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Related Concept Videos

Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle01:27

Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle

Stress is a multifaceted response to events perceived as challenging or threatening, highlighting physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions. Physically, stress can lead to fatigue, sleep disruptions, and various health issues such as frequent colds, chest pains, and nausea. Emotionally, it can manifest as anxiety, depression, irritability, and anger triggered by both minor and major life events. Cognitively, it may result in difficulty in concentration, memory, and...
Physiological Foundation of Stress01:24

Physiological Foundation of Stress

Stress triggers a coordinated physiological response involving the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This dual activation ensures that the body is prepared for both immediate and prolonged stress management. The process begins with the perception of a stressor. This initial phase activates the SNS, leading to the rapid release of adrenaline (epinephrine) from the adrenal glands.
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Psychological Responses to Stress01:20

Psychological Responses to Stress

Psychological responses to stress encompass the various cognitive and emotional reactions individuals experience when faced with challenging or threatening situations, such as a job loss. Prolonged exposure to stressors can disturb emotional balance, increasing negative emotions (e.g., anxiety and sadness) and diminishing positive emotions (e.g., joy and satisfaction). These persistent emotional shifts are associated with an increased risk of both physical illness and mental health issues, such...
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis01:37

Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis

The response to stress—be it physical or psychological, acute or chronic—involves activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis is part of the neuroendocrine system because it involves both neuronal and hormonal communication. Its function is to regulate homeostatic systems—metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune—providing the necessary means to respond to a stressor.
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques II01:23

Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques II

Personality types, particularly Type A and Type B, significantly influence how individuals respond to stress. These personality distinctions are marked by varying levels of ambition, competitiveness, and coping styles, all of which shape an individual's resilience to stressors.
Type A Personality: Driven and Easily Stressed
Individuals with Type A personalities are often highly competitive and ambitious and operate with a strong sense of urgency. Commonly labeled as "workaholics," they...
Stress Concentrations01:13

Stress Concentrations

The concept of stress concentration is crucial for understanding how materials respond under bending stresses, particularly when there are irregularities or discontinuities in the material's geometry. Normally, stress in a symmetric member subjected to pure bending is assumed to be uniformly distributed across the entire cross-section. However, this assumption does not hold when there are variations in the cross-sectional geometry or the presence of notches and holes.
The stress concentration...

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Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds
10:07

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Published on: November 6, 2015

Who is stressed? Comparing cortisol levels between individuals.

Pablo A Nepomnaschy1, Terry C K Lee, Leilei Zeng

  • 1Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. pablo_nepomnaschy@sfu.ca

American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council
|March 22, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Comparing physiological stress using cortisol requires appropriate analytical methods. Standardized ranking or sample percentile methods are more accurate than raw values for comparing cortisol levels across individuals, with 10-15 measurements recommended.

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Area of Science:

  • Physiological endocrinology
  • Human biology
  • Biomarker analysis

Background:

  • Cortisol is a common biomarker for physiological stress.
  • Individual variations in basal cortisol levels are significant.
  • Ignoring these variations in studies can introduce bias.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify suitable analytical tools for comparing cortisol levels across individuals.
  • To outline simulation methods for determining necessary sample sizes for these tools.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluation of three methods: raw values, Z-scores, and sample percentiles.
  • Application to urinary cortisol data from 14 Mayan women (collected thrice weekly).
  • Simulation procedure for estimating sample size.

Main Results:

  • Cortisol levels and distributions varied significantly between individuals.
  • Z-scores and sample percentiles provided similar, superior accuracy compared to raw values.
  • 10-15 measurements per participant ensure acceptable accuracy for comparisons.

Conclusions:

  • Single raw cortisol values are insufficient for comparing stress levels.
  • Standardized ranking (normal distributions) or sample percentile (non-normal) methods are recommended.
  • These methods are applicable across diverse populations and species.