Stress And Cardiovascular Disorders

Besides roller-coasters, some major causes of stress include illness, job changes, moving, separations and divorce, deaths in the family, and financial difficulties (Rathus & Nevid, 1999), or a more timely issue, the sense of uncertainty that has taken hold since the terrorist attacks on September 11. Even joyous events like marriage, the arrival of a baby, a promotion at work, or even entertaining guests can cause major agita in some people's lives. A number of changes happen inside the human body when an individual feels overwhelmed or is confronted with a stressful situation. Such "fight or flight- responses are invoked under severe stress. Responses such as soaring heart rate and blood pressure, rising blood sugar levels to furnish fuel for energy, blood being drawn away from the gut to the large muscles of the arms and legs to provide more strength for combat or greater speed in getting away from a distressful situation, and a multitude of other uncontrollable reactions are immediately and automatically evoked (Rosch, 2002). This physiological response to approaching danger is a primitive survival response that helped prepare humans when encountering a true physical threat such as a saber-toothed tiger. While this is a situation rarely encountered in modern-day society, this same physiological response is triggered in individuals when excessive levels of stress transpire from emotional threats, like getting stuck in traffic, or getting into arguments with family, co-workers, or customers which may happen several times a day. If this complex physiological response is activated continuously, it begins to wreak havoc on the multiple organ systems involved. Take for example a person with Type A behavior pattern, who is highly driven, competitive, impatient, and aggressive. This type of person always feels rushed and under a lot of pressure. Type A people are likely to experience more stress through the course of a day than a Type B person who is generally more relaxed and are more adaptive to stressors in their environment.