6 Useful Methods for Improving Officer (and other working professionals) Stress Resilience In 2022

Jason Shea M.S., CSCS, TSAC, Law Enforcement Health and Wellness Coordinator

Lauren Corthell, NSCA-CPT, Wellness Manager, Hampden County Sheriff’s Department

Do you like playing chess?

Have you ever considered that managing stress can be like playing game of chess? On one side of the board is you. On the other side it is life. How we play the game and respond to life’s moves is our stress resilience.

For example, you may be running a few minutes late for morning roll call. This is like life moving a pawn up one spot. Not a major move in the grand scheme of the game. An adequate response might be to move one of your pawns up one spot.

A major stress may be in the form of a family member, co-worker, or close friend becoming very ill. On the chess board, life might move the queen into check. Your response requires energy and attention. On the board you need to respond with a move to block or prevent checkmate.

Problems arise when we must respond to unforeseen stressors throughout the day. Late calls, sleepless nights, disagreements with your spouse, unexpected medical bills, overbooked schedules, traffic on the way to work, negative media publicity, and more, can all take their toll on an officer.

On the chess board, this is akin to life moving several pieces at one time. We become overburdened and our stress response to simple stressors becomes dysregulated. When left unchecked, the continued presence of these personal and occupational stressors can create a situation in which our “adaptive capabilities become overextended (72).”

Policing has long been considered one of the most stressful occupations. According to 2021 Business News Daily report, it was fourth, just behind Airline Pilot, Firefighter, and Enlisted Military Personnel (27).

Research as far back as 2011 has found that “that levels of high stress range from 33% to 46% among police officers and the proportion of officers with measurable mental illness has doubled over the past ten years (23).”

An officer’s average resting heart rate increased from 59 to 82 beats per minute per shift (4). That is a 23 beat per minute increase while on duty. The cumulative stress on the heart to work harder increases the officer’s risk of developing high blood pressure and cardiovascular issues.

In 2013, a study out of the State University of New York, Buffalo found the average officer lifespan is fifty-five years of age. Looking at a sample cohort of 2,800 officers, the study found that three of the main risk factors were stress, shift work, and obesity.

The research team summed it up brilliantly when they stated that “stress is believed to produce a neuroendocrine response which, through nervous and endocrine systems, affects all body organs (69).”

Stress, when left unchecked, can wreak havoc on the body and brain. Chronically high levels can lead to increased rates of high blood pressure, headaches, low back pain, and alcohol abuse (6). Chronic stress can also increase the odds of developing elevated blood fats, abdominal obesity, and blood sugar issues (23).

High levels of the stress hormone cortisol have been linked to decreased executive functioning, slower processing speed, and an increased risk of developing Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease (50).

The second major factor discussed in the officer life expectancy study was shift work. A sleepless night can elevate cortisol levels and negatively impact the critical decision-making area of the brain (30). A 2013 study found that a week of sleep deprivation can further the damage, modifying the actions of over 700 genes (43).

Studies have also shown that sleep deprivation can impair judgement and decision making, while increasing officer susceptibility to bouts of anger during critical situations (57, 70).

Obesity, the third major risk factor discussed in the study, has been linked to a wide spectrum of health concerns. These include heart disease, chronic inflammation, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and shortened lifespans.

Research has shown that elevated cortisol levels can lead to increased levels of fat about the abdomen (45). In turn, the greater the central fat distribution, the greater the psychological vulnerability to stress (13). A study from Psychosomatic Medicine found that subjects with higher waist to hip ratios secreted significantly more cortisol during stressful situations than subjects with low waist to hip ratios (13).

Obesity can also impact brain function. A recent study found blood flow to the brain was decreased with progressively higher levels of obesity (3). Chronically elevated levels of A1C/blood sugar have been linked to a 40-50% increased risk of cognitive decline (16).

The compounding effects, both mentally and physically, of unmitigated chronic stress can lead to officer burnout. A 2017 study found that “burnout occurs more frequently among professionals who work with other persons, especially as service providers where, over the years, they must respond to the client’s demands in a society increasingly based on service exchanges, which elicits job stress” (38).

On a personal level, burnout can lead to conflicts at work or home (7), maladaptive coping behaviors (21), and emotional exhaustion (37).

Operationally, burnout can lead to impaired critical decision making under duress (39), excessive use of force (39), administrative mistakes and decreased work performance (28), and counterproductive work behaviors (59). Officers may also develop a disengaged or cynical attitude toward work (37).

Recently, a group of researchers set out to determine if there are physical and mental factors that could predict resilience. They studied BUDS candidates on Coronado Beach.

The researchers found that “resilience is a combination of competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping and control, or an individual’s ability to maintain a “positive adaptation in the face of adversity (35).”

