Stress Testing: Stress Test to Manage It
By Valerie Mellema
Stress tests can take many forms and are designed to search for different things, but they are all designed to measure your stress as well as help you learn to cope with it. Merely taking a stress test may seem somewhat stressful in itself. However, a stress test doesn't have to be and if you have a better understanding of it, they won't be.
One type of stress test is a simple pen and paper test. These tests will ask you about certain things you enjoy, where you are in your life, what you are concerned about and what is going on in life around you. This is a simple stress test to take and the results are often surprising. These tests are designed to help you get down to what your stressors in life are.
Another type of stress test you can take is an exercise stress test. These are also known as cardiac stress tests. A physician will put you on a treadmill at a slow, normal walk and then slowly increase the speed until you are jogging or running. In these tests, you are hooked up to an electroencephalograph and you must breathe through a tube in order to study your breathing and heart rate. These tests are effective at determining whether or not you have any heart issues.
The third type of test is the thallium test. These tests are usually administered to people who have blockages of the circulatory system. These tests are run in conjunction with an exercise test after the treadmill portion. Once the thallium gets into the bloodstream, a special camera is used to examine the person's solution. Once the thallium gets into the bloodstream, a special camera examines the body to look for places where the thallium and whether or not the blood is flowing properly. Thallium tests are not give frequently and are typically used when doctors know there is a blockage.
There is a variety of stress tests that are available and your doctor is the best person to discuss stress tests with. These tests are also useful in checking your overall health level as well as how to provide a great deal of information that can be used to diagnose any issues or prevent them before they start.
In order to eliminate stress and control it, you need to know how to understand it first. Going through a stress test with your physician will help you to understand if your stress is having a physiological effect on you and will allow you to determine appropriate stress management techniques.
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