Extreme conditions and their impact on humans. Malygina T.E.

Walking on a treadmill at a brisk pace a man is walking. He is wearing a protective suit, all studded with sensors, from face mask a long hose stretches to the breathing apparatus. The thermometer in the room points to 40 degrees above zero. It must be hard for the person to move, his face is drenched in sweat, but he can’t wipe it off - the helmet is in the way. From behind the glass, the sufferer's actions are carefully observed by another person - in a white coat, he checks the readings of sensors on the body and evaluates physiological parameters.

The case takes place in the French city of Grenoble, in the laboratory of the Research Center of the Armed Forces Health Department (CRSSA), where they study one of the most mysterious objects of science - human factor. It’s hardly worth explaining how much in our lives depends on this notorious factor, but its action in extreme conditions, when a person’s nerves are tense and strength is running out, has not yet been described in detail. This means that we must first examine these conditions and the body’s reaction to them. In the “human factors laboratory,” special devices recreate the boundary conditions under which a person can live: heat, cold, low atmospheric pressure, etc. With their help, volunteers are subjected to various physical and psychological tests that cause dizziness, weakness, and difficult reactions. Here the subject is driven to the most extreme limits, beyond which he ceases to work productively, begins to make mistakes and becomes inadequate to the situation in which he is required to quickly cope with various problems. However, in France these limits are strictly outlined by the law on the protection of individuals in biomedical research, and they cannot be exceeded. Military doctors from Grenoble are trying only to find the last line beyond which resources human body will be exhausted.

The results of such studies are important for many areas of our activity: from the army to sports - wherever people work under stress, where high concentration and quick thinking are required. The slightest mistake, weakness, loss of control - and you will have to pay too dearly for the mistake. The role of the human factor can hardly be overestimated, and it would be good to know how it operates and how to manage it.

Nurturing by heat...

The torment of the man with whom our report began takes place in the thermo-climatic chamber of the Center, where desert conditions are created in order to study the body’s adaptability to heat, and a general protective suit is needed to enhance the effect of the heat, as will happen during real combat operations. Heavily dressed and locked in a stuffy cell, the subject is forced to move actively: walk on a moving path or pedal an exercise bike. Not to the point of loss of consciousness, of course - scientists strictly monitor the person’s condition and stop the experiment after several hours of training. Their goal is to study the body's reactions to high air temperatures, check physiological and biological parameters, and also test the thermal properties of the suit, which should not impede breathing. good breath- This the most important condition normal state of the body. It cools it down and helps it withstand the heat. At the same time, it can lead to dehydration, which occurs when water loss exceeds 4% of body weight - after which physical and intellectual abilities people fall sharply. These studies are still at the very beginning; they are designed for multiple experiments, and processing the data obtained will take several years.

...Altitude and cold

Another situation where the human factor can manifest itself negatively is associated with cold and rapid changes in pressure. This happens, for example, during high mountain ascents. To study mountain sickness, CRSSA scientists use a hypobaric chamber equipped with a powerful turbine, similar to the one used for treatment decompression sickness divers. It can create various combinations of pressure, temperature and wind. The most severe experiments to study the effects of altitude sickness take place in conditions corresponding to the highest peaks (8 km), where the air temperature drops below -40°C and the wind speed reaches 25 m/sec.

One of the causes of altitude sickness is oxygen starvation, or hypoxia. As a result of a decrease in atmospheric pressure, it is not the percentage of oxygen in the air that decreases (as many often believe), but its partial pressure - which is why oxygen is delivered to the body's tissues more slowly than usual. Here the brain is the first to suffer. Symptoms of hypoxia appear starting at an altitude of 1,500 m. At an altitude of 3,000 m, the body is still struggling with malaise and trying to improve the supply of oxygen to tissues, including various compensatory mechanisms. Above 3,500 meters, physiological processes deteriorate, since the body is no longer able to quench its thirst for oxygen, nausea, dizziness, memory loss and strange behavior appear. One of the methods of combating the disease is gradual acclimatization at altitude. For example, climbers intending to conquer a Himalayan peak set up camp for several weeks at an altitude of between 5,000 and 7,000 m and only then go on to storm the peak. The center in Grenoble provides climbers with the opportunity to acclimate to altitude in laboratory conditions and delay the onset of illness during an expedition. According to the developed methodology, climbers undergo several high-altitude sessions in a hypobaric chamber, gradually increasing the time spent inside. Based on the results of these experiments, scientists made an interesting discovery. It turns out that a young body does not always resist hostile conditions better than an aging one.

