Mental Health and Wellness
92 flashcards by MentisLibrary
Stress physiology, sleep architecture, mindfulness, burnout, and the coping concepts that research actually supports. Educational literacy for understanding your own mind, not a substitute for professional care.
- Is this deck a substitute for professional mental health care?
- No. This deck is educational reference material only. Anyone with a personal concern should contact a qualified professional or a local crisis line.
- What is the HPA axis?
- The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, the hormonal pathway that governs the body's slower stress response.
- What is cortisol?
- A glucocorticoid hormone released by the adrenal cortex that raises available blood glucose and shifts the body toward mobilizing energy.
- Which hormone drives the fast, immediate stress response?
- Adrenaline, also called epinephrine, released by the adrenal medulla within seconds.
- What does the fight or flight response describe?
- The rapid physiological mobilization for confronting or escaping a perceived threat.
- What does the sympathetic nervous system do?
- It is the branch of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the body for exertion or threat.
- What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?
- It is the autonomic branch associated with rest, digestion, and recovery after arousal.
- What is the difference between acute and chronic stress?
- Acute stress is a short lived response to a specific demand that resolves; chronic stress is prolonged activation that does not fully switch off.
- What is allostatic load?
- The cumulative wear on the body from repeated or prolonged activation of stress response systems.
- What does the Yerkes-Dodson relationship describe?
- An inverted U shape between arousal and performance: performance improves as arousal rises, then declines once arousal gets too high.
- What is a stressor?
- Any demand, event, or condition that triggers a stress response.
- What is cognitive appraisal in stress theory?
- The process by which a person evaluates whether a situation is threatening and whether they have the resources to handle it.
- What is heart rate variability?
- The variation in time between consecutive heartbeats.
- What are the main stages of human sleep?
- Three NREM stages (N1, N2, N3) plus REM sleep.
- What characterizes REM sleep?
- Rapid eye movements, brain activity resembling wakefulness, vivid dreaming, and near paralysis of most skeletal muscles.
- What is slow wave sleep?
- The deepest NREM stage, N3, marked by high amplitude, low frequency delta waves.
- What is the circadian rhythm?
- The roughly 24 hour internal cycle that regulates sleep, alertness, hormone release, and body temperature.
- What is a zeitgeber?
- An external cue that synchronizes the internal body clock to the outside world.
- What is sleep pressure?
- The steadily building drive for sleep that accumulates the longer a person stays awake.
- What role does adenosine play in sleepiness?
- Adenosine accumulates in the brain during waking hours and promotes the feeling of sleepiness; sleep clears it.
- What is melatonin?
- A hormone released by the pineal gland as ambient light falls, signaling biological night.
- What does the term sleep hygiene refer to?
- The set of behavioral and environmental habits associated with better sleep, such as a consistent schedule, a dark cool room, and limiting late caffeine.
- What is sleep debt?
- The accumulated shortfall between the sleep a person needs and the sleep they actually get.
- What is a chronotype?
- An individual's natural tendency toward earlier or later timing of sleep and peak alertness.
- What is social jetlag?
- The mismatch between a person's biological sleep timing and the schedule their work or school demands.
- Why is morning light exposure emphasized in sleep research?
- Bright light early in the day helps anchor the circadian clock and tends to advance sleep timing earlier.
- What is sleep inertia?
- The temporary grogginess and reduced performance right after waking.
- How is mindfulness usually defined?
- Paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, without judgment.
- What is MBSR?
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, a structured eight week group program combining meditation, body awareness, and gentle movement.
- What is MBCT?
- Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, which combines mindfulness practice with cognitive therapy elements.