Stress Management Training Stress Management Training: Physiological Responses 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which physiological marker is commonly used to assess stress levels in research settings?
- Blood glucose
- Salivary cortisol (Correct answer)
- Body temperature
- Lung capacity
Correct answer: Salivary cortisol
Salivary cortisol is a non-invasive and reliable biomarker widely used in stress research to measure HPA axis activation.
Question 2: What is the effect of chronic stress on telomere length?
- It lengthens telomeres, slowing aging
- It has no effect on telomeres
- It shortens telomeres, accelerating cellular aging (Correct answer)
- It stabilizes telomeres
Correct answer: It shortens telomeres, accelerating cellular aging
Chronic psychological stress has been associated with shorter telomeres, suggesting it accelerates cellular aging at the molecular level.
Question 3: How does the stress response affect the coagulation (blood clotting) system?
- It has no effect on clotting
- It reduces clotting factors to prevent injury
- It increases clotting factors to prepare for potential injury (Correct answer)
- It dissolves existing clots
Correct answer: It increases clotting factors to prepare for potential injury
During stress, the body prepares for potential physical injury by increasing clotting factors, which can raise the risk of blood clots in chronically stressed individuals.
Question 4: Which stress management technique has been shown to directly lower cortisol by engaging the body's relaxation response?
- Intense aerobic exercise
- Progressive muscle relaxation (Correct answer)
- Cold exposure
- Caffeine intake
Correct answer: Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing cortisol and muscle tension associated with stress.
Question 5: What is the physiological consequence of hyperventilation during a panic or acute stress response?
- Increased blood CO2 levels
- Decreased blood CO2 causing dizziness and tingling (Correct answer)
- Improved oxygen delivery to muscles
- Increased serotonin release
Correct answer: Decreased blood CO2 causing dizziness and tingling
Hyperventilation expels too much CO2, lowering blood CO2 levels and causing vasoconstriction, dizziness, and tingling sensations.
Question 6: Which part of the brain is considered the 'threat detection center' that initiates the fear and stress response?
- Prefrontal cortex
- Cerebellum
- Amygdala (Correct answer)
- Corpus callosum
Correct answer: Amygdala
The amygdala detects perceived threats and rapidly triggers the hypothalamus to initiate the fight-or-flight stress response.
Question 7: How does regular aerobic exercise influence the body's physiological response to stress?
- It increases baseline cortisol levels permanently
- It reduces HPA axis reactivity and improves stress resilience (Correct answer)
- It has no effect on the stress response
- It suppresses epinephrine production entirely
Correct answer: It reduces HPA axis reactivity and improves stress resilience
Regular aerobic exercise attenuates HPA axis reactivity, meaning the body produces a more measured cortisol response to stressors over time.
Stress Management Training Stress Management Training: Physiological Responses 4
Which physiological marker is commonly used to assess stress levels in research settings?