Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Welcome to the Heart Rate Variability podcast. Each week we talk about heart rate variability and how it can be used to improve your overall health and wellness. Please consider the information in this podcast for your informational use and not medical advice. Please see your medical provider to apply any of the strategies outlined in this episode. Heart Rate Variability podcast is a production of Optimal LLC and optimal HR-v. Check us out at optimal hr-v dot com. Please enjoy the show. Welcome to the Heart Rate Variability podcast. I'm Matt Bennett. I'm just here flying solo today. Uh, to welcome you to our next in our series around our book, the Heartbeat of Business. So if you're new to the podcast, welcome. Uh, we are doing a multi-month, um, uh, examination of the heartbeat of business. The book, uh, Dr. Ina Hasan, uh, Dave Hopper and myself, uh, wrote together and so you're hitting us a little bit towards the end of the series.
Speaker 0 00:01:01 You will see the last few episodes, um, are labeled, um, episode one, two, and so on. So really encourage you to go back to, uh, chapter one. If you're just joining us, uh, we're also releasing chapters of the audiobook and then discussing those. So in this episode, we're gonna look at, uh, chapter number nine. Um, this is where we look at individual strategies for peak performance. So things that we can do, um, in our lives to bring our best selves to work. Uh, we've talked a lot in the book up to this point about the impact of stress, burnout, et cetera. This is where, uh, what strategies we can use. If you think about our own resiliency plan, um, how can we fill that up with things that, uh, keep us very resilient to stress, keep our heart rate variability up and keep us performing at our best, um, both in our work, but also in our life as well. So, um, from here on out, if you're on YouTube gets a little boring because we're gonna play the audiobook. Uh, but hey, it's worth to listen. Uh, so, uh, with that said, enjoy Chapter nine.
Speaker 1 00:02:07 Chapter nine, individual Strategies for peak performance. H r v confronts leaders with a Dilemma. People's lifestyles, behaviors and habits impact H R V and work performance. While a business and leaders might manage job demands and provide the necessary resources to manage distress, if someone is not living a healthy life, productivity and performance will suffer, ultimately hurting the business. When it comes to someone's habits and lifestyle affecting work performance, it is helpful for leaders to think of themselves as a coach and their people As athletes, like a leader, a coach needs to ensure that people bring their best self to practice daily while remaining ready to perform at peak levels when their performance counts the most. Both leaders and coaches help people consider behaviors and habits to boost performance while addressing behaviors, preventing the person or team from reaching their goals. H R V helps the leader and team members identify personal behaviors and habits that improve or harm their cognitive, emotional, medical, and relational health.
Speaker 1 00:03:16 People only have one cup, one autonomic nervous system, and one brain burnout at work will impact people's personal lives. Their behavior and habits outside the work environment will determine their ability to perform at work. We understand that many leaders might feel that discussing personal behavior crosses a boundary. As businesses implement h R V monitoring and training, it provides a perfect opportunity to discuss the connection between behaviors, health and performance. This chapter examines specific strategies that improve H R V, cognitive ability and mental health. We also include some ideas on how businesses can support these strategies through job resources. In the appendix and the handout, we provide information to educate everyone in the business.
Speaker 1 00:04:08 Sleep. Taking a morning HR V reading is the best time to get a snapshot of the person's available energy for taking on the day's challenges. The quality of sleep from the night before is one of the most significant determinants of a morning H R V score. H r v compliments a growing awareness of the importance of sleep on physical, mental, and cognitive functioning. Sleep helps reset the autonomic nervous system to ensure the optimal performance of the body and mind. A good analogy to demonstrate the power of sleep is thinking about a cell phone. The autonomic nervous system is the Android or iOS operating system that helps everything function flawlessly. After a period of time, phones slowed down due to the number of apps running, memory, capacity, and everyday use. In most cases, the solution to the problem is a quick restart. During the reboot, the phone closes, apps, installs, updates, and ensures everything is operating correctly.