Another topic of research is the study of an immobile person in cold conditions, that is, those conditions that usually occur in injured people during transportation in winter or in the mountains. The scantily clad test subject lies in a chamber at +1°C for two hours. The doctor then examines him, checks his heartbeat, body temperature and analyzes behavioral reactions. When the body freezes, our internal organs do not stand aside, they counteract as much as possible, burning more calories and thereby adding heat to maintain internal temperature body at 36.6°. If there are not enough calories, the body cools down and hypothermia occurs. A body temperature below 35°C quickly leads to death. But as experiments have shown, there are people who react differently to cold: their body adapts, reducing body temperature to 35°C without risking life.

...Noise and contact

Information oversaturation, so relevant in our time, is dangerous because it causes personal disorientation and decreased performance. The body's reactions to stress of this kind have not yet been studied. Large streams of sounds and images from different sources, complex spatial movements, acceleration - all this causes harm to the nervous system and causes changes in consciousness. Pilots and racers usually find themselves in such conditions; their condition is easier to study using a special driving simulator, which creates the illusion that the subject is in a real situation behind the wheel of a car or airplane. In fact, he is completely immersed in artificial conditions, where his senses are subjected to contradictory and incoherent influences, and his body is forced to remain in unnatural positions. After some time, a person begins to experience a malaise known as “gym sickness,” accompanied by dizziness, nausea, and weakness. This study still has more questions than answers: how, under conditions of such stress, does a person differentiate between reality and illusion, and does he differentiate at all? How can you overcome a disease caused by simultaneous exposure various factors? And how does this change performance? Information noise includes not only sounds, but also direct touches to the body. The sense of touch can serve us poorly under stress, giving the brain the wrong signals - this will lead to disorientation and erroneous actions. And scientists consider awareness of one’s body and the ability to respond to its signals to be a special phenomenon and call it somesthesia, which is incredibly difficult to study. Simulation of extreme situations that enhance somesthesia takes place in a special device that records the slightest changes in a person’s spatial orientation. A dark mask is placed over the volunteer’s eyes and he is placed on a moving platform, shackled in a rigid frame. The situation is quite real: this is how the wounded are lifted on a rope into a helicopter. The design is intended to change the orientation of the body in space and confuse the person. During the experiment, the subject must determine the nature of his displacement and try to move in a given direction. Another original test for studying orientation in space takes place in a centrifuge, which rotates at various speeds, sometimes reaching quite large overloads. At the same time he gets irritated inner ear person responsible for the sense of balance. The subject tries to move various objects to a given place, but since the centrifuge often changes its rotation speed, this task turns out to be difficult - his own vision fails. Through the brain it receives incorrect commands from inner ear. So they found out that this organ is not an absolute sensor of gravity, but somesthesia, on the contrary, plays a key role in spatial orientation.

When the edge comes

What is the human body capable of in extreme situations? Science has been studying this issue for a long time. It is easier and more humane to observe athletes whose loads are usually higher than what an untrained individual can endure. Even ancient doctors studied human anatomy on gladiators and thereby laid the foundation sports physiology. Its heyday was late XIX century, by that time technological progress made it possible to expand the field of research, and medical expeditions reached the mountains, deserts, and ice. In 1888, a device was invented in Europe that would allow scientists to obtain data on breathing directly during the ascent of climbers, while volunteers had to carry a 7-kilogram gasometer. Scientists were primarily interested in how the body reacts to extreme conditions, how the biochemical parameters of blood and respiration change, and most importantly, how the body adapts. Can a person get used to cold, heat or low atmospheric pressure and what are the living limits? The direction, called environmental physiology, or the physiology of natural adaptations, had great potential, especially for military industry, and it began to be developed all over the world.

One of the pioneers in the United States here was Harvard University, where in 1927 they created a laboratory to study the phenomenon of fatigue. The laboratory, equipped with climatic rooms, made it possible to create various conditions environment and conduct experiments with volunteers. But for project founder David Bruce Dill, the office walls “pressed on his shoulders,” and he organized high-altitude expeditions. So, in 1935, doctors went to the Chilean Andes, where they made observations at an altitude of more than 6 km.

