Skin Conductance One Of The Fastest Ways To Test Stress

<h1>Skin Conductance One Of The Fastest Ways To Test Stress</h1>Author: <a title="Diana Valentine" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/diana-valentine/82235.htm">Diana Valentine</a> Skin conductance (which used to be known as the galvanic skin response) is becoming one of the more common measuring tools for the autonomic nervous system as well as stress levels. When external or internal stimuli occur that change stress or attention levels in any number of internal systems there is a brief moment when the skin actually becomes a better conductor of electricity. This is also known as the electrodermal response and this change in conductivity can be measured, allowing for a wide range of tests. The skin of a person in a state of relaxation does not conduct electricity well. This high resistance is usually measured as about 40 mV negative when compared to tissue inside the body. Sweat gland activity changes these properties by increasing skin conductance and changing the balance of positive and negative ions in the sweat. When a person gets more stressed there is a rise in the conductivity of skin and these changes tend to occur in waves. The term phasic is used to refer to these wavelike increases. One of the more difficult aspects of a patient’s state to monitor has been emotional states. One of the key uses for skin conductivity changes is in lie detector tests, since the stress level of a subject can shift in very small ways when moving between truth and lies. Heart rate and blood pressure are impacted when stress levels rise but the shifts take a bit of time to happen and by the time the changes are noticeable the triggering stimulus is long past. The electrodermal response is very rapid and easy to measure, making it a fast and reliable way to track changes in both emotions and stress levels. There are only a few places where it’s feasible to measure <a href="http://www.biopac.com">skin conductance</a> response because of the presence of eccrine sweat glands, which are highly responsive to emotional and other psychological stimuli. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet have a high level of eccrine sweat glands and so electrodes are usually placed on the skin in these areas. A tiny electrical charge is passed between the electrodes and when the electrodermal response raises in conductivity level the change is measured and analyzed, allowing for a fast, accurate measure of internal emotions and stress levels.About the Author: To know more about <a href="http://www.biopac.com">skin conductance</a> and for more information on the various data logging equipment, visit Biopac.com.Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/skin-conductance-one-of-the-fastest-ways-to-test-stress-1464442.html" title="Skin Conductance One Of The Fastest Ways To Test Stress">Skin Conductance One Of The Fastest Ways To Test Stress</a>

Skin conductance (which used to be known as the galvanic skin response) is becoming one of the more common measuring tools for the autonomic nervous system as well as stress levels. When external or internal stimuli occur that change stress or attention levels in any number of internal systems there is a brief moment when the skin actually becomes a better conductor of electricity. This is also known as the electrodermal response and this change in conductivity can be measured, allowing for a wide range of tests.

The skin of a person in a state of relaxation does not conduct electricity well. This high resistance is usually measured as about 40 mV negative when compared to tissue inside the body. Sweat gland activity changes these properties by increasing skin conductance and changing the balance of positive and negative ions in the sweat. When a person gets more stressed there is a rise in the conductivity of skin and these changes tend to occur in waves. The term phasic is used to refer to these wavelike increases.

One of the more difficult aspects of a patient’s state to monitor has been emotional states. One of the key uses for skin conductivity changes is in lie detector tests, since the stress level of a subject can shift in very small ways when moving between truth and lies. Heart rate and blood pressure are impacted when stress levels rise but the shifts take a bit of time to happen and by the time the changes are noticeable the triggering stimulus is long past. The electrodermal response is very rapid and easy to measure, making it a fast and reliable way to track changes in both emotions and stress levels.

There are only a few places where it’s feasible to measure skin conductance response because of the presence of eccrine sweat glands, which are highly responsive to emotional and other psychological stimuli. The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet have a high level of eccrine sweat glands and so electrodes are usually placed on the skin in these areas. A tiny electrical charge is passed between the electrodes and when the electrodermal response raises in conductivity level the change is measured and analyzed, allowing for a fast, accurate measure of internal emotions and stress levels.

To know more about skin conductance and for more information on the various data logging equipment, visit Biopac.com.

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Article Tags: skin conductance, data acquisition systems, data loggers

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