Type A Personality

Type A Personality

This "A" Is for Aging

You have never liked losing--not at the office, not on the tennis court, not even when your daughter gets lucky and beats you at Chutes and Ladders. And you don't like wasting time, either--especially when it's because of something you can't control, such as a slow-moving driver on the freeway or a slow-talking co-worker. With all the hurdles life puts in your path, it's no wonder you can't hold your temper anymore.

Whoa! Time out! These are some of the classic signs of Type A behavior. If you're running your motor at 150 miles per hour, 24 hours a day, it may be time to re-examine some goals and habits and your outlook on life. Because if you don't, you could be setting yourself up for problems--from headache to heart disease--that will erode your body's youthful edge.

"Type A behavior is very hard on your system," says C. David Jenkins, Ph.D., professor of preventive medicine and community health at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. "You're putting yourself under a lot of needless pressure. And believe me, that will take its toll in the long run, in ways you may not expect."

Anxious, Angry--And at Risk

The American Heart Association lists six characteristics of Type A women. They love competition, attempt to achieve many poorly defined goals, have a strong need for recognition and advancement, are always in a hurry, show intense concentration and alertness and are prone to anger.

Fewer than half of the women in America are Type A, Dr. Jenkins says. But the figure is creeping higher, he says, as more women enter the workplace and take on higher-stress jobs. If you're a saleswoman, newspaper reporter or air traffic controller or in another high-pressure job, the odds are that you were drawn to your field by Type A tendencies. In fact, even if you weren't Type A to start with, Dr. Jenkins says that the demands of these jobs can push you in that direction.

The key problem with Type A behavior is stress. Hard-driving women put themselves under constant strain, and their bodies react in pressure-packed ways. Studies show that Type A women are more likely to grind their teeth, which can lead to jaw pain, headaches and dental troubles. Because of stress, they also may suffer from chronic muscle fatigue and soreness in their necks and shoulders.

A study of 72 female college students in Ohio showed that Type A women may also face more anxiety and depression than other women--while at the same time receiving less support from friends and family. Researchers speculate that this may happen because society tends to shun and isolate competitive, hard-driving women, even as it encourages men with the same traits.

Scientists are even exploring a possible link between cancer and Type A behavior. There's no concrete evidence on this one. But a continuing study of 3,154 American men shows that Type A behavior might predispose people to develop cancer. Scientists think that this may happen because stress represses the immune system, making the body less able to fight off disease.

Then there's heart disease. Estrogen gives women extra protection against heart disease, at least until menopause. But after that, Type A behavior can hurt. A study at Harvard Medical School in Boston of about 500 men and women--most of the women past menopause--showed that the Type A's had a 50 percent higher risk of suffering heart attacks than their mellower Type B counterparts.

Dr. Jenkins says the process probably works like this: Every time you lay on the horn at an intersection or argue with your boss, your body produces a stress hormone called noradrenaline. This spunks up your body, making you more alert and raising your blood pressure temporarily. Dr. Jenkins says it can also cause minor damage to the lining of your blood vessels. As your body repairs the blood vessels, they pick up cholesterol flowing in your bloodstream. Over time, this patchwork can lead to a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries--setting you up for blockages and heart attacks.

A-mazing Solutions

You can't really "cure" Type A personality, Dr. Jenkins says. Not that you'd want to; there's really nothing wrong with a touch of assertiveness and a sturdy work ethic. But you may want to change some daily habits and attitudes to help lower your risk of Type A health trouble. Here are a few suggestions to get started.

Aim lower. Sure, you want to succeed at everything. But there are only 24 hours in a day--and sometimes something has to give. So be a little more choosy. "I think setting realistic goals is the most important thing a Type A person can do," says Lee Reinert, Ph.D., director and lecturer for the Brandywine Biobehavioral Center, a counseling center in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. "Goals make you focus on what's important, instead of whatever crisis is facing you at the moment."

At the start of each week, make a list of things you feel you absolutely must do. Each time you write something down, ask yourself what would happen if you didn't do it. If you can't come up with a legitimate concern, scratch that item off the list. Now comes the tough part: Cut the final list by five items. You may try delegating a few of the items to your spouse, children or co-workers. "What's left is a more achievable set of tasks," Dr. Reinert says. "You'll get a greater sense of accomplishment this way, and you won't be chasing after brushfires that keep popping up."

Try aerobics. You'll sweat the stress a little less if you work out regularly. Aerobic exercise relieves stress and can ward off its long-term consequences, says David S. Holmes, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

One word of caution, however: Don't overdo it. Because they tend to overtrain, Type A women get injured more during exercise, reports Sports Medicine Digest. In fact, Type A women lose twice as much training time as others to injury. "Get a good workout. Raise your heart rate, but don't try to win at all costs. Don't keep trying to beat your own record," Dr. Jenkins says.

Account for your anger. Keeping journals helps women discover the roots of their aggressiveness and anger, Dr. Reinert says. "A lot of times, you're not really mad at what's going on right now. You're upset about more of a core issue--maybe an unhappy family relationship," she says. Writing down your thoughts and feelings may help you discover what's really angering you. It can also help you detect patterns. Maybe you always get mad when you're waiting in line. Or when Marla in accounting won't let you get a word in at the staff meeting. If you anticipate these moments, you can either find ways to avoid them or ask yourself whether they're really important enough to blow your stack over.

Make amends. Is that little old lady in the slow-moving Buick really trying to make you mad? Was she awake deep into the night plotting ways to make you late? Or is she just a little old lady who needs to use a little extra caution to drive these days? In his book Anger Kills, Redford B. Williams, M.D., director of the Behaviorial Medicine Research Center and professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, suggests putting yourself in the other person's shoes. When you look at the world from the perspective of the people who anger you, you'll probably be a little less cynical about them--and a little less Type A in the process. Dr. Williams also suggests doing some volunteer work as a way to relieve hostility and gain empathy for other people.

Come up for air. Type A women typically schedule their days to the millisecond. That leaves no margin for error--and sets you up for extra stress when things go wrong. So try to give yourself a 10 percent pad. If you work a ten-hour day, leave at least one hour free to deal with the unexpected. If that sounds like an awfully big block of time, Dr. Reinert suggests setting aside five or six minutes per hour instead.

These cooldown periods can help you organize your thoughts and create new plans of attack. They can also spark creativity, making the rest of the workday more productive. "If you don't have a little downtime, you're not giving yourself a chance to absorb all the information that's flying at you," Dr. Reinert says. "You'll be more creative and efficient if you just take time to process."

Pay attention to your body. Find another 10 or 15 minutes a day to check in with your body. Sit on a comfortable chair in a quiet room, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. Tense, then release, the muscles in your feet. Then do your calves. Work up your body, paying special attention to the areas that feel tight or are throbbing (especially your shoulders and neck). "This is a great stress reducer," Dr. Reinert says. "It lets your body relax. And it shows you how needlessly tense you become during the day."