By the beginning of World War II, the physiology of natural adaptations was still a very young science. There were several groups in Europe collecting primary data, with Germany largely leading the way. During the war, research continued with redoubled force, especially since there were many subjects in concentration camps. German doctors actively studied hypothermia, hoping to increase the combat effectiveness of the army in the conditions of Eastern European frosts. Cruel experiments were carried out on people, testing the body for survival in ice or hot water, under a hot lamp. The decompression chamber was also used. Thus, the cause of the weakness that occurs during decompression sickness was established - it was caused by air bubbles formed in the blood vessels of the brain. In 1942, on one of the scientific conferences the results of the observations were reported by Dr. Sigmund Rascher.

After the war, human experimentation was placed under strict control, and although physiological research is carried out by hundreds of laboratories around the world, they are discouraged from using the results of Nazi medicine. The moral problem is very acute, because despite the inhumanity of the experiments, their data would help fill significant gaps in modern research. How to restore a very cold person whose body temperature has dropped to 35°C? Direct experiments cannot be carried out, and frostbitten patients must first of all be treated, and not studied. The only people who conducted systematic experiments on hypothermia were the Nazis at Dachau. For example, now their temperature survival curves are ice water Scientists from Canada intend to use it to improve life-saving suits on fishing vessels.

And yet, the 20th century, and especially its last 30 years, turned out to be a time of breakthroughs in biomedical research, including the discovery of new drugs. Such a breakthrough became possible only through human research. Often scientists do not even conduct direct experiments, but conduct observations in natural conditions. Lots of information on big physical activity work was carried out in the highlands during the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968 (2,240 m above sea level). Vast experience has been accumulated about human presence in space at the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems in Moscow. The laboratories of this institute are equipped with climatic chambers, which also makes it possible to train astronauts, pilots and athletes. And specialists from the deep-sea complex have developed a unique method for restoring patients with decompression sickness.

Extreme conditions- these are conditions caused by pathogenic factors that have an extreme effect on the body. often devastating effects.

Types of extreme conditions.

The most clinically significant extreme conditions include:

• collapse;
• to whom.

Extreme factors.

A person may be exposed to factors of extreme strength, duration and unusual nature. These factors can be exogenous and endogenous.

Exogenous influences - sharp and significant fluctuations in atmospheric pressure, oxygen content in the inhaled air, mechanical injuries, electricity, food and water shortages, hypothermia or overheating, infections. intoxication and many others.

Endogenous factors - conditions that significantly impair the functioning of the body - serious illnesses and complications.

Actions extreme factors lead to the development of one of two conditions:

• emergency adaptation to extreme factors , which is characterized by extreme tension in the body’s adaptive mechanisms, which allows it to preserve its functions. After the emergency factor ceases, the body’s condition returns to normal;
• critical or emergency condition which is characterized by disorders of the vital functions of the body that are fraught with death and is manifested by extreme activation and subsequent depletion of adaptive mechanisms, gross disorders of organ functions and physiological systems and requires emergency medical attention.

COLLAPSE

Collapse - acutely developing vascular insufficiency, resulting from a significant drop in vascular tone and a decrease in circulating blood volume.

Collapse is characterized by circulatory failure, primary circulatory hypoxia, dysfunction of tissues, organs and systems.

Immediate cause collapse is a significantly greater capacity of the vascular bed compared to the volume of blood circulating in it. This could be the result:

• reducing the amount of blood ejection from the left ventricle of the heart into the vascular bed, which occurs in acute heart failure caused by myocardial infarction, severe arrhythmia, vascular embolism of the pulmonary artery system, when quickly rising from a lying or sitting position;
• reduction in the mass of circulating blood during acute massive bleeding, rapid significant dehydration of the body (with profuse diarrhea, massive sweating, uncontrollable vomiting), loss of a large volume of blood plasma during extensive burns, as well as during redistribution of blood with the deposition of a significant amount of it in the venous vessels, blood sinuses and capillaries, for example, during shock or gravitational overloads;
• a decrease in total peripheral vascular resistance due to a decrease in the tone of the arteriolar walls or a decrease in their response to the effects of vasopressor substances (catecholamines, vasopressin, etc.). Such changes are observed in severe infections, intoxications, hyperthermia, hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, etc.

Fainting - sudden momentary loss consciousness, the cause of which is acute brain hypoxia that occurs as a consequence of collapse.

When consciousness is restored, patients quickly navigate the surrounding events and what happened to them.

Types of collapse.

According to three categories etiological factors There are also three main groups of collapse: cardiogenic, vasodilatory and hypovolemic. In practical medicine, posthemorrhagic, infectious, toxic, radiation, pancreatic, orthostatic, hypocapnic and other types of collapse are distinguished.

