Browsing by Subject "allostaattinen kuormitus"

Objective. Changes in work life pose challenges for employees to recover. Today’s work culture is flexible and limitless in nature. Work-related stress has increased significantly, as work is being done, although labor productivity has clearly increased. This phenomenon increases interest towards stress research and well-being at work. This literature review examines the neural effects of chronic stress and presents recovery theories in response to these challenges. Method. The articles in the review dealt with neural effects of stress and depression, as well as recovery theories. Articles were retrieved from Google Scholar and PubMed databases with keywords recovery from work, chronic stress, work related stress, neural effects from stress. The search criteria were limited to studies published in the 21th century. For recovery theories, original sources were searched. Results and conclusions. The review showed that chronic stress causes changes, especially in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. These changes impair individuals' cognitive abilities. Stress, for example, makes it difficult to regulate emotions and functioning, thus impairing memory activity. Chronic stress and lack of recovery create a cycle in which stress reactions become more intense and the individual’s ability to regulate stress reactions is harmed. While stress is a vital reaction and an important part of effective functioning, continued stress reactions and chronic stress are a threat to well-being. Failure to recover from stress results in an allostatic load that has been shown to be associated with mental health problems and illnesses. Because most of the recovery takes place outside working hours, it is conceivable that everyone is responsible for her own recovery process. On the other hand, the flexibility of work leads to more work becoming part of one’s leisure time. While continued availability is admired, organizations should understand the risks it poses to employee well-being and brain health. Therefore, organizations should focus on the recovery of their employees. Luckily, the development is heading towards an improved work environment.