14.4.2 Physiological Measures

• What are physiological measures of stress used for?

  Quantifying the body's response to stress
• One physiological measure of stress is blood pressure
• Cortisol levels are a hormonal indicator of stress.
• What does skin conductance measure in stress assessment?

  Sweat gland activity
• An increased heart rate is a common response to stress
• Elevated cortisol levels indicate stress.
• Match the physiological measure with its description:

  Heart Rate ↔️ Beats per minute

  Blood Pressure ↔️ Force against artery walls

  Cortisol Levels ↔️ Hormonal indicator

  Skin Conductance ↔️ Sweat gland activity
• What does heart rate variability (HRV) measure?

  Time intervals between heartbeats
• Higher HRV is associated with greater stress resilience
• Lower HRV indicates poor autonomic balance.
• What are the two values measured in blood pressure?

  Systolic and diastolic
• Normal systolic blood pressure is less than 120
• Match the blood pressure category with its systolic value:

  Normal ↔️ $< 120$

  Elevated ↔️ $120 - 129$

  Stage 1 Hypertension ↔️ $130 - 139$

  Stage 2 Hypertension ↔️ $≥ 140$
• What does lower HRV suggest about the body's stress response?

  Increased stress
• In low HRV, the heart rhythm is less variable
• What does a higher HRV indicate as a measure of stress?

  Greater resilience
• Lower HRV suggests the autonomic nervous system is well-balanced.

  False
• Match the characteristic with its corresponding HRV level:

  Stress Resilience ↔️ Higher for High HRV

  Autonomic Balance ↔️ Good for High HRV

  Heart Rhythm ↔️ Highly variable for High HRV
• Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the fluctuations in time intervals between consecutive heartbeats
• What are the two values measured in blood pressure?

  Systolic and diastolic
• Hypertension increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.
• Order the blood pressure categories from lowest to highest systolic values:

  1️⃣ Normal

  2️⃣ Elevated

  3️⃣ Stage 1 Hypertension

  4️⃣ Stage 2 Hypertension
• Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal cortex
• Chronically elevated cortisol can lead to weight gain and immune dysfunction.
• What is the purpose of physiological measures of stress?

  Quantify stress response
• Match the physiological measure with its description:

  Heart Rate ↔️ Beats per minute

  Blood Pressure ↔️ Force against artery walls

  Cortisol Levels ↔️ Hormone in bloodstream

  Skin Conductance ↔️ Electrical conductivity of skin
• Common metrics used to quantify HRV include SDNN and RMSSD
• Higher HRV indicates better autonomic balance.
• What are the two values measured in blood pressure?

  Systolic and diastolic
• Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal cortex
• What are the implications of normal cortisol levels?

  Healthy stress response
• Elevated cortisol levels always indicate prolonged stress and health risks.
• Skin conductance (SC) is also known as galvanic skin response
• What does higher skin conductance indicate during stress?

  Increased sympathetic arousal
• Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal cortex
• Cortisol suppresses inflammation in the body.
• What is the normal range for cortisol levels in mcg/dL?

  6-22
• Elevated cortisol levels above 22 mcg/dL indicate prolonged stress
• Chronically elevated cortisol can lead to immune dysfunction.
• What does skin conductance measure?

  Electrical conductivity of skin