Performing under Pressure; on the Biology, Psychology and Sociology of stress in high-performance professions VI – STRESS MANAGEMENT Syllabus Lecutre Topic 1 Introduction to the course and stress science 2 On the physiology of stress 3 On the psychology of stress 4 On the social psychology of stress 5 Stress related disorders and what they can teach us about performance 6 Stress management 7 Performance under stress 8 Team-performance under stress 9 Nutrition, stress and performance 10 Relax, on the importance rest Final paper uMin 8 pages (2.0 spacing, times new roman) u uProper bibliography and referencing (preferably American Psychological Association, APA) uDownload a referencing tool!! uMenedley, zotero, etc. uAt minimum 10 references. Preferably more! u uSubject of your choosing as long as it relates to stress and peak performance uIdeally, pick something from our discussions, so you have a place to start from. uMake sure you are interested enough in your subject to see it through uIf you are not sure about your topic or need help with anything, please do not hesitate to contact me! u Stress management and reduction/elimination are NOT the same thing! Without stress you would quickly become bored and nothing would happen “Good” stress uLimited timespan u uPredictability u uRetrospective reflection u uA feeling of control u u u u Today’s program: preparation for stressful events uNext week: Stress and Performance uManaging the acute stress response uOptimising physical and cognitive output u uThe week after: Team-performance under stress uCommunal coping and stress management uManipulating the acute stress response in others Social support!! (see lecture 4) Sleep and rest (See lecture 10) Regulated exposure to limited physiological stress uShort term exposure to mild physiological and psychological stressors uControlled or simulated psychological stressors uPlay & competition uControlled passive experience uFiction (horror, thriller, etc) uSafe stressors (rollercoasters, harmless “scary stimuli”) uCold uHunger (fasting) u How exercise affects the stress response uExercise enhances uMood uEnergy uMemory uAttention u uA single workout can raise dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin for at about 2 hours uRepeated exercise uneuroplasticity uHippocampus (memory) uFrontal cortex (attention) uBrain health Suzuki, W. (2017). The brain-changing benefits of exercise. Basso, J. C., Shang, A., Elman, M., Karmouta, R., & Suzuki, W. A. (2015). Acute Exercise Improves Prefrontal Cortex but not Hippocampal Function in Healthy Adults. 791–801. https://doi.org/10.1017/S135561771500106X Basso, J. C., & Suzuki, W. A. (2017). The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood , Cognition , Neurophysiology , and Neurochemical Pathways : A Review. 2, 127–152. https://doi.org/10.3233/BPL-160040 Cold exposure: we evolved for uncomfortable climates uWe migrated from Africa to places that were significantly colder while many places in Africa itself are not necessarily nice and warm either Evolutionary pressure for adaptation. uAdaptations for elevated metabolic rate and blood pressure uAdaptations related to fat storage and usage Cardona, A., Pagani, L., Antao, T., Lawson, D. J., Eichstaedt, C. A., Yngvadottir, B., … Kivisild, T. (2014). Genome-wide analysis of cold adaptation in indigenous Siberian populations. PLoS ONE, 9(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0098076 Makinen, T. M. (2010). Different types of cold adaptation in humans. Frontiers in Bioscience, 1047–1067. One important note to make!!!! uThe effects of climate (i.e. cold adaptation), interbreeding with other hominins (most commonly Neanderthals or Denisovans) and other evolutionary influences are often misused by bigots to argue for a qualitative evolved difference between human ethnicities. u uI want to be very clear that there is no evidence of a meaningful evolved difference with regard to quality of character!!!!! Minor differences, which may affect isolated physiological functions do NOT!!! equate to identifiable differences in morality, work ethic, intellectual capacity, etc. On the epigenetics uThe expression of approximately 20 mammalian genes is effected by cold exposure. uMetabolism. In fact, there is an argument to be made that the current rise in metabolic disease can be, in part, attributed to diminished metabolic rates due to a reduction in cold adaptation. uBrown fat regulation Makinen, T. M. (2010). Different types of cold adaptation in humans. Frontiers in Bioscience, 1047–1067. Acute response to cold uStress response u uVasoconstriction uHyperventilation uShivering uSympathetic activation uImmune system uNoradrenaline Secondary response to cold uVasodilation uThermogenesis (shivering) uParasympathetic activation uAnti-inflammatory Cytokines uMood enhancement (probably in response to dopamine outflow) Repeated cold exposure uBrown fat activation and production uNon-shivering thermogenesis uImproved insulin sensitivity uWeight loss uImmune activation We evolved for hunger uFor most of evolutionary history we went through regular short periods of food deprivation. uStoring excess energy uInsulin u uCleaning out the system u What happens when you stop eating? uThe first 24 hours uYou burn through your glycogen stores u u uAfter 2/3 days you switch from burning glucose to fat and protein uThe more fat adapted you are the easier this transition will be uEnhanced mood and cognitive function (due to ketone metabolism) Autophagy: the medicinal qualities of consuming nothing uDuring hunger, the body gets a chance to burn off a lot of cells, which do not function optimally. u u uDuring refeeding these cells are reconstituted if necessary Taylor, P., Alirezaei, M., Kemball, C. C., Flynn, C. T., Wood, M. R., Lindsay, J., … Whitton, J. L. (2014). Short-term fasting induces profound neuronal autophagy. (November), 37–41. https://doi.org/10.4161/auto.6.6.12376 Pietrocola, F., Pol, J., & Prof, G. K. (2016). Fasting improves anticancer immunosurveillance via autophagy induction in malignant cells. Cell Cycle, 15(24), 3327–3328. https://doi.org/10.1080/15384101.2016.1224797 Health benefits uLongevity uEnhanced cognitive performance uStress reduction uHigher efficiency u u Mattson, M. P., Longo, V. D., & Harvie, M. (2017). Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Research Reviews, 39, 46–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2016.10.005 Gonzalez-Estevez, C., & Flores, I. (2020). Fasting for stem cell Rejuvination. Aging, 12(5), 4048–4049. Meditation (a great feedback loop?) uBreath work uDeliberate focus on slowing down mental function uFocus of the mind uCalm uPresent uPositive aspects of one’s life u Toxoplasmosis uCat parasite uReleases dopamine in the frontal cortex in response to stress u uIn mice it reduces fear of cats u uIn people it increases risk taking behaviour Omidian, M., Asgari, Q., Bahreini, M. S., Moshki, S., Sedaghat, B., & Adnani Sadati, S. J. (2022). Acute toxoplasmosis can increase serum dopamine level. Journal of Parasitic Diseases, 46(2), 337–342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-021-01447-1 Prandovszky, E., Gaskell, E., Martin, H., Dubey, J. P., Webster, J. P., & McConkey, G. A. (2011). The neurotropic parasite toxoplasma gondii increases dopamine metabolism. PLoS ONE, 6(9). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0023866