Psychosomatic complaints and unwinding of sympathoadrenal activation after work

It is well known that chronically elevated catecholamine excretion rates are associated with health problems, indicating the importance of recovery after work. In 28 male truck drivers, unwinding after work was found to be insufficient. The resulting spillover of sympathoadrenal activation, as assessed by urinary excretion rate of adrenaline and noradrenaline, was significantly related to self-reported psychosomatic health complaints. Age had a significant effect on spillover of noradrenaline, whereas this personal factor was only marginally significant for adrenaline. This study shows that elevated sympathoadrenal activation after work, and not only increased reactivity during work, causes health problems, although it is also plausible that young and healthy drivers are able to unwind more quickly than older drivers with psychosomatic complaints.