How To Choose A Stress Test

by: Trevor Dumbleton
Copyright 2005 Trevor Dumbleton

Many people in this world need to take a stress test. These tests can take many forms and are designed to search for different things, but they all have one key goal: they want to see how you are doing. Merely taking a stress test can be a kind of stress all its own, but it does not have to be. And by understanding stress tests, you can understand more fully what they are designed to do.

The first kind of stress test is simply a pen and paper test. These tests will often ask you about certain things you do, where you are in your life, what you are concerned about, and what is going on around you. These stress tests are very easy to take, though the results can often be more than a little surprising. These tests are designed to root out stress in its many forms and are the most common form of stress test.

There are many stress tests out on the Internet, though many of them will not be particularly useful. Some are designed to be scientific but are not backed up by research, or some may simply be jokes. However, there are a few out there that can be very useful. Unfortunately, many are also very subjective and the answers you give may not be all that useful.

If you would like to take a stress test, your doctor can point you in the right direction. There are many valid and very useful stress tests out in the world and they can give you and your doctor the answers that you need to help you determine how you are stressed and how to manage it. Thus, your doctor is the best place to start and the best place to find answers to all that is troubling you.

Another type of stress test is the exercise stress test, also known as a cardiac stress test. These tests involve putting a person on a treadmill at a slow walking pace, then slowly increasing the speed until the person is at a jogging or running pace. In these tests, people are usually hooked up to electroencephalographs and usually breathe through a tube in order to study heart rate and breathing. These tests are effective for studying how well a person's heart and lungs are working in order to see if there are any coronary problems.

Exercise stress tests are usually akin to exercising hard, but not strenuously. The person on the treadmill is closely monitored and a doctor is on hand in case there are any problems. As well, the person can stop the test anytime if they do not feel right. However, it is best to let the test run until it is finished, as it gives the best idea of how well the body is working.

A final kind of stress test is the thallium test. These tests are usually administered in people who seem to have blockages in their circulatory system and the blockages need to be located. Thallium tests are usually run in conjunction with an exercise stress test and, after the person is done on the treadmill, the person is injected with a slightly radioactive thallium solution. Once the thallium get into the bloodstream, a special camera examines the person's body in order to look for places where the thallium, and thus the blood, is not flowing properly. Thallium tests are not given very often, as they are mostly used when doctors know there is a blockage, but are not sure where to look for it. Obviously, some people cannot be asked to run on a treadmill and they are usually given a drug as a substitute in order to locate the blockage.

There are a variety of stress tests available and your doctor is the best person to talk to if you are interested in taking one. These tests are very valuable to check your overall health level and they provide a great deal of information that can be used to diagnose any problems or prevent them before they start. So if you are feeling the effects of stress and you wonder if it is causing health problems, there are ways to find out what you or your doctor want to know.

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