Speaker 1 00:05:10 Sleep is like restarting a phone, but for the mind and body. Everyone knows how great a good night's sleep feels. While research shows that most adults need a full eight hours of sleep a night, in reality, the average person gets only 6.7 hours. There is a lucky but tiny minority of people who need slightly less sleep than eight hours. Someone waking up feeling refreshed after six or seven hours of sleep might find themselves in that group, but most people do need eight hours beyond just being tired, insufficient sleep has a devastating impact on wellbeing and cognitive functioning. Lack of sleep has much of the same effect as being drunk, like drinking. Too much lack of sleep increases the number of mistakes make and decreases productivity and intelligence. Sleep deprived people do and say things they usually would never say or do and might regret later.
Speaker 1 00:06:07 While those around them might notice the behavior change, they remain unaware of the impairment caused by lack of sleep. Lack of sleep also hinders our ability to learn during sleep. The brain files information learned throughout the day with similar knowledge gained in the past. Sleep is when many long-term memories are solidified. Without sleep, the person fails to retain knowledge. Even more concerning is the research showing that lack of sleep over long stretches leads to weight gain. Type two diabetes and even early death. Sleep deprivation leaves the person more likely to reach for food or drink high in sugar and calories. Because the brain lacks the energy of a good night's rest, increased calorie consumption provides the energy at craves. A recent study by the National Institutes of Health showed that sleep deprived people consume 549 additional calories a day. Eventually, these extra calories put people at risk of developing type two diabetes, decreasing their lifespan.
Speaker 1 00:07:12 In addition to preventing type two diabetes and premature death, sleeping eight hours per night facilitates healthy weight loss. Unfortunately, the sympathetic arousal and anxiety of burnout prevent people from getting the needed sleep, further impacting their H R V cognitive capacity and emotional regulation. Luckily, there are some best practices for getting restorative sleep. As sleep quality improves, H R V trends will quantify the impact of sleep on overall health and wellness. Let us look at some research to help those who struggle with sleep turn off all electronics about an hour before going to bed. Unplugging includes phones, computers, tablets, and the tv. The visual field holds the blue light from these devices for about an hour after viewing them. Also, things like games, social media, and email excite many areas in the brain. This excitement can prevent one from relaxing, thus keeping them awake longer. Alcohol and food too close to bed can also prevent healthy sleep.
Speaker 1 00:08:19 It is important to stop eating and drinking several hours before going to sleep. This time allows the body the opportunity to fully process the food and drink so it doesn't negatively impact sleep. It is also important not to drink too much. While alcohol can help someone go to sleep, it prevents or limits the time and deeper stages of sleep that help restore health and aids and stress recovery. A cool, dark and quiet environment promotes sleep for someone living in a noisy urban environment. The small investments in I masks and earplugs are money well spent. Businesses should consider providing these low cost items when leaders talk to their people about improving health and performance in relation to the importance of sleep hygiene, thus helping people improve. One of the greatest influencers of health and H R V, there are a few cheaper free strategies that improve sleep.
Speaker 1 00:09:15 Choose reading material that is not too engaging. Magazine articles are perfect as they are short and do not tempt you to read the next chapter as a good book will. Research shows that waking up at the same time every day trains the brain and helps promote getting to sleep faster and increasing sleep quality. Sleep consistency is one of the best strategies to help people who struggle with sleep. For those struggling with sleep or even insomnia. Cognitive behavioral therapy for Insomnia or C B T I is an effective treatment. C B T I helps the person change behaviors around sleep and helps to reset their sleep cycle. The good news about C B T I is that there are several online C B T I programs that do not require a therapist and are reasonably priced using H R V to measure sleep quality is simple.
Speaker 1 00:10:12 All one needs to do is take a reading before going to bed and then take another reading first thing in the morning. A refreshing night's sleep will usually increase the latest score over the previous score taken the night before. If the inverse is true, it demonstrates that the person's sleep quality needs improvement. The strategies listed above could help enhance sleep quality, give them more energy for the day, and improve short and long-term H R V job resources that can be provided to support sleep. Put the business' logo on sleep masks as a gift. Have a fishbowl filled with earplugs that people can take. Offer as much job flexibility as possible to help people work at times that match their natural sleep patterns. Set expectations about screen time required outside the work environment to help people get away from screens. Encourage or incentivize pre and postle H R V readings to help people identify the benefits of healthy sleep. Encourage or incentivize an evening H R V biofeedback session. Suggest people do this an hour before going to sleep. To avoid blue light exposure, provide free access to online C B T I programs, movement and exercise.
