The Physiology of Stress

Catalog description

Stress is a nearly unavoidable component of modern life, bound to affect each of us at some point during the week (or day!) And stress can wreak havoc on both mental and physical health. Beginning with a look at the normal stress response in humans and animals, this course then examines the biological effects of both physical and psychological stress. We'll examine what happens to various systems in the body when the stress response occurs and doesn't shut down. Among the systems explored will be neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, digestive, immune, and reproductive. We'll also look at how stress affects sleep, depression, prenatal and childhood development, and memory and judgment. And we'll spend some time with stress management techniques (and why they do or don't work) as well.