Risky Behavior - Stress In The Morning

Stress is subjective, with little hard data available. It can be defined as "a state of tension that is created when a person responds to the demands and pressures that come from work, family and other external sources, as well as those that are internally generated from self-imposed demands, obligations and self-criticism."³⁷ There are so many stress- inducers. We will consider some that might confront a working person on a typical day.

The graphic presents some typical morning stress-inducers. We start with breakfast. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that 85% of Americans eat breakfast. But what kind of breakfast, exactly? The USDA does not specify. Oats, the perfect food? Or bacon, eggs, toast? But the agency does go on to say: "Coffee and fluid milk are still the most popular foods consumed at breakfast." The National Coffee Association reports that 54% of American adults drink coffee every day, while 79% (161 million people) drink coffee at least occasionally. Reuters Health Information reports on a finding that "people who consume caffeine may experience an increase in blood pressure, feel more stressed and produce more stress hormones than on days when they opt for decaf." An estimated 85% of American adults consume caffeine every day in their coffee, soft drinks, and tea.

The 15% of Americans who skip breakfast have their own set of problems, including the tendency to eat more later to make up; being less productive and less efficient than those who eat breakfast; suffering impaired memory, mental performance strength, and endurance in the late morning; and exhibiting a negative attitude toward school or work.

Pharmacy Today reports on a New Zealand study showing that people who skip breakfast are more likely to get a cold or flu.³⁸ In the United States, $5 billion will be spent each year (see graphic) on cold and flu remedies with drowsiness as a typical side effect. Fifty- one percent of adults surveyed by the National Sleep Foundation reported "driving a car or other vehicle while feeling drowsy in the prior year while 17% report actually falling asleep at the wheel." There's a stress-inducing concept!

Fifty-six million households subscribe to a daily newspaper (down from 62.1 million in 1970), and more than half of American adults (96 million) read the newspaper on a typical weekday. Reading the daily paper can be a stress-inducer. For example, if you are one of more than 1.1 million people who subscribe to The New York Times, you might feel your stress level rising at headlines like these: "Retirement Money: Irate at Scandals and Big Losses, Pension Funds Are Going to Court" or "U.S. Attacked: Hijacked Jets Destroy Twin Towers and Hit Pentagon in Day of Terror."

Having digested the news (if nothing else), get ready for your commute to work. The 2000 census showed that Americans spent nearly 26 minutes on average commuting to their job, up from 22 minutes in 1990. If you live in Elliott County, Kentucky, plan on spending an average of 48.7 minutes traveling, the longest travel time in the country. Are you watching out for the driver with "road rage?" It may not even exist, according to Michael Fumento, who pours water on an AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study showing a 60% increase in "aggressive driving" between 1990 and 1996. Still, the idea of ubiquitous outraged drivers has caught on with the public — definitely a stress-inducer.

If you're flying somewhere, be prepared for flight delays and "air rage." The Bureau of Transportation reported that 73.4% of flights arrived on time in 2001. Research by Andrew Thomas for his book, Air Rage: Crisis in the Skies, suggests that the FAA might have handled as many as 9,431 "probable instances of 'interference with a flight crew' in That number might include cases of disruptions at the gate as well as on planes."

Sources: Chart: USDA, Results from the 1994-96 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, http://www.barc.usda.gov/bhnrc/foodsurvey/96result.html; Kelvin Pollard, "Going to Work: Americans' Commuting Patterns in 2000," Population Reference Bureau, http://www.ameristat.org/; "Coffee drinking in U.S. hits all-time high of 79% of all adults — study," http://starchefs.com/news/press_releases/html/a_14.shtml Blake Morrison, "Reporting of violence lacks standards," USA Today, December 5, 2001, http://www.usatoday.com/news/attack/2001/12/05/air-side.htm. All online articles retrieved August 7, 2002. Michael Fumento, "'Road Rage' Versus Reality," The Atlantic online, August 1998, http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/98aug/roadrage.htm. "Skip Breakfast — Get More Flu," Pharmacy Today, March 8, 2002, http://www.pharmacy-today.co.nz/news. Alison McCook, "Caffeine Boosts Stress Level All Day Long: Study," Reuters Health Information, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/.