Morphology of collapse characterized by pallor skin, dry mucous membranes, venous congestion of the liver, kidneys, spleen, fluid dark blood, anemia of the cavities of the heart, fatty degeneration of parenchymal organs, absence of pulmonary edema.

SHOCK

Shock - extremely serious condition organism, arising under the influence of super-strong, extreme factors, characterized by a progressive disorder of the body’s vital functions, as a result of increasing dysfunction of the nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular and other vital systems important systems. Without emergency medical measures, shock leads to death.

Etiology.

Shock is caused by extreme factors of great strength that destroy the structures of tissues and organs. Most common reasons shock are:

• various injuries;
• massive blood loss;
• transfusion of incompatible blood;
• entry of allergens into the body;
• acute ischemia or necrosis of organs - heart, kidneys, liver, etc.

Types of shock.

According to the reasons, the following types of shock are distinguished:

• traumatic (wound);
• burn;
• post-transfusion;
• allergic (anaphylactic);
• cardiogenic;
• toxic;
• psychogenic (mental).

Depending on the severity of the current, shock is divided into:

• shock I degree (mild);
• shock II degree (moderate);
• shock III degree(heavy).

Pathogenesis of shock consists of two stages.

Adaptive or compensatory stage develops immediately after exposure to an extreme damaging factor, when nonspecific adaptive reactions are activated.

Second stage of shock - the stage of maladaptation, or decompensation, develops if adaptive processes are insufficient, and is characterized by:

• exhaustion and disruption of the body's adaptive reactions;
• a progressive decrease in the effectiveness of neuroendocrine regulation;
• development of increasing failure of organs and systems.

FEATURES OF SOME TYPES OF SHOCK

Traumatic shock.

Cause - massive damage to organs, soft tissues and bones, mainly of a mechanical nature. As a rule, tissue trauma is combined with blood loss and often wound infection.

Pathogenesis and manifestations.

Traumatic shock is characterized by significant pain afferentation due to damage to the nerve trunks, nodes and plexuses located in the tissues. Its pathogenesis consists of the two stages mentioned above - compensation, which correlates with the scale and degree of injury, and decompensation.

Exodus.

Disorders in the body in the absence of medical assistance reinforce each other and can lead to death.

Burn shock.

Cause- extensive burn of the skin (more than 25% of its surface) II or III degree.

Pathogenesis and manifestations.

The main links of the mechanism of burn and traumatic shock similar. At the same time burn shock has a number of features. The most important ones include the following:

• significant pain afferentation from burned skin and soft tissues;
• a relatively short stage of compensation, often turning into a stage of decompensation even before first medical aid is provided;
• severe dehydration of the body as a result of massive loss of blood plasma;
• blood thickening, microcirculation disorders, development of the phenomenon of sludge, thrombosis;
• severe intoxication of the body with products of protein denaturation and proteolysis, biological excess active substances, formed during tissue damage (kinins, biogenic amines, polypeptides, ions, etc.). as well as exo- and endotoxins of microbes;
• frequent kidney damage caused by impaired blood supply and massive hemolysis of red blood cells;
• progressive suppression of the immune system and auto-aggression due to intoxication of the body.

Anaphylactic (allergic) shock.

The reasons are the action of various allergens.

Most often this is:

• drugs administered parenterally - containing serum protein and vaccines, as well as whole blood; drugs that play the role of haptens - many antibiotics, iodine, bromine, etc.;
• foreign blood or its components administered parenterally;
• poisons of insects, birds and animals that enter the body.

Pathogenesis.

For anaphylactic shock characterized by an intense onset, usually a rapidly passing stage of compensation and progressive decompensation.

Morphology of shock.

In addition to injuries, burns, and swelling that cause shock, a morphological picture of shock develops in the body. It consists of the development of DIC syndrome, “shock kidneys”, “shock lungs” and hypoxic changes.

DIC syndrome, when the lumens of microvasculature vessels, primarily capillaries and venules, kidneys, lungs, heart, brain and other organs, are closed by fibrin thrombi. In this case, microcirculatory circulation is sharply disrupted and acute hypoxia develops, accompanied by sharp increase vascular permeability and development acute edema organs, including the brain and lungs.

The development of “shock kidneys” is a compensatory reaction to circulatory disorders and falls blood pressure. In this case, a reflex discharge of blood from the renal cortex into the medulla occurs and acute ischemia of the juxtaglomerular apparatus of the glomeruli of the kidneys occurs, renin and other hypertensive substances enter the blood. They cause spasm of arterioles and an increase in blood pressure, which is necessary to reduce the degree of hypoxia and ensure the function of the heart and brain. The kidneys have a characteristic appearance - a light yellow ischemic cortex and a dark red, blood-filled medulla. However, if ischemia of the renal cortex continues long enough, the cortex becomes necrotic, and necrotic neurosis and uremia develop, from which patients die.

