Imagine when you are driving along the highway cruising with your favorite music playing, as you start to crash mildly, after a high glycemic meal. With heavy eyes and high secretion of insulin burst, your para-sympathetic nervous system stimulated, your body says "It's time to rest and digest". There are many accidents that happened with sleep deprived drivers, with minority victims were sleep apnea patients. In this case, 'crashing' severely from a poor blood sugar dsyregulation and over stimulation of the 'night cycle' of autonomic nervous system, could lead to a ill-fated long distance trip.
Without realizing what may hit you during this smooth ride, your brain goes into an immediate 'fight or flight' situation with adrenaline and norepinephrine pouring out instantly, when you go into panic mode as a dog or animal run into your driving path out of sudden. Survival mechanism activated, glycogen from the liver dumped into your bloodstream, as glucocorticoids hormones flooded your muscles ready to flee or fight, prepping the body to be in emergency state. Except in this situation, you are not confronting a sabretooth or a predator. Similar situation with roller coaster ride, or bumped into someone in the dark, all stimulating the exact stress response in the body.
Most people realize the brain and the adrenals connection in terms of stress regulation, but it is the mesencephalic midbrain which is the key player here. The midbrain controls what you can think of as the amplitude or strength of your adrenal/cortisol response. This region of the brain is also especially sensitive to inflammation. It has the richest repository of interleukin-6 receptors anywhere in the brain. IL-6 is a particularly nasty inflammatory cytokine, a protein is primarily produced at sites of acute and chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammatory states can activate this part of the brain and readily lead to chronic anxiety. Calming neuro-inflammation here is critical to help wind this process down.
When the reticular activating system is stimulated, it fires off in different directions, and at times particularly strong emotional reactions to events can become stuck in a self-perpetuating feedback loop. In other words, particularly pronounced reactions to traumatic or stressful events can cause the brain to become hardwired for stress. This can also lead to long-term anxiety-related issues.
The overactivation of this area of the brain, say by a particularly upsetting, traumatizing event, can lead to a chronically exaggerated stress response. A person may become hypervigilant and have an exaggerated startle response or possibly other symptoms similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He or she may have an overactive mind that won't shut off and this may even lead to what are called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
The midbrain immediate response to what it perceives as a life-threatening circumstance is to release your brain version of adrenaline, or norepinephrine. The residual hypervigilant effect from a traumatic event following the initial stressor can also be a result of chronically excess cortisol. Some people may see something that is upsetting to them and let go of that concern quickly once the threat has passed. Those with an overactivated midbrain, however, may hang on to this residual perceived stress for days or much longer.
Bear in mind, people with this type of brain dysregulation frequently tend to wear sunglasses more than usual, even on cloudy days or early in the morning. They also tend to be sensitive to loud noises and may have an exaggerated startle response. When you say, 'Woi', and they practically unravel or looked to be having shock of their lives. They can be more easily freaked out by life events and perceived stressors. They often dislike crowds and being in close proximity to others. Trying to talk someone like this into going with you to a crowded music festival or nightclub can be pain in the ass, similar to trying to convince an Eskimo to buy an ice cube factory, or forcing a cat taking a cold shower. Sorry, but this is very unlikely going to happen.
There are some people who might have overreaction of this part of the brain. The primary inhibitory, or calming, neurotransmitter for this part of the brain is gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). When this part of the brain is over activated, it can respond well to GABAnergic enhancers, such as L-theanine and valerian root. For those who know about the GABA test, it is also a 'one stone kills 2 birds' test, where you will likely to find out about the health and status of your blood-brain-barrier.
Persistent low trickling (and ultimately depleting) serotonin levels are also typical with this type of brain dysregulation due to the brain adaptive response to the perceived underlying trauma. Now, another helpful (not to mention very cheap) practice is a specific diaphragmatic breathing exercise that helps preserve carbon dioxide (CO2). The common tendency in a stressed person to forcibly sigh can help generate and make sympathetic, fight-or-flight overactivation much worse, creating a self-perpetuating crisis. Deep breathing exercises commonly recommended for people who are stressed also may be counterproductive without appropriate CO2 preservation through slow, controlled exhalation. For most people, these folks are not breathing correctly and stressed out individuals often suffer from digestive disorders, sleep problems and also poor libido/reproductive problems.
Remember, when we breathe in oxygen, it immediately binds to hemoglobin, which hangs on to it like a pit bull as it circulates throughout our tissues and brain. What makes the oxygen available to any tissue (including the brain) is the relative retention of CO2. The inability of hemoglobin to release oxygen properly to our cells as a result of too little CO2 is known as the Bohr effect.
Do take note that overbreathing causes vasoconstriction that can reduce O2 availability by 40 percent. Think of it as panic attack as one good example. People who are stressed tend to sigh a lot or hyperventilate, or both, which has the unintended effect of oxygen deprivation and sympathetic over-arousal by exhaling too much CO2. In the field of breathing physiology, this state of poor CO2 retention is referred to as a state of hypocapnia. Even mild hypocapnia can deprive your brain of oxygen up to 40 percent!
Now, some of you may wonder, how can proper breathing technique relate to fitness or staying fit? It has everything to do with it! The amount of oxygen that reaches your brain is dependent on the amount of CO2 you retain while you are breathing. It doesn't matter how hard you train or how regular you visit the gym, if your body suffers poorly from proper breathing, your autonomic nervous system will be thrown out of balanced, and it will also affect the quality of training or workout, and focus in competitions amongst pro-athletes too.
