The Stress Response is a physiological event giving rise to physiological and psychological outcomes. Stress has evolved as a way of coping with events that might compromise our well-being. Without stress we would probably die. With stress we would probably die. Stress is our best friend and worst enemy, why? Read on....
The Oxford English Dictionary defines Stress as "a state of mental, emotional, or other strain".
The Health and Safety Executive (UK) looks at the definition from a work perspective: "The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work."
Work related stress is the process that arises where work demands of different types and combinations exceed the person's capacity and capability to cope.
Stress is not an illness - it is a state. However, if stress becomes too excessive and prolonged, mental and physical illness may develop.
How does this happen, what causes stress and what are the results?
The Stress Response or Fight, Flight and Fright Response has evolved with us as an inbuilt system to cope with crises. These crises may be minor or major and everyday events. Regardless of the severity of the crisis, the body takes the same actions.
The stress response is initiated by our senses, which our brain sees as a threat on homeostasis and instructs the body to take appropriate action. Homeostasis is the body functioning at its normal rates, for example, normal blood pressure, breathing rate, pulse rate, perspiration output, heart output, etc. The brain ensures we maintain those "normal rates" throughout each and every day. If, however, we encounter a "stressor", which can be minor or major, the brain initiates the Stress Response.
The stress response initially involves the release of Adrenalin and Noradrenalin into the bloodstream. The hormones are synthesised and released from the Adrenal Glands, located just on top of the kidneys.
The hormones have the following effects, they:
increase heart rate, increase blood pressure, increase breathing rate, increase blood glucose levels, increase metabolic rate, decrease digestive activity, decrease excretory activity, decrease reproductive activity.
What is behind this response?
The results of the hormones' activities ensure that all available energy is shunted away from many of the major organs and transferred to the muscles, along with additional oxygen in readiness for "Fight or Flight".
It is a self-survival system that has evolved with us over tens of thousands of years. During the Stone Age a human encounters a lion or tiger or bear (oh my!!) (Wizard of Oz). The stress response immediately kicks in. Oxygen and glucose rush to the arm and leg muscles ready for the human to either fight or run away. This has stayed with us ever since.
There are two types of stress, short term, which is described above and long term stress.
During long term stress, apart from adrenalin and noradrenalin, cortisol and aldosterone are released into the bloodstream. These hormones are also produced in the adrenal glands and have a similar effect to adrenalin and noradrenalin:
Aldosterone increases salt/water retention, increases blood volume which increases blood pressure.
Cortisol increases blood glucose levels, increases catabolism of fat/protein, decreases inflammatory response and decreases immune response.
The overall effect of the stress response is to shunt blood away from the skin, digestive system, kidneys, liver and send it to the brain, Heart and skeletal muscles in readiness to fight or flight. So you can see that long term stress produces additional hormones which duplicate the efforts of the first hormones. This is not a good thing. One of the things that cortisol does is to catabolise (break down) fat and protein, so that these can further be broken down into additional glucose. However, as the fats and proteins are being broken down, particles break off and travel through the blood stream. These particles are known as plaques, and can attach to walls of arteries, eventually blocking them and causing artherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD).
Scientists have found that short term stress is an effective method for coping with a short term crisis and provides beneficial effects:
o It enhances alertness
o It increases memory formation
o It activates the immune system.
However, long term stress has the opposite effect:
o It reduces immune system functioning and increases susceptibility to infectious diseases
o CHD can be caused by hastening formation of artherosclerotic plaques
o Stomach ulcers are more likely due to the interaction of the physiological changes of stress and the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, which are present in many peoples' stomachs
o Suppresses reproductive function
o There is a loss of memory function
o Weight loss or obesity.
Long term stress also causes many behavioural symptoms, people:
find it hard to sleep, they change their eating habits, they smoke or drink more alcohol, they avoid friends and family, they encounter sexual problems.
Physical Symptoms include:
o tiredness
o indigestion and nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances
o headaches, dizziness, earache
o aching muscles, swollen ankles, back pains
o trouble with gums, mouth and teeth
o shortness of breath
o palpitations
o poor mental health
o heart disease
Psychologically people become more indecisive, find it hard to concentrate, suffer loss of memory, have feelings of inadequacy, develop low self esteem, get irritable or angry more easily, are anxious, feel numb, are hypersensitive and feel drained or listless.
Therefore short term stress has been shown to be beneficial and is good for you, whilst long term stress has the opposite effect and is bad for you. Long term stress can, then, kill you. How can the lack of stress kill you?
Addison's disease prevents the normal release of stress hormones during encounters with stressors. Therefore, if a person is unable to sense danger, as no adrenalin or noradrenalin are released, their safety can quite easily be compromised and their existence put at risk.
