Most of us go through periods of stress in our everyday lives – but there are actually seven types of ‘hyperarousal’, according to a new study.
Researchers say the feeling of tension can be teased out into distinct subgroups.
This includes anxious, somatic, sensitive, sleep–related, irritable, vigilant and sudomotor – and each are characterised slightly differently.
Perhaps the most well–known, the ‘anxious’ feeling of tension, is defined by being worried or concerned about something bad happening in the future. It can also indicate feelings of guilt or fears about missing out on things.
Feeling ‘sensitive hyperarousal’ indicates emotional vulnerability and being easily startled, the scientists explained.
Another common source of tension is ‘sleep–related’ – defined by trouble falling or staying asleep and leading to trouble being mentally alert.
‘No previous study has addressed the unresolved question of whether hyperarousal may be one common…construct or rather has multiple dimensions,’ the team, from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, wrote in the journal EClinicalMedicine.
‘This study discovered seven different dimensions of hyperarousal and provides a concise instrument to assess them.’
The experts revealed there are seven types of ‘hyperarousal’ – and they all have different symptoms, as seen from this chart
For their study, the team collected data on 467 adults who all completed questionnaires about their everyday hyperarousal symptoms.
Another type of tension, revealed by their analysis, is called ‘somatic’ – also known as the ‘fight or flight response’.
This can be characterised by tight feelings in the chest, palpitations, faster breathing or tingling fingers.
The fifth type is ‘irritable hyperarousal’, more commonly known as being prickly, agitated and hostile towards others.
The sixth, ‘vigilant’, is defined as having heightened awareness in public spaces.
People who feel this type of tension are likely to agree with the sentence ‘When I am in public, I feel overwhelmed because I cannot keep track of everything going on around me.’
And finally, the last is ‘sudomotor’, also known as experiencing hot or cold sweats.
People experiencing this may also say their face feels hot or have clammy hands.
The researchers said certain types of tension are more likely to appear within particular psychiatric diagnoses. For example, people with insomnia (ID) are likely to have sleep–related hyperarousal, while those with ADHD are more likely to be irritable and anxious
The participants in the study all had received some type of psychiatric diagnosis, such as insomnia, depression, PTSD or ADHD.
Since hyperarousal plays an important role in all of these mental disorders, understanding it could lead to better understanding and treatment of the conditions, the team explained.
‘Within sleep research, we already know a great deal about the role of hyperarousal in insomnia,’ said first author Tom Bresser.
‘But hyperarousal also plays a major role in many other mental disorders.
‘If we better understand what hyperarousal really is, we can also better understand insomnia, anxiety and depression.’
The researchers said they now want to investigate which brain regions are involved in which type of hyperarousal.
Although periods of tension and stress are common, experts have warned that too much can be unhealthy.
Last year, a leading psychologist said the trauma of daily ‘micro stresses’ such as being stuck in traffic can have detrimental effects on your brain.
Dr Becky Spelman, a UK licensed psychologist, explained that human brains ‘aren’t wired for constant low–level friction’ such as losing your keys and being in a rush.
‘Repeated minor stressors can lead to the same physiological and emotional exhaustion as a single major stressor,’ she said.
A study from beverage company Trip has also found that Brits experience an average of eight microstresses per day, increasing their blood pressure for up to two hours.
Around 90 per cent of Brits experience these stressors – which include having an untidy house or not being able to find a parking space.
‘When the small stresses pile up with no opportunity to decompress, they create an emotional static that affects concentration, patience, and even physical health,’ Dr Spelman said.
