Stress Flashcards
what’s the response of the body to stress
hightened state of arousal caused by external stressors
stressors cause stress
Acute vs chronic stress
Acute - usually helps keep us alert and motivated. Optimum performance is reach with a certain amount of stress.
chronic - pronlonged stress can have physiological and physchological effects
difficult to handle tasks done wrongly or missed,
**Under aroused **- bored, lethargic, not assimilated to
incoming info or maintain situational awareness
Types of stressors
Occupational:
overloaded, rostering, being away from home
Domestic (Social Readjustment Rating Scale)
death, divorce
Environmental & Physiological
Disrubt physio balance - heat, noise, hunger, dark, damp, smelly, lack of oxygen
disrub circadian cycle: nausea, fatigue, foggy, depression, moody
Psychological
work related
demanding flights
Rational / irrational fear
Anxiety
**
What is GAS
General Adaptation Syndrom
body’s initial response to stressors
What are the 3 responses of GAS
Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion
What’s the alarm phase
Initial response shock, followed by counter shock
Sympathetic system releases adrenaline which triggers fight and flight response - increased heart rate, blood diverts from stomach to brain, blood sugar increases
Noradrenaline prolongs the effects of adrenaline even after the stressor is gone.
Resistance
if stressor not removed, adrenaline levels drop and sympathetic system release coritosteroids (cortisol) which converts proteins to sugar and stores in the fat reserves to turn into energy.
if it presists, psychosomatic symptoms occur (physical symptoms triggered by pscyhological issues)
exhaustian
body eliminiates all the waste generated excessilvey from the first two steps
if stressor is gone, blood sugar levels return to normal
if not, body is depleted all its resources and blood sugar remains to drop
Symptoms of GAS
increased:
respiration
heart rate
alertness
energy
blood sugar levels
salivation
muscle tension
decreased apetite
interpretation of stress response
boyd’s repsonse to stress is based on the perception of severity of the stress.
you can have the same symptoms whether body is in Fear mode or excitement mode
meaning, response is open to interpretation by the brain
chronic illness causes
1)Increased heart rate & blood sugars- heart muscles thickness and arterial walls harden causing blood flow restriction
2)Breaking down of fat into sugar **increases cholesterol, **leading to fatty cardio vascular system and blood clotts.
Cortison is released and reduces functions of the immune system
physiological and physchological Overload
Because the nature of GAS, a reaction can go on for longer.
multiple stressors and multiple GAS symptons will overlead the individual physchologically and physiologically
** faint, breakdown, process of action is blocked**
or
** carry on the response from the inital source of stress onto another situation**
if you argue with your boss, your stress is carried onto the cockpit
Reaction to stress
Pschylogical
restless, anxity, excitement…depress, moodyness, tense, tearful, forgetfulness, poor attention and decion making
psychosomatic (mind over body)
physical systems that happn from psychological stress
hear attack, ulcers, increased blood pressure
somatic
purely autonomic physical response (alarm, resistantce, exhaution)
how to cope - 5 mechanism
DOPII
Direct Action/long term action coping - you remove or escape the stressor. Abnormal drills is an example.
Ex: quite your job
Obtaining support - get help from others and can be a good long terms or short tem strategy
**Paliative coping/symptom-directed **- addressing symptoms not the cause by use of mediation, relaxation, techniques or even drugs/alchol. Might be short time.
**Information seeking/cognitive coping **- understand the stressor to help cope with it in the future. Rationalize the stress to try to reduce its magnitude
Inhibition/denial - Do nothing. it’s ok for short term stressor but not for long term.
**with supervised professional:
**
**Biofeedback **(audio or EEG waves) to help detect a stress episode
**Cognitive behavioural therapy **- help understand and rationalize stressors
Mental stress
It’s perceived ability to cope with perceived situation
there is no such thing as stressful situation
there is however, anxious reaction
what is anxiety
It’s a person’s reaction to stress
it’s a persistent feeling of dread and apprehension
tends to stay even after the situation has passed
what can chornic anxiety cause
OCD
PTSD
Phobias
Panic attacks
How to keep the cockpit workload in optimum section?
load should be kept at optimum level (not low, not overload)
fill ‘low arousal’ period with non-essential tasks
reduce number of tasks necessary at ‘high arousal peaks’ to avoid overload
Think ahead, plan future tasks
Environmental stresses
caused by pilot’s surroundings like vibration, temperature, noise,..
usually cause distraction, physical discomfort and fatigue
Life stresses (ie domestic)
can cause difficulty to separate one activity such as flying from some stressful factor that is unrelated to the task at hand..
errors or omissions happen
what is stress management and its needed
is a vital skill for pilots to develop - requires learning how to deal with the pressure and disallow it from
overwhelming the ability to respond properly
disrupting ability to operate efficiently and corectly in cockpit or on ground.
Abitlity to handle demand varies depending on..
General good health
well rested
personality
happy & organized life
intelligence and preparedness for tasks and activities
skills/experience/proficiency
perceived pressure
pressure that’s not real but your brain acts on it
to combat this:
ask, is the stressor really there? or imaginary?
