Summary:
[[Image:Stressedout.jpg|630px|thumb|left|Don't be bested; get your stress tested. Photo by Ashley Campbell/[http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashleycampbellphotography/5655801249/ flickr]/CC]]
Stress can enter one's life in many forms ? an intense mother-in-law, a to-do list the length of a roll of toilet paper, and final exams are some classic examples. But stress can strike whenever there is an exciting carousel of activity. In these moments, you may feel your health has been affected somehow and wonder how big a role stress plays in overall well-being.
Technically, stress refers to the sum of the physical, mental, and emotional strains on a person. Feelings of stress appear when you perceive your environment as exceeding your adaptive capabilities and threatening your well-being. In popular terms it is also associated with time pressure, like with uncontrolled to-do lists and strict work deadlines or exam dates.
The immediate consequences of stress often take the form of sleepless nights and a moody new disposition, while long-term stress can cause serious health problems, weaken your immune system, induce depression, and increase the chance of developing heart disease or asthma complications. Even if every person responds differently under stress, most people would prefer to go without it.
If you suspect stress is keeping you down, there are a few devices and techniques you can use to quantify your stress and convince yourself ? or your boss ? that you need to slow down.
''This article was written by Pilar Carreras, a researcher in Biomedical Engineering at [http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/ CCNY].''
==Biodots, Cards and Thermometers==
When under stress, muscles tense and blood flow decreases in the hands and feet which results in a change in body temperature. To measure the change, the company [http://www.stressmarket.com StressMarket] has come up with a variety of gauges, called "Biodots," "Stress Points," or "Stress Dots," which are basically small liquid crystal circles with an adhesive backing that change color depending on temperature variation. You just have to stick the Stress Point over the "areas of tension" (adding a degree of convenient uncertainty) and they will show a color change every two degrees of temperature variation between 79.6�F. to 89.6�F.
[[Image:Stressthermometer.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Photo from [http://www.cliving.org cliving.org]]]
If you prefer to obtain a specific number value for stress level that can be compared over time and therefore shown to your (justifiably) skeptical friends, you probably need a [http://www.cliving.org/stressthermometer.htm stress thermometer]. At about $22 a pop, it measures the skin temperature in your finger tips with an accuracy of +/- 1.80 F while updating every 2 seconds. With this accuracy, it is possible to observe the temperature change as you change your thoughts (mother-in-law: few degrees down; back massage: few degrees up). It comes with a lead wire that needs to be attached to your finger tip with a tape or a ring of Velcro.
==Hormone Testing==
Another way of quantifying your stress is by hormone testing. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydroepiandrosterone DHEA] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol cortisol] are the most commonly referred-to stress hormones. When you start to experience stress, the adrenal glands release these two hormones to help your body self-adjust to protect itself, making the duo a good indicator of how your body reacts during stress.
[http://www.amazon.com/Body-Balance-Stress-Check/dp/B001OM269G/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1332363161&sr=8-5 StressCheck by BodyBalance] measures your DHEA and cortisol levels to determine their balance from a saliva sample. Stress Check is a home test by BodyBalance that will analyze your oral fluids for approximately $90. When you order your stress check kit, you just have to follow the [http://www.bodybalance.com/instructions/stress-011509.pdf instructions for collecting the saliva] and send it back in the prepaid return mailer provided. Results will be ready within 7-10 working days. If this waiting period feels like time pressure for the delicate new you, there are faster ways to check your stress based also on hormone level measurements.
==Stress-Checking With Smartphones==
For $0.99 you can download Stress Check (by Azumio), one of the latest smart phone applications available for quantifying your level of stress in real time by analyzing the variations of your heart rate. In a stressful environment, the heart rate increases and the time between consecutive heart beats becomes more variable. This factor, called heart rate variability (HRV) is evaluated to estimate your level of stress through the camera and light features on your smartphone.
[[Image:StressCheck.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Screenshot by Pilar Carreras, Wired.com]]
To use this application, you have to place your index finger over your phone?s camera flash for a minimum of two minutes. During this time, the light from the flash will be able to detect any slight change in color on your skin surface related to blood flow patterns and stress hormone levels.
The algorithms used to analyze HRV follow recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE). Stress Check also incorporates a quantitative stress level assessment system developed by Biocom Technologies, a well-known professional health assessment technology company.
