Stress, Stress Reactivity, and Exercise Flashcards

Flashcards covering vocabulary related to stress, stress reactivity, and exercise, based on lecture notes.

Stress

A state of disharmony or threatened homeostasis experienced when facing challenges in life.

Stressor

An external or internal factor that causes stress.

Distress

Negative stress, such as that caused by an exam or deadline.

Eustress

Positive stress, such as that caused by graduation or job promotion.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

The universal and predictable response pattern to all stressors, consisting of alarm, resistance, and exhaustion stages.

Alarm Stage

The initial stage of GAS, characterized by the fight or flight/tend and befriend reaction after acute stress.

Resistance Stage

The second stage of GAS, where the body develops a new level of homeostasis under continued stress.

Exhaustion Stage

The final stage of GAS, where physiological exhaustion sets in due to chronic stress.

Tend and Befriend

A stress response characterized by connectedness, building bonds, trust, and generosity, and involving oxytocin.

Oxytocin

A hormone involved in building bonds, trust, and generosity; often referred to as the 'love hormone' or 'cuddle hormone'.

Amygdala

A subcortical brain structure primarily responsible for initiating the stress response.

Hypothalamus

A subcortical brain structure activated by the amygdala, which has separate effects in the stress response.

Adrenal Glands

Endocrine glands located on top of the kidneys, consisting of the adrenal cortex (outer portion) and adrenal medulla (inner portion).

Adrenal Cortex

The outer portion of the adrenal gland, which produces corticosteroids like cortisol and aldosterone.

Adrenal Medulla

The inner portion of the adrenal gland, which produces catecholamines like epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Epinephrine

A catecholamine secreted by the adrenal medulla, making up 80% of adrenal secretions, and increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels.

Norepinephrine

A catecholamine secreted by the adrenal medulla, making up 20% of adrenal secretions, and increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels.

Cortisol

A corticosteroid that promotes fatty acid and protein breakdown, suppresses the immune system, and raises blood sugar levels.

Aldosterone

A corticosteroid that increases sodium levels, water retention by kidneys, and blood pressure.

SAM Axis

Sympathetic Adrenal Medullary Axis- Lateral Hypothalamus- Amygdala-Hypothalamus

HPA Axis

Hypothalamic-pituitary-Adrenocortical Axis- Paraventricular Nucleus (of Hypothalamus)-Releases corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH)

Primary Appraisal

Assessing the threat/harm of a situation.

Secondary Appraisal

Assessing one’s resources to cope with a situation, which can lead to a revision of the primary appraisal.

Homeostasis

The ability to change and stabilize one’s internal environment despite constant changes to the external environment.

Allostasis

Achieving stability through change; the balance of essential coping/adaptation systems.

Allostatic Load

"The wear and tear on the brain and body" caused by chronic stress, resulting from ongoing over-activity or inactivity of SAM/HPA axes.

Cross-Stressor Adaptation Hypothesis

Exposure to a stressor of sufficient intensity and/or duration will induce adaptation and decrease sensitivity of stress response systems.

Habituation

A decreased magnitude of response to some familiar challenge/stressor.

Sensitization

An augmented response to a novel stressor.

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)

A self-report measurement used to measure the degree of stress through life events using questionnaires.

Physiological Toughness Model

Framework for explaining how exercise not only reduces the immediate effects of stress, but also enhances recovery from stress.