Sunday, September 16, 2001		Stressbusters

JUST as stress triggers a set of biochemical response, so does relaxation. In fact, it triggers nearly the opposite responses that stress does.

Basic physiological activity begins to decline as the body becomes relaxed.

Heartbeat and breathing slow, Oxygen consumption decreases and the level of blood lactate — a by product of muscular activity associated with anxiety — falls rapidly.

At the same time, the skin’s resistance to electricity increases, a measurement that reveals lower levels of tension.

People who are hypertensive also experience a decline in blood pressure. Changes in the nervous and endocrine systems are equally dramatic.

The intensity of slow alpha waves in the brain increases, a change characteristic of relaxed wakefulness.

Although the body continues to secrete stress hormones such as adrenaline, the body’s response to them, as measured by blood pressure, is diminished.

(The writer is an IPS officer and a stress-management expert.)