Speaker 1 00:11:36 Sleep refreshes the body's systems and sets the body and mind up for a great day. Movement and exercise, help manage allostatic load accumulated throughout the day. Movement is a must to maintain health under stress. Even for someone without access to a gym or the time or resources to join a fitness class. Finding time to move will dramatically improve their physical and mental health. Because moving and exercise provide a powerful method for stress management, it is not surprising that it is one of the best ways to improve overall H R V. Over time, exercise and H R V have a tricky relationship, especially when doing strenuous workouts. A good workout stresses the body physically after the training. This stress lowers H R V demonstrating that the body needs time to recover from the strain. It is during this recovery process that muscles repair and get stronger.
Speaker 1 00:12:35 If a person's H R V morning score the day after a hard workout is lower than their 30 day average, it shows that the body is still in recovery mode. If the person then does another hard workout before their H R V is back to normal, it puts them at a higher risk for injury or illness. It might seem counterintuitive, but H R V is challenging many elite athletes to prioritize the recovery as much as pushing themselves physically. While intense physical exertion, lower short-term H R V, it improves longer averages over time as the body realizes the benefits of gains in strength and stamina. Let us return to the cup analogy for a moment. Visualize exercise as a release valve at the bottom of the cup. As cortisol fills the cup throughout the day, increasing allostatic load, a good workout opens the release valve and the cortisol flows out the bottom.
Speaker 1 00:13:32 If cortisol is not released, it just sits in the cup and accounts for many of the negative medical, occupational, and psychological effects of distress. Cortisol and stress prepare the body for physical action. Throughout human evolution, stressful events required a sympathetic nervous system response to run away from a predator or fight an enemy. Human physiology has not caught up with today's more sedentary lifestyle, where distressful situations require an intellectual and emotionally regulated ventral vagal and not a physical response. While the physical benefits of exercise are well known, the effects on the brain are just as powerful. Not moving allows cortisol to remain in the body and become toxic over time. This leads to long-term physical, mental, and social problems. Eventually, cortisol starts to kill off brain cells associated with memory and intellectual functioning. People who exercise have larger prefrontal cortexes. In addition, exercise helps create new neurons in the brain.
Speaker 1 00:14:38 A process called neurogenesis, neurogenesis and the removal of cortisol help improve learning and memory creation and protects the brain from injury and aging. Movement and exercise, deliver emotional benefits and serve as useful coping skills for many people. Think for a moment about how it feels to run. Walk in the park or take a bike ride. That good feeling is a release of endorphins or natural opioids. Regular exercise improves overall mental health by lowering the allostatic load and decreasing cortisol in the body. Studies conducted with those suffering from depression document the power of exercise. Getting 30 to 45 minutes of vigorous exercise six days a week can lower depression and anxiety as effectively as psychotropic medication. While this is not a suggestion to stop medications, it does show that exercise powerfully improves mental health. Exercising promotes overall happiness and provides the energy to live a fulfilled life.
Speaker 1 00:15:43 For most people, the goal is to build up to exercising several times a week at an intensity that works up a good sweat. This consistency may seem like a distant goal for many. As with any new habit, starting small is key. In order for the new habit to stick, any movement is a win. For those who are not currently active. Start by walking around the block, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Jogging for a bit and briskly walking the rest of the way for a mile, the key is to do something active and build up more and more stamina. The positive effects will show in the body and brain almost immediately. Job resources that can be provided to support movement and exercise. Incentivize people to get a certain number of steps in during the workday. Create work stations with treadmill desks or provide access to bicycle pedals designed to work under a desk.
