Performing under Pressure; on the Biology, Psychology and Sociology of stress in high-performance
professions
X – RELAX, ON THE IMPORTANCE OF REST

Rest: one of the most important components of peak performance
uLearning
uWe store information when we sleep
u
uPhysical performance
u

When was the last time you were delusional?



On the importance of sleep
uNature has not provided us with a means to store sleep. The sleep we do not get is lost.
u
uImmune system
uEndocrine system
uCognitive function
u
Almondes, K. M. de, Marín Agudelo, H. A., & Jiménez-Correa, U. (2021). Impact of Sleep Deprivation
on Emotional Regulation and the Immune System of Healthcare Workers as a Risk Factor for COVID 19:
Practical Recommendations From a Task Force of the Latin American Association of Sleep Psychology.
Frontiers in Psychology, 12(May), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.564227
Garbarino, S., Lanteri, P., Bragazzi, N. L., Magnavita, N., & Scoditti, E. (2021). Role of sleep
deprivation in immune-related disease risk and outcomes. Communications Biology, 4(1).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02825-4
Lateef, O. M., & Akintubosun, M. O. (2020). Sleep and reproductive health. Journal of Circadian
Rhythms, 18(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.5334/jcr.190
Su, L., Zhang, S. zheng, Zhu, J., Wu, J., & Jiao, Y. zheng. (2021). Effect of partial and total
sleep deprivation on serum testosterone in healthy males: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Sleep Medicine, 88, 267–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2021.10.031
Csipo, T., Lipecz, A., Owens, C., Mukli, P., Perry, J. W., Tarantini, S., … Yabluchanskiy, A.
(2021). Sleep deprivation impairs cognitive performance, alters task-associated cerebral blood flow
and decreases cortical neurovascular coupling-related hemodynamic responses. Scientific Reports,
11(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00188-8

Stages of sleep: and their importance
uDeep sleep
uDelta waves / slow waves
uMemory consolidation
u
u
uRapid Eye Movement sleep
uDream state
uMemory contextualization
Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Retrieved from
https://www.ptonline.com/articles/how-to-get-better-mfi-results

Why sleep is so important
uAcute extreme sleep deprivation can
uBe fatal
uLead to exacerbation of mental issues
uWill lead to psychotic symptoms while sleep deprived
u
uChronic sleep deprivation
uTestosterone (a few nights of 4-5 hours – drop to levels of someone 10 years older)
uBlood sugar dysregulation
uImmune system failure
uEffect on gene-expression
u1 night of 4 hours – a 70 % drop in natural killer cells
uAlzheimer's
u
Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Retrieved from
https://www.ptonline.com/articles/how-to-get-better-mfi-results

Temperature and sleep
uDuring sleep core body temperature drops about 1 degree
uYou need to get colder to get to sleep
uWarm bath
uFeet out
uYou need to get warm to wake up
Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. New York.

Light and sleep
uEarly morning light starts the production of adenosine
uCaffeine
u
uLate afternoon / early evening light and dark stimulate melatonin
uBlue light filters
uUsing your mobile devices before sleep
Article, O. (2001). Circadian Time of Morning Light Administration and Therapeutic Response in
Winter Depression. 58.
Choi, K., Shin, C., Kim, T., Chung, H. J., & Suk, H. (2019). Awakening effects of blue- enriched
morning light exposure on university students ’ physiological and subjective responses. (November
2018), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36791-5
Lawrenson, J. G., Hull, C. C., & Downie, L. E. (2017). The effect of blue-light blocking spectacle
lenses on visual performance , macular health and the sleep-wake cycle : a systematic review of the
literature. 37, 644–654. https://doi.org/10.1111/opo.12406
Tosini, G., Ferguson, I., & Tsubota, K. (2016). Effects of blue light on the circadian system and
eye physiology. (August 2015), 61–72.

Sleep and nutrition
uDisruption of hunger hormones
uLeptin
uGhrelin
u
uIncreased appetite
uEspecially for savory and high carbohydrate foods
u
u
u
Rasaei, B., Karim, N. A., Talib, R. A., Mohd Noor, I., & Karandish, M. (2019). The Effect of
Simultaneous Consumption of Coffee Caffeine and Sleep Deprivation on Plasma Ghrelin and Leptin
Levels. Int J Nutr Sci, 4(2), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.30476/IJNS.2019.82136.1017.Introduction
Kazemizadeh, V., & Behpour, N. (2021). The Effect of 30-Hours Sleep Deprivation on the Response of
Leptin and Ghrelin Levels to an Exhaustive Activity Among Active Male Students. 28(4), 569–580.
Lin, J., Jiang, Y., Wang, G., Meng, M., Zhu, Q., Mei, H., … Jiang, F. (2020). Associations of short
sleep duration with appetite-regulating hormones and adipokines: A systematic review and
meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews, 21(11), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13051

Stimulating and buffering sleepiness
uCaffeine
u
uAlcohol & sedatives
u
uMelatonin supplementation
u
u
u

Sleep and motivation
uDopamine disruption
u
uAttention
u
u
u

Sleep and peak performance
uLowered effect of µ-opioid receptor
u
uDisrupted dopamine / serotonin
u
uIncreased stress sensitivity
Zant, J. C., Leenaars, C. H. C., Kostin, A., Van Someren, E. J. W., & Porkka-Heiskanen, T. (2011).
Increases in extracellular serotonin and dopamine metabolite levels in the basal forebrain during
sleep deprivation. Brain Research, 1399, 40–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2011.05.008
Longordo, F., Kopp, C., & Lüthi, A. (2009). Consequences of sleep deprivation on neurotransmitter
receptor expression and function. European Journal of Neuroscience, 29(9), 1810–1819.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06719.x
Benedetti, F., Barbini, B., Campori, E., Colombo, C., & Smeraldi, E. (1996). Dopamine agonist
amineptine prevents the antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation. Psychiatry Research, 65(3),
179–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-1781(96)03000-4
Staffe, A. T., Bech, M. W., Clemmensen, S. L. K., Nielsen, H. T., Larsen, D. B., & Petersen, K. K.
(2019). Total sleep deprivation increases pain sensitivity, impairs conditioned pain modulation and
facilitates temporal summation of pain in healthy participants. PLoS ONE, 14(12), 1–14.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225849
Kundermann, B., Krieg, J. C., Schreiber, W., & Lautenbacher, S. (2004). The effect of sleep
deprivation on pain. Pain Research and Management, 9(1), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1155/2004/949187