The last version, which became available in January 2012, incorporates advanced new self-learning algorithms that continuously self-adjust to improve accuracy. It also costs $0.99 and may be downloaded from the [http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stress-check-by-azumio/id439500612?mt=8 Apple App Store] or from the [https://market.android.com/details?id=com.azumio.android.stresscheck&hl=en Android Marketplace].
After getting the verdict from the Stress Check application, you might think about using Stress Doctor, an application that helps you to reduce your stress levels using a breathing technique. You can download it from the [http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stress-check-by-azumio/id439500612?mt=8 Apple App Store] for $1.99. Three dollars seems like a small price to pay to regain some Zen.
==Measuring Stress in the Lab==
Last year, Professor Nitta from the Tokyo Metropolitan University developed a device called Mini Stress Meter to demonstrate stress (or lack of). The device is basically a pulse-wave sensor that can measure stress levels in real-time when connected to a computer via USB. To operate it, you have to place your finger in the sensor (which is on a computer mouse) for around ten seconds so the Mini Meter can analyze the blood flow in your finger with an infrared reflective probe and analyze its variation. The stress level is displayed on a computer screen in real-time on a four level scale. Integrated in a mouse, you can easily read your stress measurements on the screen in case you need to close all your excel files and navigate on facebook for a while. (For your well-being, of course).
Another device developed by Dr. Mohan Kumar from the University of Texas measures the stress level by the change of resistance of the skin according to the emotional state. It was based on the observation that during high stress conditions, the blood supply decreases along with the resistance of the skin, increasing the conductivity for electric current. Therefore the amount of stress a human being feels can be converted to a varying analog voltage using the appropriate circuitry.
The device, which was designed to be worn around the wrist with touch pads in contact with the skin, had a display panel comprising five LEDs ranging from low stress to high stress that would glow depending on the measurements of the circuit. It also had a piezobuzzer component designed to beep if high stress levels are reached.
Even if already obsolete (it was first published in 2005) the circuit is detailed in the following link, so if tinkering with electronics doesn't stress you out, you can [http://www.scribd.com/doc/39680089/Stress-Meter-Project-Report build it at home].
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Lifestyle]]
Stress can enter one's life in many forms ? an intense mother-in-law, a to-do list the length of a roll of toilet paper, and final exams are some classic examples. But stress can strike whenever there is an exciting carousel of activity. In these moments, you may feel your health has been affected somehow and wonder how big a role stress plays in overall well-being.
Technically, stress refers to the sum of the physical, mental, and emotional strains on a person. Feelings of stress appear when you perceive your environment as exceeding your adaptive capabilities and threatening your well-being. In popular terms it is also associated with time pressure, like with uncontrolled to-do lists and strict work deadlines or exam dates.
The immediate consequences of stress often take the form of sleepless nights and a moody new disposition, while long-term stress can cause serious health problems, weaken your immune system, induce depression, and increase the chance of developing heart disease or asthma complications. Even if every person responds differently under stress, most people would prefer to go without it.
If you suspect stress is keeping you down, there are a few devices and techniques you can use to quantify your stress and convince yourself ? or your boss ? that you need to slow down.
''This article was written by Pilar Carreras, a researcher in Biomedical Engineering at [http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/ CCNY].''
==Biodots, Cards and Thermometers==
When under stress, muscles tense and blood flow decreases in the hands and feet which results in a change in body temperature. To measure the change, the company [http://www.stressmarket.com StressMarket] has come up with a variety of gauges, called "Biodots," "Stress Points," or "Stress Dots," which are basically small liquid crystal circles with an adhesive backing that change color depending on temperature variation. You just have to stick the Stress Point over the "areas of tension" (adding a degree of convenient uncertainty) and they will show a color change every two degrees of temperature variation between 79.6�F. to 89.6�F.
[[Image:Stressthermometer.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Photo from [http://www.cliving.org cliving.org]]]
If you prefer to obtain a specific number value for stress level that can be compared over time and therefore shown to your (justifiably) skeptical friends, you probably need a [http://www.cliving.org/stressthermometer.htm stress thermometer]. At about $22 a pop, it measures the skin temperature in your finger tips with an accuracy of +/- 1.80 F while updating every 2 seconds. With this accuracy, it is possible to observe the temperature change as you change your thoughts (mother-in-law: few degrees down; back massage: few degrees up). It comes with a lead wire that needs to be attached to your finger tip with a tape or a ring of Velcro.