Speaker 1 00:16:40 Encourage a more extended break during the workday for a longer walk, bike ride, or gym workout. Provide access to workout and yoga classes or to a gym, convenient for employee work schedules nutrition. Another crucial aspect of physical health with a considerable impact on H R V is nutrition. Due to individualized needs, allergies, and rapidly evolving nutritional research, we keep our focus on approaches to eating shown to improve H R V. Generally, the challenge with nutrition is to think about how it impacts energy and mood during the day. Eating a healthy meal versus an unhealthy one can improve short-term H R V. While working on healthier eating habits in general will increase long-term H R V advantages. Eating in an H R V friendly way helps a person maintain a healthy weight. Besides leading to many other health issues, obesity reduces H R V as the additional weight puts stress on the body and nervous system.
Speaker 1 00:17:47 The good news is as someone works to lose weight, they will see improvements in H R V. Earlier in the audiobook, we discussed the role of stress and inflammation on the gut and the terrible condition. Leaky gut syndrome. The sympathetic response to distress disrupts healthy digestion, which is primarily a parasympathetic activity. One often overlooked component of healthy digestion and the intakes of nutrients is stress management. Nutritional science demonstrates that certain foods increase or decrease inflammation. Even if someone has their stress under control, their eating habits might threaten to increase inflammation to unhealthy levels. A person should avoid or drastically limit inflammatory foods while integrating as many anti-inflammatory foods as possible. Here is a list of known foods that will cause inflammation and should be limited processed foods, sugar, sugar substitutes, and artificial sweeteners, refined carbohydrates such as bread and pasta, alcohol, bad oils, and fats such as seed oils and margarine soda, most juices and sugar sweetened beverages, grain fed red meat, monosodium glutamate, or M S G.
Speaker 1 00:19:08 Here is a list of foods with anti-inflammatory properties, green leafy vegetables, probiotic foods, bone broth, sweet potatoes, yams, beets, broccoli, tomatoes and peppers, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, chia and flax seeds, extra virgin olive oil, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon, walnuts and almonds, garlic and onion, green tea, wild caught, fatty fish, dark chocolate and cocoa. Besides H R V friendly eating, another approach that could help decrease inflammation, improve stress response, reduce hypertension, and improve life expectancy is caloric restriction, often called intermittent fasting. This is something almost anyone can implement if deemed appropriate by a healthcare professional. The excellent news is that fasting or not eating for a period of time does not cost any money. There are several different approaches to intermittent fasting. The easiest one for most people is to eat all meals within eight to 10 hours during the day and then to fast for 14 to 16 hours before the next intake of calories.
Speaker 1 00:20:23 Like a good night's sleep. Fasting allows the body to reset food, fully digests, balancing insulin and glucose levels in addition to improved H R V. Intermittent fasting also helps people lose weight and fat improves blood sugar regulation improves mental clarity and concentration, reduces inflammation, promotes a healthy cholesterol profile and increases the production of natural growth hormones. People who practice intermittent fasting tend to live longer. Ideally, someone should still avoid inflammatory foods when intermittently fasting. There are other ways of implementing intermittent fasting, including fast of 24 hours and more. While these also achieve impressive results on health and H R V, they're not appropriate for everyone. If a person is interested in these longer fasting strategies, they should first check with a healthcare professional. A final word about inflammatory foods. If someone is eating well but is still not feeling good or has low energy after meals, they might have a sensitivity or allergy to something they are eating.
Speaker 1 00:21:35 If this is the case, speaking to their healthcare professional about safe and effective ways to identify food sensitivities and allergies may be helpful. It is too bad there is not a pill that someone could take to increase H R V decrease distress and increase productivity. Many supplement manufacturers would love to raise their hands and claim that their supplement does everything a leader needs to maximize business productivity. With all the life-changing claims out there, the supplement world holds both promise and dangers. Currently, the US Food and Drug Administration does not regulate supplements. The unfortunate thing about the lack of regulation is that supplement companies can produce supplements that do not contain what they say on the label. In fact, there was a large study done on supplement quality. They found that only two of 12 tested supplement brands from a typical supermarket contained what they claimed on the bottle with no fillers, substitutions, or contaminants.
