Question

Arya is about to run a marathon. As she stands at the starting line her heart begins to beat faster and she feels a rush of energy.  The race starts and she begins running.  At mile 10 she maintains a steady pace and feels a sense of happiness and peace.  She eventually makes it to the finish line and she collapses on the ground, tired and unable to move.Apply the General Adaptation Syndrome by identifying and describing the three physical stages Arya experienced in response to a stressor. Please include the biological changes that occur in each stage.

Answer 1

GAS is the three-stage process that describes the physiological changes the body goes through when under stress. The three stages of GAS are: alarm reaction, resistance and exhaustion stage. This theory came into oplay in the above mentioned case.

• Alaram stage: At the alarm reaction stage, a distress signal is sent to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus releases the hormone glucocorticoid, which triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol, which is a stress hormone. This is what had happened in case of Arya before the onset of the race. The adrenaline gives a person a boost of energy. Their heart rate increases and their blood pressurerises.
• Resistance stage: During the resistance stage, the body tries to counteract the physiological changes that happened during the alarm reaction stage.The resistance stage is governed by a part of the ANS called the parasympathetic, which tries to return the body to normal by reducing the amount of cortisol produced. The heart rate and blood pressure begin to return to normal. If the stressful situation comes to an end, during the resistance stage, the body will then return to normal. This has happened with Arya when the race begins and she maintained a steady pace.
• Exhaustion stage: After an extended period of stress, the body goes into the final stage of GAS. At this stage, the body has depleted its energy resources by continually trying but failing to recover from the initial alarm reaction stage. Once it reaches the exhaustion stage, a person's body is no longer equipped to fight stress. They may experience: tiredness, depression,anxiety, which has happend with arya and she collapses on the ground after the race finishes.