Learning Aim B (simplified):
P3: Plan for a pilot study using appropriate methods
P4: Explain proposals for own pilot study
M2: Assess different research methods when planning research proposals in psychological inquiry
D2: Evaluate use of different research methods when planning resear...
Learning Aim B: Plan research to investigate psychological questions (P3, P4, M2, D2)
Keys: …. = References
, Literature review
Stress is a feeling of strain and pressure. Stress is something that everyone has or will experience at some point
in their lives. Some people experience stress more frequently than others, this is perfectly normal. All kinds of
situations in a day to day life can cause stress. Stress is our body’s response to harmful or dangerous situations.
When we are stressed, our bodies start to believe that it's under attack and it switches to what is known as the
“fight” or “flight” mode. There are plenty of things that we can do to help cope with stressful events, and steps
we can take to reduce the amount of stress experienced. “Stress is the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or
under pressure” (NHS. 2020).
The body can have multiple different types of responses to stress. It’s said that stress can actually motivate some
people to achieve things during their day to day lives. But too much stress can cause us to feel anxious and
irritable, which can affect our self-esteem. An psychosomatic response to stress, which is where “the mind and
emotions can influence physical symptoms rather than a specific cause in the body” (Schimelpfening. 2020).
Physical responses to stress are “having trouble sleeping (i.e insomnia), feeling sick, bodily pains, low energy,
experiencing headaches or dizziness and many more” (WebMD. 2019). Even worse physical responses to stress
would be your heart rate increasing, an increase in blood pressure, and quicken breathing. This could lead to a
heart attack. Psychological responses to stress are “having difficulty concentrating, struggling to make decisions,
feeling overwhelmed, being forgetful, constantly worrying and many more” (NHS. 2019). This could all lead to
employees needing time of work, or students needing time off college/school, which can contribute to more
stress.
It’s extremely important to research stress within the UK. This is because stress has a powerful impact on most
of our daily lives. Not only does stress affect our mood, relationships, and work, it can cause a variety of
different health conditions. Research is done on stress so we can have a greater understanding and it helps us to
help individuals deal with their stress. It also helps us to identify the causes and effects of stress, which can help
with getting people treatment.
Stress is a very big issue within the UK and most other countries. “85% of UK adults admitted to experiencing
stress on a regular basis”. The other “37% of British residents admitted to have felted stressed for at least one
full day per week”. “39% of UK adults admitted to feeling too stressed in their daily lives”. “54% of people who
are stressed worry about how it can affect their psychological and physical health, which can cause more stress”
. The most common cause of stress tends to be financial (i.e. money related). “42% of women believe they’re
experiencing too much stress compared to 36% of men”. Some of the most stressed members of society tends to
fall into the 18-24 age bracket. This means that young people are more likely to experience stress than older
people. “Young adults struggle with stress for at least 12 days per month”. On average “69% worry about the
impact on their health” (Forth. 2018).
My chosen topic within stress is the causes of stress (i.e role conflict, the effect of the environment, level of
control). I have chosen this topic because I would like to know if lack of sleep can lead to individuals
experiencing more stress. Additionally, I would like to find out what stage in the day individuals are more
stressed. It will be interesting and intriguing to know how much sleep can affect your mental health. This is
because “when we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies pump out certain hormones that by the next day make us
feel more stressed, which means the following night you will find it harder to fall asleep, and so on” (National
Sleep Foundation. 2020).
Research from the University of Pennsylvania, Dinges et al found that participants who were limited to only 4-5
hours of sleep per night for a single week. The participants reported feeling more stressed, angry, sad and
mentally and physically exhausted. “When the participants got a normal amount of sleep, they reported a
significant improvement in their overall mood” (Dinges et al. 1997).
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