Speaker 1 00:22:36 The advice provided in this section comes directly from peer reviewed, validated studies on methods specifically shown to improve H R V to get positive results from supplements. One needs to work with a trusted healthcare professional who has proper training in nutrition to ensure they use quality supplements and get the correct dose. The healthcare professional will also ensure that the supplement is appropriate for the person's specific health condition. Unfortunately, there is not a great deal of research on how supplements improve H R V just because no proof exists. For the connection between supplements and H R V, this does not mean supplements cannot improve someone's health and wellness. Appendix nine and the handout has a list of supplements that anyone should consider Whenever possible, someone should try to get these supplements through food and only use supplements when they struggle to get these from their food deficiencies in vitamins, b12, D and e, as well as magnesium decrease.
Speaker 1 00:23:36 H R V research shows that micronutrient deficiencies negatively impact H R V. While addressing these deficiencies improves H R V. Again, start with improving the overall eating and then make up any deficiencies with supplements. If recommended by a healthcare professional, there is one supplement that does positively affect H R V Omega-3 dhia. NOIC acid D H A and H R V have shown positive correlations across a variety of populations. D H A is typically associated with fish oil, but is now available in an environmentally friendly vegan form. Job resources that can be provided to support healthy eating, stop providing unhealthy inflammatory food. Replace donuts with nuts or healthy anti-inflammatory alternatives. When ordering food, avoid those high in carbohydrates and sugar. Encourage people to leave the dairy and sweeteners out of their coffee. Check the vending machine and remove inflammatory foods. Replace celebratory cakes with a healthier alternative. If there is a cake as part of a celebration provided at the very end of the day, provide access to healthy anti-inflammatory foods whenever possible. Encourage long breaks so people can get movement in after lunch or other meals consume during the workday. When requiring more extended hours in the workplace for an important project, cater healthy meals and limit access to inflammatory food, especially during stressful times. Bring in a registered dietician nutritionist with knowledge about H R V to consult with teams and individuals.
Speaker 1 00:25:27 Alcohol, A common finding of anyone starting to measure their H R V is the harmful effects of drinking alcohol. Unfortunately, the business environment often encourages alcohol consumption, whether it is drinks with a client, free drink, tickets for frequent flyers, or a happy hour with coworkers. Alcohol and business often go hand in hand. One could quickly and accurately sum up the research on alcohol and H R V in three words, do not drink as yako Kosari found in his research. Alcohol raises your heart rate and weakens your heart rate variability. These effects are the most obvious during the first few hours of sleep. Alcohol causes the deep sleep stage to get deeper with a clear dose response relationship. Unfortunately, alcohol also delays and shortens the periods of r e m sleep, which is known to have a negative influence, for example, on memory functions, concentration and motor functions.
Speaker 1 00:26:30 When you drink one gram per kilo of alcohol, it reduces the amount of recovery during the first three hours of sleep by 48% as analyzed in the first beat lifestyle assessment. Similarly, it increases the amount of stress reactions by 54%. Alcohol increases the sympathetic nervous system response, which exasperates the stress response and increases inflammation. Even one drink starts to impact H R V negatively. Understanding the importance of sleep on performance and alcohol's harmful effects on sleep makes the situation even more dire. Is there such a thing as healthy drinking or maybe less unhealthy drinking? The answer is not really. However, a single drink many hours before sleep is unlikely to impact performance the next day. The more one drinks, the more it lowers H R V and sleep quality. One study showed that heavy drinking continues to reduce H R V four days after consumption.
Speaker 1 00:27:32 The research on alcohol and H R V presents a challenge for leaders. Alcohol is everywhere and is socially acceptable as a great way to feel better in the short term. Drinking is an easy escape from the distress of work and the negative symptoms of burnout. Drinking as a coping skill comes with a price, though as it increases the symptoms the person drinks to escape. For some. Using alcohol to cope with work distress becomes an addiction with a range of negative consequences. Job resources that can be provided to avoid the adverse effects of drinking. Do not promote or encourage drinking. Give social opportunities without alcohol to replace happy hours. Do not reimburse for alcohol. Put kombucha, cold coffee, or other unique drinks on tap to encourage social interactions around non-alcoholic drinks.