Who are more susceptible to stress?
In 1985 a study was taken of civil servants at different grades to determine which group suffered more stress related illnesses. The grades were lower, middle and upper. The Whitehall II study found that the lower grades showed more prevalence of CHD due to stress than the middle or upper grades.
This has also been found to be true with other species of animals; the more subordinate the animal in a particular group, the more likely they are to be suffering from stress-related disorders.
Although cortisol is not our best friend it has beneficial effects on people with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It has been found that treating people with cortisol injections after traumatic events, such as recovery from operations, were less likely to develop PTSD than those not provided with the injection. Studies have also been undertaken on car accident victims. Benzodiazepines (sedatives) are usually given to trauma patients to help them relax and sleep. A study was undertaken in 2002. Traffic accident volunteers were given either benzodiazepine or a placebo. Those given placebos showed fewer tendencies to develop PTSD than those given the sedative. Therefore sedatives may slow trauma recovery compared to those relying on their natural stress response.
What is a stressor? Stressors are different things to different people. A car cutting you up on the motorway, somebody verbally abusing you, a fright, somebody leaves a trolley in the middle of a supermarket aisle instead of pushing it to the side (my particular stressor!)
In 1967 two psychiatrists, Holmes and Rahe, developed a list of stressors, or "Life Changing Units. The higher the LCU the more "severe" the stressor is.
Death of a spouse 100
Marital separation 65
Death of a close family member 63
Personal injury or illness 53
Marriage 50
Loss of job 47
Marital reconciliation 45
Marital reconciliation 45
Retirement 45
Change in health of a family member 44
Wife's pregnancy 40
Sex difficulties 39
Gain of new family member 39
Change in financial status 38
Death of a close friend 37
Change to a different kind of work 36
arguments with spouse 35
Taking out a bigger mortgage on home 31
Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30
Change in work responsibilities 30
Son or daughter leaving home 29
Trouble with in-laws 29
Outstanding personal achievement 29
Wife beginning or stopping work 29
Revision of personal habits 24
Trouble with business superior 23
Change in work hours or conditions 20
Change in residence 20
Change in schools 20
Change in recreation 19
Change in social activities 18
Taking out a small mortgage on your home 17
Change in sleeping habits 16
Change in number of family get-togethers 15
Change in eating habits 15
Holiday 13
Minor violations of law 11
Work-related stress.
So what causes stress at work?
Poor management culture:
Examples of good management culture are when:
o an organisation is committed to promoting the well-being of employees through good management practice;
o the people who work in the organisation are valued and respected; and
o they receive support from the organisation if they wish to raise problems affecting their work.
Too many demands
Examples of demands being at the right level are when:
o staff are able to cope with the volume and complexity of the work.
o the work is scheduled sensibly so that there is enough time to do the allocated tasks; shift work systems are agreed with employees or their representatives; and people are not expected to work long hours over an extended period.
Lack of control
examples of where people feel in control are when:
o they are given a say in how they do their work;
o the amount of control they have is balanced against the demands placed upon them.
Poor relationships
examples of good relationships are when:
o there is good communication between employer and employees - so that the employees understand what's expected; and the employer reacts to any problems being experienced by the employees.
o employees are not bullied or harassed.
Poor management of change
examples of good change management include
o the organisation communicating to employees the reason why change is essential
o the organisation having a clear understanding of what it wants change to achieve
o the organisation having a timetable for implementing change, which includes realistic first steps
o the organisation ensures a supportive climate for employees
Lack of training, support and failure to take account of individual factors
examples of good practice:
o employees receive suitable and sufficient training to do their jobs.
o employees receive support from their immediate line management, even when things go wrong.
o the organisation encourages people to share their concerns about health and safety and, in particular, work-related stress.
o the individual is fair to the employer - they discuss their concerns and work towards agreed solutions
Role uncertainty
examples of where people understand their role are when:
o they know why they are undertaking the work and how this fits in with the organisations wider aims and objectives.
o jobs are clearly defined to avoid confusion.
Work-related stress can also lead to:
An increase in sickness absence, which can have a domino effect - one person goes sick which leads to their workload being shared among the remaining staff.
They are unable to cope, which affects their health, and this leads to greater sickness absence.
A reduction in staff morale, poor staff performance, staff seeking alternative employment.
Organisations then have the expense of recruiting, inducting, and training new members of staff.
There are many ways we can manage stress, as shown above in the workplace. We can also try other strategies such as yoga, meditation, hypnosis and stress and management books/courses.
Conclusions
Stress is our best friend and worst enemy. Too little stress can kill as can too much. Short term stress is a very effective method in response to a short term crisis, whilst long term stress can have serious debilitating consequences. Long term stress at work can seriously affect health, staff morale and productive output.
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