The development of “shock lungs” reflects the dynamics of DIC syndrome in the lungs, where fibrin clots are detected large quantity pulmonary capillaries, perivascular hemorrhages in lung tissue, atelectasis and the development of distress syndrome.

Hypoxic changes, which cause severe fatty degeneration of parenchymal organs, persist during the period of convalescence (recovery).

COMA

Coma - an extremely serious condition of the body, resulting from the action of various damaging factors and characterized by deep depression nervous activity, loss of consciousness, hypo- and areflexia, insufficiency of functions of organs and body systems.

The causes of coma are the following factors:

Exogenous factors extreme potency or toxicity.

These include:

• traumatic factors, usually the brain;
• thermal effects - overheating, sunstroke, hypothermia, etc.;
• significant fluctuations in barometric pressure;
• toxins - alcohol and its surrogates, ethylene glycol, toxic doses of drugs, sedatives, barbiturates, etc.;
• infectious agents - viruses, microbes, especially pathogens of malaria, typhus and typhoid fever;
• exogenous hypoxia and anoxia.

Endogenous factors which occur during the unfavorable course of various diseases and painful conditions - ischemia, stroke, brain tumor, respiratory failure, pathology of the blood system, liver and kidney failure, etc.

Types of coma.

By origin, comas are differentiated into:

• endogenous, conditioned pathological processes in organism;
• exogenous, caused by pathogenic agents external environment;
• primary, or cerebral, developing as a result of direct damage to the brain;
• secondary, caused by dysfunction of organs and tissues, secondarily leading to alteration of the brain, for example, coma with diabetes mellitus, uremia, liver failure and so on.

Pathogenesis of coma.

Regardless of the specifics of the causes that caused comatose states, the mechanism of their development includes several common key links:

Coma severity determined by a special scale that evaluates in points the degree of consciousness disorder. There are three degrees of severity of coma:

• heavy, with real threat death;
• severe, with severe functional disorders that are life-threatening;
• lightweight, reversible

General manifestations comatose states are given in table. 3. They are caused mainly by dysfunction of the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive systems, liver, kidneys, and blood system.

The study of the influence of climatic factors on humans becomes particularly relevant in areas with extreme natural conditions.

The concept of extreme environmental conditions applies to various types environments, not only natural, but also social. A rapid change from habitual conditions to new ones – even to ones more favorable for life – can have an extreme effect on a person. The extremeness of various impacts is not the same for representatives of different adaptive types of people, ethnic groups and races, as well as for different age groups population.

Ideas about extremeness change depending on the level of economic and socio-political development of society, since this level determines the degree of human dependence on the forces of nature. They also change depending on the degree of human development of the territory previously considered extreme, i.e. on how actively a person influenced his environment in creating favorable conditions for life and labor activity conditions.

Under extreme zones (regions) usually refers to vast territories with extreme natural conditions. These include: the Arctic zone, covering northern territories Asia, Europe, North America, as well as the Antarctic continent, throughout whose entire territory conditions are extreme for human life. Under extreme loci understand small areas.

Highlight absolutely extreme zones, in which the life of people without special life support systems is practically impossible, and relativelyextreme zones, in which human life is possible, but largely difficult.

The impact of extreme conditions on humans can vary in duration in the annual cycle. For example, in Eastern Siberia, extremely cold conditions occur during the winter, and in the central regions of Antarctica, extremely cold conditions occur throughout the year. Extreme areas include areas with recurring natural phenomena of a spontaneous nature, for example, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

A close ecological connection exists between humans and geochemical conditions. The main connection between humans and the geochemical conditions of the natural environment is through food chains. As a result of homeostatic regulation of metabolic processes in the human body, the required concentrations of various chemical elements, however, this regulation can only be carried out at certain concentrations of elements in the external environment, which are called threshold concentrations. The conditions of areas that, according to their parameters, are between the lower and upper threshold concentrations are called comfortable. The remaining areas are extreme. The extreme nature of the territory in terms of the geochemical factor is eliminated by introducing the missing chemical elements into the diet of the population.