Speaker 1 00:28:29 H R V hacks As people in a variety of fields recognize the power of H R V. New and exciting interventions are showing that certain practices not usually considered in mental health and medicine are successfully improving H R V. While some methods require additional funding, others are cheap, free, and relatively easy to implement. Here is a list of H R V hacks to improve short-term scores and long-term baselines. Journaling. Journaling is a great way to track how certain states behaviors, events, and wellness strategies influence H R V. When people start to implement new strategies like biofeedback, mindfulness, and others presented in this chapter, it is helpful to begin a journaling practice. For each H R V reading, write a few sentences about what was going on before the reading and how they felt physically and emotionally at the time of the reading. While journaling after readings helps develop insight. Regular journaling about one's day helps with stress management. Studies indicate journaling provides a short-term H R V boost and can improve H R V over time, especially if someone goes through a stressful or traumatic event.
Speaker 1 00:29:50 Gratitude, integrating gratitude into journaling or mindfulness practice is an excellent H R V hack. Set aside time each day to focus on positive events, personal strengths, and valued people. A daily focus on the positive things in life not only improves H R V, it also lowers perceived stress and depression, cortisol, inflammation, fat intake, blood pressure, fatigue, hemoglobin a1c and sleep quality body work therapies, physical injuries or weakness in the muscular and skeletal systems negatively affect autonomic nervous system functioning. A growing number of massage therapists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, somatic therapists, acupuncturists and cranial sacral therapists understand their therapies. Connections to H R V and autonomic nervous system health hydrotherapy. The use of water can affect H R V. A body of research is developing that demonstrates the power of cold water to improve H R V and overall health. Here are a few strategies that are free to implement, help to enhance autonomic functioning and are great for providing energy.
Speaker 1 00:31:10 Simply take a cold shower while maintaining steady low and slow breathing. Cold creates a mild stress response, waking up the body and providing energy. By focusing on the breath, the person supports ventral vagal activation in the face of the stress response Over time, cold showers and breathing. Strengthen the ventral vagus and increase H R V. Another form of hydrotherapy is to alternate between hot and cold water. Take your typical hot shower, then turn it as cold as you can. Stand it for a minute. Switch back to hot for a minute and continue alternating for at least five minutes. Ending on cold water. Maintain steady, low and slow breathing throughout the cold creates the stress response and draws blood to the body center. The hot brings the blood to the body's surface, activating a parasympathetic response. Maintaining a calm mental state while your body is on the hot, cold.
Speaker 1 00:32:12 Rollercoaster builds resiliency and increases H R v stretching and yoga. Physical stretching is a healthy habit to integrate into a daily routine because the vagus nerve starts just above the neck. A simple neck stretch is excellent for cranial nerve health, keeping the face directed forward. Tilt the neck to the right shoulder for a minute, then to the left shoulder for a minute, minute. It might sound too simple, but a flexible neck and body. Promote vagus nerve health and a strong H R V. A picture of this stretch is included as figure 11 in the handout.
Speaker 1 00:32:53 Internal activation of cranial nerves sing, sing loud, singing, humming and garling. Activate the cranial nerves promoting ventral vagal activation and improving H R V over time. For people who enjoy singing, encourage them to join a choir. Not only does the singing help regulate their nervous system, the social connections and attunement with others are also a powerful way to experience synchronization with other people. Also, gargling each day helps strengthen the vagus nerve. Just a couple of minutes of singing and gargling improves H R V Smiling. The activation of the facial muscles to create a smile activates the ventral vagus. Smiling before a challenging meeting gives the person a little boost to their ventral vagal, and will help with emotional regulation. Equally, when others in our environment are smiling, it will activate our ventral vagus and increase our H R V job resources that can be provided. To support H R V hacks. Provide free yoga classes from an instructor who understands H R V Science. Bring a body work therapist onsite to consult and treat people. Have fun with these hacks. A gargling station sing along or team stretch can provide a chance to improve H R V and get a laugh. Provide people with a company branded journal.