==Hormone Testing==
Another way of quantifying your stress is by hormone testing. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydroepiandrosterone DHEA] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol cortisol] are the most commonly referred-to stress hormones. When you start to experience stress, the adrenal glands release these two hormones to help your body self-adjust to protect itself, making the duo a good indicator of how your body reacts during stress.
[http://www.amazon.com/Body-Balance-Stress-Check/dp/B001OM269G/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1332363161&sr=8-5 StressCheck by BodyBalance] measures your DHEA and cortisol levels to determine their balance from a saliva sample. Stress Check is a home test by BodyBalance that will analyze your oral fluids for approximately $90. When you order your stress check kit, you just have to follow the [http://www.bodybalance.com/instructions/stress-011509.pdf instructions for collecting the saliva] and send it back in the prepaid return mailer provided. Results will be ready within 7-10 working days. If this waiting period feels like time pressure for the delicate new you, there are faster ways to check your stress based also on hormone level measurements.
==Stress-Checking With Smartphones==
For $0.99 you can download Stress Check (by Azumio), one of the latest smart phone applications available for quantifying your level of stress in real time by analyzing the variations of your heart rate. In a stressful environment, the heart rate increases and the time between consecutive heart beats becomes more variable. This factor, called heart rate variability (HRV) is evaluated to estimate your level of stress through the camera and light features on your smartphone.
[[Image:StressCheck.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Screenshot by Pilar Carreras, Wired.com]]
To use this application, you have to place your index finger over your phone?s camera flash for a minimum of two minutes. During this time, the light from the flash will be able to detect any slight change in color on your skin surface related to blood flow patterns and stress hormone levels.
The algorithms used to analyze HRV follow recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE). Stress Check also incorporates a quantitative stress level assessment system developed by Biocom Technologies, a well-known professional health assessment technology company.
The last version, which became available in January 2012, incorporates advanced new self-learning algorithms that continuously self-adjust to improve accuracy. It also costs $0.99 and may be downloaded from the [http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stress-check-by-azumio/id439500612?mt=8 Apple App Store] or from the [https://market.android.com/details?id=com.azumio.android.stresscheck&hl=en Android Marketplace].
After getting the verdict from the Stress Check application, you might think about using Stress Doctor, an application that helps you to reduce your stress levels using a breathing technique. You can download it from the [http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stress-check-by-azumio/id439500612?mt=8 Apple App Store] for $1.99. Three dollars seems like a small price to pay to regain some Zen.
==Measuring Stress in the Lab==
Last year, Professor Nitta from the Tokyo Metropolitan University developed a device called Mini Stress Meter to demonstrate stress (or lack of). The device is basically a pulse-wave sensor that can measure stress levels in real-time when connected to a computer via USB. To operate it, you have to place your finger in the sensor (which is on a computer mouse) for around ten seconds so the Mini Meter can analyze the blood flow in your finger with an infrared reflective probe and analyze its variation. The stress level is displayed on a computer screen in real-time on a four level scale. Integrated in a mouse, you can easily read your stress measurements on the screen in case you need to close all your excel files and navigate on facebook for a while. (For your well-being, of course).
Another device developed by Dr. Mohan Kumar from the University of Texas measures the stress level by the change of resistance of the skin according to the emotional state. It was based on the observation that during high stress conditions, the blood supply decreases along with the resistance of the skin, increasing the conductivity for electric current. Therefore the amount of stress a human being feels can be converted to a varying analog voltage using the appropriate circuitry.
The device, which was designed to be worn around the wrist with touch pads in contact with the skin, had a display panel comprising five LEDs ranging from low stress to high stress that would glow depending on the measurements of the circuit. It also had a piezobuzzer component designed to beep if high stress levels are reached.
Even if already obsolete (it was first published in 2005) the circuit is detailed in the following link, so if tinkering with electronics doesn't stress you out, you can [http://www.scribd.com/doc/39680089/Stress-Meter-Project-Report build it at home].
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Lifestyle]]
Source: http://feeds.wired.com/~r/howtowiki/~3/sgumFGn_19I/Test_Your_Stress_Levels
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