AN EXTREME SITUATION is a complication of living and activity conditions that has acquired special significance for an individual or a group. Any situation presupposes the inclusion of a subject in it. Therefore, an extreme situation embodies the unity of the objective and the subjective. Objective - these are extremely complicated external conditions and the process of activity; subjective - psychological condition, attitudes, methods of action in dramatically changed circumstances. An extreme situation may have different shapes manifestations: a) decreased organization of behavior; b) inhibition of actions and movements; c) increasing operational efficiency. An emergency situation can be short-lived or long-lasting. When determining a person’s suitability for a particular profession, it is necessary to determine and take into account, along with the characteristics of mental processes and personality traits, his potential opportunity develop and maintain readiness for active action in extreme situations.

There are several types of extreme situations:

1) objectively extreme situations (difficulties and dangers in them come from the external environment and arise objectively for a person);

2) potentially extreme situations (danger is expressed as hidden threat);

3) personally provoked extreme situations (the danger is generated by the person himself, his intentional or erroneous choice, behavior);

4) imaginary extreme situations (not dangerous, threats to the situation).

Extreme factors are extremely harsh environmental conditions that are not adequate to the innate and acquired properties of the human body. Their influence leads to high neuropsychological and energy costs, the emergence of negative functional states (stress, conflict, crisis, frustration, deprivation), and disturbances in the adequacy of physiological, psychological and behavioral reactions.

The factors that determine extremeness are usually identified as:

· various emotional influences due to danger, difficulty, novelty of the situation;

· lack of necessary information or a clear excess of contradictory information;

· life-threatening working conditions

· high “price” of decisions, responsibility, risk situations

situations of conflict

· economic forces

· uncomfortable organization of the workplace, poor ergonomics

· excessive mental, physical, emotional stress;

exposure to adverse climatic conditions: heat, cold, oxygen deficiency, etc.;

· exposure to adverse conditions (chemical, physical, radiation, magnetic influences)

presence of hunger, thirst, various kinds deprivation, etc.

In extreme psychology there is a distinction special, extreme and super-extreme operating conditions.

Special – the activities of specialists are associated with episodic, inconsistent action of extreme factors or a high perceived probability of their occurrence. They do not have much power or intensity.

Extreme – characterized by constant exposure to extreme factors. Potential danger. Negative functional states strongly expressed.

Super extreme – constant exposure to extreme factors. High intensity. Real danger. Negative functional states are an extreme degree of severity. Rehabilitation is required.

The main way to increase the efficiency and reliability of activities in extreme conditions is the formation of functional reserve capabilities of a compensatory type (additional knowledge, skills and abilities included in activities when extreme factors appear), as well as the development of general and special acmeological invariants of professionalism in the subject of labor.

Psychological factors of professionalism in extreme conditions:

Professional activity undergoes changes in special, unfavorable and extreme working conditions.

Situation with extreme conditions. Here there are long-term exposure to extreme factors (lack of time, overload with complex tasks, oversaturation of information, noise, etc.). Inappropriate mental tension arises, not human controlled, mobilization of human reserve psychophysiological resources. This is accompanied by a deterioration in work performance. Overload slows down search activity and makes it difficult self-acceptance solutions, reduces the flexibility of thought processes, which is also caused by the previous excessive automation of skills and standardization of thinking, which complicates the intellectual assessment of events and the solution of problematic problems.

In extreme situations, people behave differently. Some people exhibit frugal styles. This is, first of all, constructive style- mastering the situation through active and rational organization circumstances and maintaining one’s own status, interacting with people and organizing sustainable social support. This style is effective and at the same time gentle, because it preserves the health and psyche of a person. The authors call another economical style reflective style– managing the situation through revaluation of values, a more adequate level of aspirations, plasticity of life stereotypes.

Less economical, the same authors note, are: strong-willed style as reliance only on one’s own capabilities, motives of duty, discipline, uncompromising attitude towards oneself and others, the desire to be as productive as possible, a heightened reaction to failures. This style of behavior can lead to wasteful, rapid wear and tear of the body, irreparable losses, professional disqualification, and the inability to “hold on” for a long professional marathon. Unproductive, according to the authors, is also capitulative style: if the goal of work does not have personal meaning for a person, then a refusal to activity occurs. This style of activity is less often observed in individuals with professional psychological training.

