dr. shehu r.a. journal 9

8/12/2019 Dr. Shehu R.a. Journal 9

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JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN HEALTH AND SPORT SCIENCE (JORHASS)

Department of Phys!a" # Hea"th E$%!aton

&ayero Un'ersty ano

Date* +++++++++++++++++

____________________

____________________

____________________

Dear Sir/Madam,

PRO,ISIONAL LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE

This is inform you that article entitle_______________________________

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________Which you submitted

for consideration in its next issue has been provisionally accepted for publication,

subject to satisfying the folloing conditions that!

"ou effect all corrections pointed out by the assessors ithin a ee#

"ou submit one corrected hard copy of the manuscripts and a dis#ette to

the editor$ %lease include the original manuscript$

"ou accompany the corrected copy ith a publication fee of &',((( )

only$ *ther necessary details ill be presented to you as soon as these

conditions are met$

Sincerely,

Dr. M.B. Gambari Dr. M.G. Yakasai

(Co-ordinate Editor) (Editor In-Chief)

STRESS AS A -LO&AL HEALTH PRO&LE.

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Dr/ Sheh% Raheem A$arama0a # Dr/ (.rs/) Urs%"a C/ Nna1%e2e

Abstract

The paper examined the meanings of stress and those factors that canpredispose an individual to a stressful life situation. Stress is seen as a body ofmental tensions caused by some physical chemical or emotional factors. The

paper also discussed the interrelationship bet!een stress and human health.This is in addition to the various behavioural tendencies like smoking alcoholconsumption and accident resting from stress as sources of human health

problems. The paper also examined implications of stress to men like incidenceof obesity hypertension stroke sudden death heart diseases accidentchemical and physiological disturbances. The paper also revie!ed some healtheducation programmes and strategies for coping !ith stress. "inally the authorsrecommended among others that the three #$% tiers of government should

provide recreational facilities and create enabling conditions for citi&ens so as toremove stressful situations from the people for healthful living.

Intro$%!ton

Stress is considered a global health problem because of its implication on

the health of the people$ Stress here applies to the normal difficulties of life

hether they are large or small$ *nly an infant (-. years leads a virtually stress

0 free life, since hen he is uncomfortable or in pain, he cries and usually his

discomfort it removed$ +y the time he is three 1 or four 2 years old, he is given

tas#s hich re3uire some initiative, responsibility and even judgment$ 4e is

expected to be somehat more independent$ Stress then is part of life from

childhood$ Stress varies in nature, amount and duration$

5ny difficulty can be considered a stress, including even genetic factors

hich predispose an individual to illness and also certain congenital handicaps

physical and mental$ Stresses are products of external and internal environment$

6xample of external stress could be physical factors such as illness, malnutrition

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or a difficult or# assignment academic pressures and social pressures$ *ther

examples of psychosocial stresses coming from outside include excessive family

responsibilities, unfriendly neighbours or boss, frightening situations of any #ind,

a ne experience or parental neglect$ 6xample of internal stress includes various

illnesses, hormonal changes that occur during adolescence or menopause, and

even certain normal physical reactions such as palpitations occurring hen

frightened$

The Defnton of Stress

5 leading researcher in the field of stress, and of course someone ho

could be referred to as the 7father of stress8, Dr$ 4ans Selye, defined stress as

nonspecific response of the body to any demand Selye, 9:;1$


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JORHASS Jan 4 J%ne 5667

The 6ncyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, &ursing and 5llied 4ealth

Miller > Sain 9:;? suggests that stress is the sum of all the non-specific

biological phenomena elicited by adverse external influences, including damage

and defence, stress may be either physical or psychological or both$

Steadman@s Medical Dictionary 9:;. defines stress as!

9$ The reactions of the animal or human body to forces of deleterious nature

infectious and various abnormal states that tend to disturb its normal

physiological e3uilibrium$

.$ The resisting force set up in a body as a result of an externally applied

force$

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Saladin, .((9$ Eirtually every organs and chemical constituents of the human

body is involved in this reaction$ 5ccording to them, the thyroid gland releases

hormones, hich stimulate metabolism$ The liver provides energy-yielding

material to satisfy the body@s increased demand and regulate the concentration

of sugar, protein and other elements in blood$ The hite blood cells regulate the

immune reaction to various foreign substances$ The hypothalamus stimulates the

pituitary gland, hich secrets hormones into the blood$ +lood flos aay from

the s#in, the digestive organs and brain and muscles$

5ll the above-mentioned physiological changes as a result of stressors

lead to those manifestation of stress that e can readily observe! agitation, loss

of appetite, impulsive behaviour or emotional instability, increased blood

pressure, dilated pupils, dry mouth, accelerated pulse, anxiety and excitement,

insomnia, grinding of teeth, seating, fatigue, inability to concentrate, increased

smo#ing, pain in the nec# or loer bac#, pre-menstrual tension or missed

menstrual cycles, migraine headaches, accident proneness, nightmares,

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increased use of legally and illegally prescribed drugs, violence and destructive

tendency, diarrhoea, indigestion, uneasiness in the stomach and sometimes

vomiting signs of disturbed gastrointestinal function that can lead to peptic ulcers

and ulcerative colitis$

&eha'o%ra" Responses to Stress as So%r!es of H%man Hea"th Pro1"em(s)

