Research and Science on Stress
It would take a lifetime to read all of that has been written about the science of stress, health and illness. The following is just a few quotes from studies and articles that have been written on the subject. We attribute our results with our clients to the physical and neurological stress-reducing effects of our work.
Stress and Illness
According to The Mayo Clinic (on their Website, www.mayoclinic.com): Prompt recognition of Stress signs and symptoms is crucial. Did you know that stress could be affecting your health without your being aware of it? You may interpret certain symptoms and signs of stress as illness.
Physical symptoms associated with stress:
Back and neck pain, headache, chest pain, pounding heart, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, clenched jaws, grinding teeth, tight, dry throat, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, stomach cramping or bloating, increased perspiration, often causing cold, sweaty hands, fatigue, insomnia, weight gain or loss, diminished sex drive, skin problems, such as hives.
Mental/emotional symptoms associated with stress:
Anxiety, restlessness, worrying, irritability, depression, sadness, anger, mood swings, feeling of insecurity, lack of concentration, confusion, forgetfulness, resentment, guilt, tendency to blame others for how you feel, tendency to see only the negative aspects of people and situation, job dissatisfaction, decreased productivity or burnout.
Excerpt from an article BY BETH AZAR
Monitor of Psychology; Volume 32, No. 11 December 2001
Stress Makes You Sick
There is new research linking stress and the immune system. The research indicates that stress appears to tap into the same immune systemnervous system loop that triggers symptoms of the common cold. "In a real, true sense, stress makes you physically sick," explained Maier, professor of psychology at the University of Colorado. Not only does stress produce the expected stress response, it also triggers a series of physiological and behavioral changes, including fever, increased white blood cell count and activated macrophages, changes in liver metabolism, reduced food and water intake, reduced sexual activity, reduced exploration and increased anxiety as well as activates a classic stress response, releasing stress hormones such as cortisol.
(The following quotes were compiled by Clarity Seminars which runs Corporate Stress Management Training for the workplace.)
- Those who reported a history of workplace stress over the past 10 years developed colon and rectal cancers at 5.5 times the rate of the control group.
~Joseph Courtney, UCLA School of Public Health, Epidemiology:
September, 1994
- Stress is more powerful than diet in influencing cholesterol levels. Several studies-including one of medical students around exam time, and another of accountants during tax season-have shown significant increases in cholesterol levels during stressful events, when there was little change in diet.
~Dr. Paul Rosch, Professor of Medicine, New York Medical College
- Four hundred people were intentionally exposed to common-cold viruses. Those who scored highest on a test of stressful life events were more than twice as likely to develop colds after exposure than people who scored lowest.
~Dr. Sheldon Cohen, Carnegie Mellon University, National Institute of
Health Conference
- In a study of 100 people with rheumatoid arthritis, levels of prolactin were twice as high among those reporting high degrees of interpersonal stress than among those not stressed. Prolactin migrates to joints where it initiates a cascade of events leading to swelling and pain.
~Kathleen Matt, M.D., Arizona State University
The high cost of stress in the workplace.
$200 billion a year is lost to industry from stress-related ailments.
~George Pfeiffer, WorkCare Group
75-90% of employee visits to hospitals are for ailments linked to stress.
~American Institute of Stress
Chronic pain, hypertension, and headaches—all stress-related ailments—account for 54% of all job absences.
Alternative Therapies Journal, 1996
Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have found:
- Stress is linked to physical and mental health, as well as decreased willingness to take on new and creative endeavors.
- More than ever before, employee stress is being recognized as a major drain on corporate productivity and competitiveness.
- Depression, only one type of stress reaction, is predicted to be the leading occupational disease of the 21st century, responsible for more days lost than any other single factor.
- $300 billion, or $7,500 per employee, is spent annually in the U.S. on stress-related compensation claims, reduced productivity, absenteeism, health insurance costs, direct medical expenses (nearly 50% higher for workers who report stress), and employee turnover.
Excerpted from: Health and Safety Executive 2005
Case study: Establishing the business case for investing in
stress prevention activities and evaluating
their impact on sickness absence levels.
Prepared by Robertson Cooper Ltd
Work-related stress accounts for over a third of all new incidences of ill health.
Each case of stress-related ill health leads to an average of 30.9 working days lost. A total of 12.8 million working days were lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2004/5.
The British government did a case study assessing the cost/benefit ratio of employing a stress reduction program in a large government. The department calculation reveals a net saving of approximately £1.57million in addressing stress related illness.