When working and acting in an extreme situation, a person often develops: an active adequate reaction aimed at eliminating or overcoming extreme factors, a desire to increase productivity; mobilization mood, increasing the productivity of thinking, accelerating the speed of action due to the enlargement of its units; sensory input expansion ( peripheral vision, extrasensory sensitivity), selective restriction of actions, economy; expansion of thinking and consciousness, going beyond the limits of a given situation, the ability to see the situation in a broader context; transition to more high levels generalizations or “descent to intuition”; the ability to find new, creative solutions and selective productive errors; protective and adaptive mechanisms to ensure the necessary mobilization; operational thinking - the creation of either a new system of actions or a new combination of previously known actions, as a result of which an uncertain signal turns into a definite one, and the consolidation of operational units into a single holistic solution plan occurs.

Stress is a natural reaction of the human body to irritating factors. But it's not easy pathological condition, A real illness, because a prolonged depressed state, chronic fatigue and irritability do not pass without leaving a mark on either the psychological or physiological aspects of health.

Stress and the human body are certainly interconnected. Successful fight against this problem is impossible without clarifying the cause-and-effect relationships. Existing disorders should not be left to chance. This material will describe how stress affects the human body and how to become more emotionally resilient and calm.

Classification of causes

The effect of stress on the human body depends on various factors. They can be characterized according to several groups of characteristics. Based on the nature of their occurrence, factors can be divided into two categories:

1. Psychological, caused by an emotional outburst.
2. Physiological, caused by reasons that inhibit the vital functions of the human body (this can be extremely low or high temperatures, hunger, dehydration or various types of diseases).

The effect of stress on the human body can be triggered by various sources. They are also divided into two types:

1. Environmental factors. External reasons the development of stress can be determined from the position of environmental safety. These factors include air pollution, changes in atmospheric pressure, magnetic storms, temperature jumps. The second type external stimuli are negative situations in society, i.e. conflicts, loss of loved ones and more.
2. Internal factors. In this case, stress in the human body finds that unfavorable root that provokes. This group of causes of stress development includes all medical stressors, that is, diseases of any type - from a simple lack of vitamins and infection to serious traumatic injury.

It is also a mistake to believe that only negative factors cause such a reaction in the human body. It is quite common for people to experience stress from an excess of positive emotions or other pathogens.

Phases of stress development

At various stages of development, you can clearly see how stress affects the human body. Divided into several phases this process scientist His method is based on identifying three stages of disease progression.

All stages proceed sequentially, smoothly flowing into each other. The initial state of the human body is described as shock. Afterwards, the body begins to adapt to the changed conditions. The outcome depends on how strong a person is emotionally: whether the body will overcome an obstacle or whether a stressful state will arise.

According to Selye, the development process is divided into three phases:

1. First stage ( state of shock). A person is overcome by a feeling of anxiety; he cannot find a place for himself. From a physiological point of view, this is explained by an active increase in the synthesis of adrenal hormones in the cortex. The body tries to cope with the problem by producing more energy to adapt.
2. The second stage or “resistance phase”. At this stage, a kind of immunity is developed, the body becomes more hardened. But at the same time, the production of the corresponding hormones decreases. This is why the sensations become calmer and the state becomes balanced. There are no symptoms of anxiety.
3. The third stage is characterized by exhaustion. The body gets tired of fighting, and stress squeezes out the last juices. The ability to resist is reduced below the required level. The feeling of anxiety returns. If the stressor exerts its influence for a long time, then changes in the physiological state occur. They are expressed in irreversible deformations of the adrenal cortex and other internal organs.

The effects of stress on the skin

First of all, the effect of stress on the human body is expressed on the health of the skin, which is a mirror of what is happening internal processes. If everything is in order with the organs, then the outer coverings are striking in their cleanliness. In case of any problems, the first to suffer will be the skin, which is a kind of indicator of diseases.

Changes in the epithelial layer are provoked by excessive release of proinflammatory cytokines. These are chemical compounds called “stress hormones.” Their active release is expressed in the appearance acne, blisters, psoriasis or eczema. The human body's response to stress in the form of increased secretion of neuropeptides increases the sensitivity of the skin.

The effect of stress on brain function

The consequences of stress for the human body are also expressed in disruptions in the functioning of the most important organ of the central nervous system. nervous system. In practice, this manifests itself in unbearable headaches and migraines. The worst result of long-term exposure to stressors is memory impairment and, as a result, Alzheimer's disease. The mechanism of formation of such serious problems caused by stimulation of protein growth, increasing tension in the head, neck and shoulders.

To protect yourself from such diseases, you should give up bad habits, that is, do not cope with emotional stress with the help of alcohol and cigarettes. It is best to pay more attention to sleep and good rest. To relax, you should try mastering the techniques of yoga, meditation and tai chi.