%eople engage in a number of unhealthy behaviour in an attempt to deal

ith stressful life situations$ Most often, these behavioural responses resulted

into serious health related problems for the individuals$ The folloing are some of

the unhealthy behavioural responses to stress$

Smo8n9

%eople commonly turn to tobacco as a means of dealing ith stressful

situations$ 4a#ins, White and Morris 9:;1, reported that 1',((( nurses in the

=nited Fingdom =F found that smo#ing as one of the most commonly

reported ays of coping ith stress$ Smo#ing as a coping strategy contributes to

an estimated 1'(,((( premature deaths each year &ational Bancer


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A"!oho"

5lcohol is used to relieve stress and help the individual to manage a crisis,

but in reality, alcohol renders the distressed person less able to cope and prone

to accident conditions$ Cleming 9:;G and Westrin .((( suggest that there

seems to be a strong lin# beteen stress, alcohol consumption and accidents$

5lcohol consumptions have been associated ith hypertension and obesity in

number of epidemiological studies Jarbi, Booper and Stanler, 9:;1$ +oth high

blood pressure and obesity increase the ris# of heart diseases$ Therefore, the

effect of alcohol has immediate conse3uences in terms of behavioural change for

the individual and those around him or her$ Kudgement and co-ordination are

li#ely to be impaired and reactions are sloed, rendering the person more

vulnerable to accidents Shehu, .(('$ 5lcohol consumption may lead to loss of

jobs, cirrhosis of the liver liver damage and hypertension$ 5 combination of all

these and many more may lead to premature death$

A!!$ents

5ccidents may be defined as an unplanned event, hich could result in

injury to person, damage to properties or death, all these are the conse3uences

of unplanned unsafe acts or unplanned unsafe physical conditions created by

people Kones, 9:;. and 5desoye, .((9, stress has been implicated as a

causal factor in all types of accidents$ The physiological effects of stress include

sloed reaction time fatigue, impaired concentration, and poor physical co-

ordination$ Crom a psychological perspective, insecurity, orry and anxiety may

impair one@s ability to concentrate, mental turmoil and distraction reduces

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efficiency and increases potential accident vulnerability$ What is often described

as carelessness is more li#ely to be thoughtlessness because judgment of a

situation is restricted or bloc#ed$ The above examination of physiological and

psychological stressors, has shon that or shos that stress is a prime

contributor to the occurrence of accidentss$

The Conse:%en!e of Stress

FrantA, Irunberg and +aum 9::', are of the opinion that stress have

direct psycho-physiological effects, including constriction of coetaneous blood

vessels, secretion of seat, increased secretion of adrenalin from the adrenalin

medulla of the hypothalamus in the brain$ 6xposure to stress increases the

production of cortisol from the adrenal cortex$ Bortisol, is a substance that

influences carbohydrate and protein metabolism$ 5 deficiency in the production

of cortisol may result to the disorder of carbohydrate metabolism and ultimately

diabetes may result$

The psychological effect may predispose an individual to excessive eating

behaviour, a situation hich, if persists, may result in obesity and overeight$

Bardiovascular disease due to stress is the most prominent #iller among

industrialiAed nations$ Mase# .((( reported that heart disease due to stress is

responsible for 1; per cent of male 9? per cent of female deaths among 1' 0 G2

years old in 6ngland and Wales$

Stress may lead to health impairing habits or behaviour$


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drugs such as tobacco,


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9$ Wor# off Stress! Iet into a physically-demanding activity such as running,

ashing the car, atching interesting films, listening to stories, etc$

.$ Tal# out your orries*Share your concerns ith a friend$

1$ Jearn to accept hat you can not change!


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When under stress our body undergoes a complex series of chemical

reactions that are handed over from a more primitive and physically-active time$


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They should be made to identify and appreciate various effect of pressure

stress on bodily functions and ho to avoid such conditions$ Such

conditions include hypertension, migraine headaches, chest pain,

muscular tension and pain, heartburn and indigestion, menstrual

disorders, abdominal pain and diarrhea$


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REFERENCES

5desoye, 5$5$ .((9$ 5ccident!) Textbook of "irst )id and Safety *ducation.


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Shehu, $5$ .(('$ 1elationship bet!een Demographic "actors and 0ifestylesof the ,eople in 5aduna State.5n =npublished %h$D$ Thesis 5hmadu+ello =niversity, Laria, &igeria$

Steadman@s Medical Dictionary 9:;.$ .2th

ed$ Jondon! Macmillan$

The 5merica 4eart 5ssociation 9:;G$ 4eart facts Dallas$

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dr. shehu r.a. journal 9

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