Most people realize the brain and the adrenals connection in terms of stress regulation, but it is the mesencephalic midbrain which is the key player here. The midbrain controls what you can think of as the amplitude or strength of your adrenal/cortisol response. This region of the brain is also especially sensitive to inflammation. It has the richest repository of interleukin-6 receptors anywhere in the brain. IL-6 is a particularly nasty inflammatory cytokine, a protein is primarily produced at sites of acute and chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammatory states can activate this part of the brain and readily lead to chronic anxiety. Calming neuro-inflammation here is critical to help wind this process down.
When the reticular activating system is stimulated, it fires off in different directions, and at times particularly strong emotional reactions to events can become stuck in a self-perpetuating feedback loop. In other words, particularly pronounced reactions to traumatic or stressful events can cause the brain to become hardwired for stress. This can also lead to long-term anxiety-related issues.
The overactivation of this area of the brain, say by a particularly upsetting, traumatizing event, can lead to a chronically exaggerated stress response. A person may become hypervigilant and have an exaggerated startle response or possibly other symptoms similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He or she may have an overactive mind that won't shut off and this may even lead to what are called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
The midbrain immediate response to what it perceives as a life-threatening circumstance is to release your brain version of adrenaline, or norepinephrine. The residual hypervigilant effect from a traumatic event following the initial stressor can also be a result of chronically excess cortisol. Some people may see something that is upsetting to them and let go of that concern quickly once the threat has passed. Those with an overactivated midbrain, however, may hang on to this residual perceived stress for days or much longer.
Bear in mind, people with this type of brain dysregulation frequently tend to wear sunglasses more than usual, even on cloudy days or early in the morning. They also tend to be sensitive to loud noises and may have an exaggerated startle response. When you say, 'Woi', and they practically unravel or looked to be having shock of their lives. They can be more easily freaked out by life events and perceived stressors. They often dislike crowds and being in close proximity to others. Trying to talk someone like this into going with you to a crowded music festival or nightclub can be pain in the ass, similar to trying to convince an Eskimo to buy an ice cube factory, or forcing a cat taking a cold shower. Sorry, but this is very unlikely going to happen.
There are some people who might have overreaction of this part of the brain. The primary inhibitory, or calming, neurotransmitter for this part of the brain is gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). When this part of the brain is over activated, it can respond well to GABAnergic enhancers, such as L-theanine and valerian root. For those who know about the GABA test, it is also a 'one stone kills 2 birds' test, where you will likely to find out about the health and status of your blood-brain-barrier.
Persistent low trickling (and ultimately depleting) serotonin levels are also typical with this type of brain dysregulation due to the brain adaptive response to the perceived underlying trauma. Now, another helpful (not to mention very cheap) practice is a specific diaphragmatic breathing exercise that helps preserve carbon dioxide (CO2). The common tendency in a stressed person to forcibly sigh can help generate and make sympathetic, fight-or-flight overactivation much worse, creating a self-perpetuating crisis. Deep breathing exercises commonly recommended for people who are stressed also may be counterproductive without appropriate CO2 preservation through slow, controlled exhalation. For most people, these folks are not breathing correctly and stressed out individuals often suffer from digestive disorders, sleep problems and also poor libido/reproductive problems.
Remember, when we breathe in oxygen, it immediately binds to hemoglobin, which hangs on to it like a pit bull as it circulates throughout our tissues and brain. What makes the oxygen available to any tissue (including the brain) is the relative retention of CO2. The inability of hemoglobin to release oxygen properly to our cells as a result of too little CO2 is known as the Bohr effect.
Do take note that overbreathing causes vasoconstriction that can reduce O2 availability by 40 percent. Think of it as panic attack as one good example. People who are stressed tend to sigh a lot or hyperventilate, or both, which has the unintended effect of oxygen deprivation and sympathetic over-arousal by exhaling too much CO2. In the field of breathing physiology, this state of poor CO2 retention is referred to as a state of hypocapnia. Even mild hypocapnia can deprive your brain of oxygen up to 40 percent!
Now, some of you may wonder, how can proper breathing technique relate to fitness or staying fit? It has everything to do with it! The amount of oxygen that reaches your brain is dependent on the amount of CO2 you retain while you are breathing. It doesn't matter how hard you train or how regular you visit the gym, if your body suffers poorly from proper breathing, your autonomic nervous system will be thrown out of balanced, and it will also affect the quality of training or workout, and focus in competitions amongst pro-athletes too.
DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
Calmly and gently breathe diaphragmatically that is, breathe in through your nose and inhale down into the deepest part of your lungs, gently and naturally. After inhaling, allow for a natural pause, and exhale using lips as if blowing through a tiny cocktail straw, slowly releasing your breath until the air is fully expelled. If you repeat this four or five times, you can typically restore parasympathetic dominance for a more relaxed state if you are anxious. Diaphragmatic breathing that involves a very slow exhalation can be extremely calming in the moment when you feel frustrated or stressed, since it also activates receptors in the diaphragm that help promote calm, parasympathetic functioning.
If you think you experienced above symptoms of stressed, anxiety, overbreathing or sighing, you can try this breathing technique to slowly help balance out the ANS, incorporating into your daily lifestyle, and listening to your body from time to time. You can start off with 3-4 minutes for the first week of so, gradually increase to 5-7 mins the following weeks. Ensure you are not being disturb and practice it in a quiet room, perhaps before you go to bed. And you know what? It's free, no drugs involved and it's effective.
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