Effects on the cardiovascular system

Directly in problems with central authority circulatory system is the influence of extreme factors on the human body. Stress causes a sharp jump in blood pressure. This is especially dangerous for people who are predisposed to heart disease.

By changing the heart rate, stressors provoke arrhythmia. Besides, long-term exposure negative factors leads to immunity to a substance such as insulin. Eventually, blood sugar levels rise, diabetes develops, and artery walls harden. Reacting to stressful situations, the body begins to inject inflammatory markers into the blood. This leads to an increased risk of complications of existing diseases, as well as a heart attack or stroke.

Effect on the gastrointestinal tract

The process of digesting food during stressful situations is very difficult. At the same time, many people the best way Food is the way to get rid of stress. The body's predicament prevents nutrients from being processed properly.

This problem is explained by the fact that stressors can change the amount of secretion released by the digestive organs. As a result, the perception of food by the mucous membrane, sensitivity, blood circulation and absorption are impaired. Since the brain and intestines are connected by nerve fibers, changes in the composition of the microflora and changes in the functional properties of the gastrointestinal tract under the influence of negative factors are quite understandable.

But there is also feedback. Organs gastrointestinal tract themselves can cause stress. What a person eats directly affects the general condition of the body. Any worries associated with the stomach or intestines immediately provoke the sending of corresponding signals to the brain.

Exactly main body central nervous system and gives the body a command to defend itself in the form of stress or depression. So, if we consider the mechanism of the occurrence of a depressed state, these organs form a single system with their inextricable connection.

Effect on the pancreas

The impact of stress on the human body is manifested by the release of various chemical substances into the blood. The pancreas is responsible for this process. During stressful situations, insulin levels in the blood rise sharply. Due to this, diabetes can develop. In combination with eating problems and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, the risk of obesity increases.

Stress also affects people. Under the influence of stressors, a person loses the desire and opportunity to have children. The instinct to procreate disappears because stress hormones suppress sexual function and contribute to an increase in the level of other substances that also suppress reproductive system. For this reason, some women find it very difficult to experience all the delights of motherhood.

Impact on immunity

Stress factors also suppress the human immune system. There are fewer lymphocytes in the blood, which leads to a decrease in the ability to resist foreign microorganisms. Physiologically, this is due to the production of corticosteroids in the body.

As in previous cases, the consequences of exposure to a person depend on the time period. That is, immune suppression over a long period significantly impairs immune defense and hormonal control. At the same time, the risk increases inflammatory processes. But many eliminate the effects of stress with the help of alcohol and cigarettes, which only serves as a catalyst for the development of problems.

Effect on the musculoskeletal system

The influence of stress on the human body is fraught with inflammatory processes, and first of all they affect the elements of the musculoskeletal system. This manifests itself as pain in the joints, bones and muscles.

In this case, you can protect yourself using analgesic folk methods. It is recommended to consume basil, turmeric and ginger - the substances contained in these products help avoid problems with joints, muscles and bones.

Impact on the psychological component

To some extent, stressful situations are even beneficial for humans. With short-term exposure, an improvement in resistance abilities is observed, and the development of inflammatory processes is inhibited. In addition, under stress, active formation of glucose occurs in the liver, and fat deposits are burned more efficiently.

However, constant exposure to an unfavorable environment only leads to suppression of all vital functions. It is the psychological component that suffers the most. A person is often tormented by insomnia, most experience it. Due to the fact that patients try to forget themselves with the help of alcohol and cigarettes, addiction occurs. Addiction can also manifest itself in the form of gambling addiction. A person's concentration is impaired and memory suffers. Tense situations that become normal with prolonged stress cause sudden changes moods that manifest themselves in fluctuations between hysteria, aggression and complete apathy.

The consequences of stress greatly depend on the general condition of a person and the stability of the individual. Under the same conditions, people with different types characters behave completely differently. It is interesting that stressful situations are most easily tolerated by unbalanced people, because such individuals do not have time to concentrate and focus their attention on the problem that has arisen.

Ways to cope with stress

The main ways to reduce stress on the human body are as follows:

• normalization of respiratory function with the help of special exercises;
• feasible physical activity(any sport, morning work-out, jogging);
• positive interactions with others, especially friends and family;
• expression negative emotions through creativity (art therapy);
• communication with animals for medicinal purposes (animal-assisted therapy);
• phytotherapy;
• meditation, yoga and other spiritual practices;
• consultations with a psychologist.

Having understood yourself and recognized the cause of stress, getting rid of such a problem will not be difficult. By following these tips you can significantly reduce your exposure to stressful situations.