messenger, called a(n) ____________, is a type of neuromodulator that helps neurons communicate with each other.
Neuropeptide
____________ stabilizes mood, induces sleep, and regulates temperature.
Serotonin
The neurotransmitter ____________ heightens arousal and increases energy.
Norepinephrine
Identify and label the picture.
The figure shows the central nervous system.
What is the function of each component?
The components of the central nervous system are the cortex, the subcortex, and the reticular activating system (RAS). The cortex is considered the higher functioning portion of the brain. It enables people to think abstractly, use and understand language, accumulate and store memories, and make decisions about information received.
The cortex also influences other primitive areas of the brain located in the subcortex.
The subcortical structures are primarily responsible for regulating and maintaining physiologic activities that promote survival. Examples include regulation of breathing, heart contraction, blood pressure, body temperature, sleep, appetite, and stimulation and inhibition of hormone production.
The RAS, an area of the brain through which a network of nerves passes, is the communication link between the body and mind. Information about a person’s internal and external environment is funneled through the RAS to the cortex on both conscious and unconscious levels. The cortex processes the information and generates behavioral and physiologic responses via activation by the hypothalamus.
