Why don’t Zebras get Ulcers ?

About me ▫ CIPD Qualified HR Professional ▫ Certified NLP Practitioner ▫ Licensed Practitioner Heartmath TM Introduction

Why Zebras? ▫ The physiology of stress ▫ The flight or fight response ▫ The effect on health & wellness Introduction By Robert M Sapolsky Publishes by WH Freeman & Company 1998 ISBN t

Just check-in with your body for a moment and note how you are feeling just now, any thoughts or feelings or any physical sensations How do you feel?

How does it make us feel? What are the physical indicators? What is stress? The Scream - Edvard Munch

Research from New York during the mid-’90s and confirmed in London in 1999 has demonstrated clearly that our response to our environment is driven largely by the emotional centres in our brain The Physiology of Perception Our response to our environment is: Instantaneous Does not involve thinking centres Based on early learning/experiences Emotionally driven Drives the nervous and hormonal systems

The coherent heart signal keeps the thinking brain alive The rhythms generated by the heart, whether chaotic or coherent are sent into the brain via the vagus and spinal nerves and profoundly influence the operation of a number of key brain centres. Key Brain Circuits

The chaotic heart signal shuts down the thinking brain

When the amygdala detects a threat, it activates the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The ANS regulates many other bodily systems – either speeding them up through the sympathetic pathway and adrenaline or slowing them down through the parasympathetic pathway. The Autonomic Nervous System High Effort Sympathetic Pathway – Accelerator Fight or Flight Adrenaline Low Effort Parasympathetic Pathway – Brake Relaxation Acetylcholine

The amygdala also activates the hormonal system. There are many hormones produced within the body. The two key players in terms of our performance are cortisol the body’s main stress hormone and DHEA, the antidote to cortisol and the molecule that makes testosterone in men and oestrogen in women. DHEA is also called the ‘vitality’ hormone, the anti-aging hormone. The Hormonal System and Emotions Positive Emotion DHEA Success/wellbeing Negative Emotion Cortisol Submission/despair Obesity (Marin 1992) Diabetes (Nestler 1992) Hypertension (Shafogoj 1992) Heart Disease (Barrett-Connor 1986 Cancer (Bhatavdekar 1994) Alzheimer’s/senile dementia (Nasman 1995) HIV – related disease progression (Wisniewski 1993) High Cortisol/Low DHEA “Under chronic stress the adrenals shift activity from DHEA to Cortisol” The DHEA Breakthrough

The Physiology of Performance Based on hundreds of research studies in animals and humans, Professor James Henry concluded there were two main systems involved in our response to our environment. The short-term response systems was the autonomic nervous system (vertical axis) and the long-term response was the hormonal system (horizontal axis).

Cortisol is very bad for you ▫ Obesity ▫ Diabetes ▫ Heart Disease ▫ Hypertension ▫ Immune diseases (Cancer etc) DHEA is very good for you ▫ Performance enhancer ▫ Increases muscle to fat ratio ▫ Boosts immune response ▫ Keeps you young ▫ Makes you feel good So what? The stress response shuts down all non-essential processes such as digestion, build and repair mechanisms, sexual/reproductive activities – these can all wait until the danger has passed. Cortisol also makes blood more ‘sticky’ (coagulation) so that if as a result of the threat, injury occurs the victim is protected against excessive blood loss and thereby more likely to survive. What do you think are the long term health consequences of sticky blood?

Heart sends more information to the brain than it receives The fetal heart starts beating before the brain stem and nervous system fully developed The heart (and solar plexus) contains neural cells similar to those found in the brain The brain has its own intelligence and is symbolically the seat of wisdom, courage and intuition

Volunteer? Demonstration

You can choose your physiological response and…. ▫ Slow your breathing ▫ Slow your heart rate ▫ Keep coherent ▫ Keep your thinking brain alive ▫ Manage your emotions during stressful moments You can stop… ▫ Excess cortisol in your system ▫ Damage to your organs and immune system but reducing cortisol ▫ The downward spiral of negative thinking, depression, etc ▫ Losing control ▫ The emotional roller coaster You can control your heart signal so…

How do you feel now?

Exercise ▫ Strengthens your heart and develops resilience in your systems  Heart, lungs, endocrine system, musculo-skeletal, immune system, digestive system etc etc  The best antidote to stress/depression as uses up excess glucose in your system avoiding the cortisol dump – remember the Zebra! Relaxation ▫ Spend time enjoying your social support systems  Family, friends, pets, hobbies etc ▫ Mediation/mindfulness  Take some time out to practice deep breathing, positive imagery, happy thoughts, appreciate what you have And don’t forget…..

Laughter is the best medicine! ▫ Raises DHEA levels ▫ Improves your mood and dissolves tension ▫ Exercises your heart and lungs ▫ Releases serotonin and endorphins ▫ Lowers blood pressure and stress hormones ▫ Increases tolerance to pain Diet ▫ Food fuels our body and provides essential nutrients that not only affect our physical health but also our emotional and psychological wellbeing ▫ Maintaining blood sugar levels throughout the day help balance insulin and cortisol in your system (refined sugar and alcohol disrupt this delicate balance) ▫ Excessive caffeine encourages cortisol production….Cortisol makes you fat and ill and finally……..

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers - Robert M. Sapolsky The Cortisol Connection – Shawn Talbot Phd The DHEA Breakthrough – Stephen Cerniske Adrenal Fatigue – Jim Wilson Overcoming Emotional Chaos – Doc Childre The Heartmath Solution – Doc Childre Recommended Reading