One could argue that Special Operators in the U.S. military are put in some of the highest stress environments possible. Not only are these environments unique, but they also are never the exact same. So how do members of our Special Forces react to such high stress events?
Among the divisions of our nervous system, the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for our fight-or-flight response. While this response is certainly advantageous for those in the face of battle, it may be less desirable for those of us activating it right before an exam. Although both scenarios are wildly different, both induce stress, which can activate our sympathetic nervous system. Wherein lies the difference? Prepare for the exam, don’t activate fight or flight. By managing stress, one might be able to decrease the potential for activating our sympathetic nervous system at inappropriate times. That being said, an individual in active combat likely does not have the luxury of preparing to be shot at.
During the highly selective process and months of training Navy SEALs go through, they are faced with highly stressful scenarios aimed to elicit a fight or flight response. Research suggests that SEALs, in comparison with controls, not only show a decreased amount of electrodermal activity (response to stress), but also an increase in cognitive function when placed in stressful conditions (Mourtakos et al., 2021). Additionally, Navy SEALs use different mindsets that can promote performance under stress. This mindset is that of stress being an enhancement rather than being debilitating (Smith et al., 2020). That is, SEALs believe stress to be a factor that can promote performance, therefore embrace it rather than manage it or avoid it. Additional research should be done to better understand the SEALs ability to operate under the fight or flight response for hours at a time. Furthermore, It would appear that there is an adaptation for those using this response often suggesting our autonomic nervous system could have some plascisity. Under these circumstances, is it possible to train our autonomic nervous system?
References
Eric N. Smith, Michael D. Young, & Alia J. Crum. (2020). Stress, Mindsets, and Success in Navy SEALs Special Warfare Training. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02962
Mourtakos, S., Vassiliou, G., Kontoangelos, K., Papageorgiou, C., Philippou, A., Bersimis, F., Geladas, N., Koutsilieris, M., Sidossis, L. S., Tsirmpas, C., Papageorgiou, C., & Yiannopoulou, K. G. (2021). Assessment of Resilience of the Hellenic Navy Seals by Electrodermal Activity during Cognitive Tasks. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(8), 4384. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084384
I would agree that the autonomic nervous system appears to have plasticity, implying that it should be possible to rewire the ANS and further help the fight or flight response. Although the fight or flight response is universal, it’s important about how one reacts and responds when it shows up. For those in the Navy SEALs, I’d assume their fight or flight has been prolonged and are in constant fight or flight due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I found a study done by Harvard explaining how one’s body can still overreact to a stressor that is not life threatening to them—such as anxiety for one. Increased levels of cortisol is one of the top reasons for symptoms inducing fight or flight ("Understanding the stress response - Harvard Health", 2022). The study done by Harvard—Dr. Herbert Benson dedicated his time to understand how one can more efficiently regulate their autonomic nervous system under times of stress. He found that deep abdominal breathing, focusing on a soothing word, visualization of tranquil scenes, repetitive prayer, yoga, and tai chi has been useful in doing so.
ReplyDeleteUnderstanding the stress response - Harvard Health. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
I really like the idea that the SEALS embrace the stress and use it kind of like a performance enhancer and to focus. Given that they are in a constantly stressful environment, I wonder if at some point it decreases performance and makes it harder for the SEALS to complete tasks. An article that I found with Dr. David Posen (a stress expert) talks about how a certain amount of stress is beneficial as it can provide 'motivating energy' to perform tasks well. But it also states that when the fight or flight response is activated for long periods of time, it can cause digestive issues, headaches, heart disease, weight gain, impaired memory and concentration, sleep problems, and mental health issues (anxiety and depression). So I wonder if many SEALS have these problems as well or if they have trained in such extreme conditions to where they don't face any of these problems.
ReplyDeleteSource: Langille, J. (2017). FIGHT OR FLIGHT... OR FIX?. Canadian Journal of Medical Laboratory Science, 79(4), 26-29.