Mod 2 (Sec 2) Flashcards

1
Q

Biology of the body’s stress response

A
  • Adrenal gland
  • Hypothalamus
  • Pituitary gland
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2
Q

Adrenal gland

A
  • an endocrine gland located above the kidney
  • produces hormones that help regulate many functions
  • produces cortisol - major hormonal mediator of stress response
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3
Q

Hypothalamus

A
  • small portion of brain
  • controls the release of hormones from the pituitary gland
  • links the endocrine system to nervous system
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4
Q

Pituitary gland

A
  • pea-sized gland attached to base of brain
  • plays major role in growth and dev.
  • controls functioning of other endocrine glands
  • divided into two parts; anterior and posterior pituitary
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5
Q

The HPA axis

A

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (4 steps)

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6
Q

Step 1

A

sudden onset of stressor triggers release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) from the hypothalamus

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7
Q

Step 2

A

CRH stimulates the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the anterior pituitary

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8
Q

Step 3

A

the glucocorticoid hormone cortisol is secreted from the adrenal gland as the product of the axis

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9
Q

What happens during acute stress?

A

the HPA axis will help deal with the problem
- heart rate may increase or momentarily freeze, feel rush of energy
- these sudden changes will help you think clearly and quickly to assess situation

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10
Q

Step 4

A

Once the threat is assessed to be minimal, cortisol inhibits through negative feedback loop
- the large amount of cortisol will stop CRH from being released, and when that stops so will ACTH, which means no more cortisol is released

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11
Q

Psychological factors that influence stress

A
  • thoughts
  • bodily sensations
  • feelings
  • behaviour
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12
Q

Unhelpful responses to stress

A

thought: “I might do badly”
bodily sensation: tense, poor sleep
feelings: anxious
behaviour: withdrawal, procrastination

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13
Q

Helpful responses to stress

A

thought: “How do I prepare for this?”
bodily sensation: reasonably calm, relaxed
feelings: mild anxiety, motivated
behaviour: make plans, regular revision w/ breaks

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14
Q

Social factors that increase stress

A
  • early history of trauma/neglect
  • feeling excluded or marginalized
  • feeling discriminated against
  • limited social support
    (Increased stress in black people and LGBTQ+)
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14
Q

Social factors that reduce stress

A
  • supportive social network
  • strong sense of identity
    -access to oppotunities
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15
Q

Inter-Individual differences

A

differences between different people

16
Q

Intra-individual differences

A

differences within a person at different times

17
Q

Perfectionism and Self-Criticism

A

tendency to set unrealistically high expectations for yourself and others
- nothing but a perfect outcome is seen as a failure leading to high levels of self-criticism
- increases vulnerability for anxiety, depression

18
Q

Self Doubt and Imposter Syndrome

A
  • when you compare yourself to others and think you aren’t good enough
  • don’t let self doubt build into self-criticism
19
Q

Tackling Perfectionism, Self-Criticism, Self-Doubt

A
  • focus on strengths
  • avoid comparisons
  • mindfulness and self-compassion
  • good enough
  • challenge beliefs
  • growth mindset
20
Q

Equilibrium or Allostasis

A
  • the process of responding to a challenge or stressor by triggering various biochemical and chemical processes to maintain balance
21
Q

Wear and Tear or Allostatic Load

A
  • the wear and tear on the body and brain that results from chronic or overwhelming stress
22
Q

Signs and Symptoms of chronic or overwhelming stress

A
  • cognitive changes
  • emotional changes
  • physical changes
  • behavioural changes
23
Q

Lily

A
  • she had joined an intramural league and is volunteering which has made her feel more connected
  • started to worry she was falling behind and gave up intramural and volunteer work
24
Q

Stages of Sleep

A
  • non-REM (stages 1-3)
  • REM (stage 4)
25
Q

Non-REM Sleep: Stage 1

A
  • change from being awake to asleep
  • only lasts a few mins
  • slowing of heartbeat, breathing, eye movements
  • relaxation of muscles
  • brainwaves begin to slow
26
Q

Non-REM Sleep: Stage 2

A
  • period of light sleep before entering deeper sleep
  • further slowing of heartbeat and breathing
  • eye movements stop
  • deeper muscle relaxation
  • body temp. drops
  • brainwaves slow even more but show bursts of activity
27
Q

Non-REM Sleep: Stage 3

A
  • sleep needed to feel awake and refreshed next day
  • longer periods during first half of night
  • further slowing of heartbeat, breathing (slowest)
  • deeper muscle relaxation
  • brainwaves slow even more
  • may be difficult to be woken up
28
Q

REM Sleep: Stage 4

A
  • first stage involving REM
  • occurs after 90 mins of sleep
  • rapid eye movements
  • breathing, heartbeat, BP increase to close to waking levels
  • brain waves have mixed freq.
  • most dreaming occurs
  • limbs become temporarily paralyzed so you do not act out your dreams
29
Q

Importance of REM sleep

A
  • important for resetting mental state and dispelling highly emotional charged memories
  • over course of night, REM episodes get longer in duration
  • older people tend to spend less time in stage 3 and 4, and wake up more frequently interrupting their sleep cycle
30
Q

Cognitive benefits of sleep

A
  • improved memory, attention, probelm-solving
31
Q

Emotional benefits of sleep

A
  • increased positive emotions
  • decreased negative emotions
32
Q

Physical benefits of sleep

A
  • keeping your heart healthy
  • lowering BP
  • aiding immune system
  • regulating hormones associated w/ food cravings
  • coping w/ pain
33
Q

Behavioural benefits of sleep

A

improved productivity

34
Q

Circadian Rythms

A

naturally-occurring process, which forms your biological clock
- ensure body is optimized at correct time of day through biological processes such as sleep-wake cycle, energy levels
- for humans based on a 24 hr day and involves diff. cycles that rely on biological mechanisms and secretion of diff. hormones

35
Q

Cognitive changes from biological rhythms

A
  • fatigue, problems w/ attention, increased impulsivity, slower thinking
36
Q

Emotional changes

A
  • lower mood
  • increased feelings of stress
  • emotional reactivity
  • irritability
37
Q

Physical changes

A
  • reduced energy
  • changes in metabolism
  • difficulty maintaing healthy weight
38
Q

Behavioural changes

A
  • decreased productivity
  • difficult falling asleep/waking up
  • difficult maintaining balanced routine