Two physiological characteristics that correlated with successful BUDS completion rates were higher levels of something called BDNF and DHEA-to-cortisol ratios (35). BDNF is like fertilizer for the brain. Among its many benefits, it can help improve memory, mood, and stress resilience. DHEA is a precursor to testosterone, while its ratio to cortisol gives insight into anabolic vs catabolic states.

While you’re probably not going to take the plunge and enlist in the special forces pipeline, what else can you do to improve resilience to stress?

What do you know about British Cycling?

Unless you are a big fan of international cycling, the answer is most likely not too much.

Here’s a quick back story about the British Cycling Program introduced in James Clear’s book Atomic Habits.

From 1896 to 2004, the British Cycling team won a total of ten Olympic gold medals, with five coming in 1908. A sixth-place finish in the 1962 Tour de France was their best result. The team was so bad, the British bike manufacturer who sponsored them did not want to renew its contract.  In 2003, they decided they needed to make a change. They hired new Performance Coach Dave Brailsford.

Looking for areas they could make improvements, Brailsford took a deep look into every aspect of cyclist performance. The cyclists traded their outdoor cycling suits for lighter and more aerodynamic indoor suits. They experimented with different massage gels to improve muscle recovery. They even put rubbing alcohol on the tires for better road traction. 

But the performance coach and his team didn’t stop there. Rider sleep habits were evaluated. They tested and determined the best mattresses and sleep positions for each. A surgeon was hired to teach the cyclists how to properly wash their hands. It got to the point where the insides of the bike transport vans were painted completely white. Why? So, they could find any specks of dirt or dust that could get into the mechanical parts of the bike.

Brailsford’s goal was to create what he called “the aggregation of marginal gains”. Where could the team make minor, 1% improvements that would add up over time.  

The result of these “marginal gains”? The British Cycling team has become an international powerhouse. From 2012 to 2018 they won six Tour de Frances with three different riders. They have dominated both Olympic and International competition. Of the fifty medals they have won since 2008, 28 of them have been gold.

What does this have to do with policing? This is an example of how the smallest improvements in areas of your life can have the greatest impact on your mental and physical health?  Over a period of a year, 1% improvements can add up to gains of nearly 37%.

What marginal, 1% improvements can you make for yourself or your department starting today? What areas, both personally and professionally, can you make 1% daily improvements moving forward? 

Here are six 1% tips to improve stress resilience.   

Did you know that if your standing posture is off, you may be using more energy to fight gravity while at rest? This may rob your brain of the valuable energy it requires during critical decision making and stressful situations.

For example, if your foot collapses in, your weight may shift, your hip may elevate, your torso may rotate, your shoulders may round, and your head and eye mechanics may become altered. With altered posture comes breathing (22) and hormonal changes (52).

A 2018 study found that a forward head posture and rounded shoulders led to an inability to completely expand the diaphragm – reduced diaphragm mobility and strength – impacted ability to take breath fully (22). Recent research has also shown that this posture forward head posture has also been linked to altered autonomic nervous system function and sensorimotor control (44).

According to a study from Neuroregulation, “chronic stress, such as repeated threat perceptions are associated with poor posture (52).” The research team discovered that “an upright body posture is associated with increased testosterone, decreased cortisol, greater confidence, mood, and strength when compared to a sustained slouched posture, which is associated with greater chronic neck,  shoulder, and  back  pain  as  well  as lower  confidence  and  energy,  depressive  memory bias,  and  failure-related  emotions (52).” 

We have hosted PosturePro founder and Ted Talk presenter Annette Verpillot. She has worked with our law enforcement community teaching postural recalibration methods. Through these methods we have seen near-instantaneous changes in standing posture, grip strength, eye tracking, blood pressure, and range of motion. For more on PosturePro check out Annette’s site here. For other methods of improving posture including Egoscue, ELDOA, and more check out this article Workouts For Working People: Best Tips to Improve Posture.

Heart Rate Variability is the measure of the time variation in between heartbeats. This is controlled by the fight or flight sympathetic parasympathetic nervous systems. The lower the variation, the more dominant your fight or flight nervous system and vice versa.

A 2018 meta-analysis of 37 studies on the relationship between stress and HRV found that “HRV indicates the heart’s ability to respond to multiple physiological and environmental events (29)” including mental stress, physical exercise, metabolic changes, and sleep.

Your diet may impact your HRV as well! Check out this self-study on how what you eat the day before may impact HRV, sleep, and next day physical readiness; (How Does Food Affect Next Day Physical Readiness? 9+ Useful Tips For 2022).

Wearable technologies that track HRV include Oura Ring, Apple Watch, Fitbit, Whoop, and Garmin. Factors that can positively influence HRV include deep restorative sleep, nutrition, breath work, and proper recovery and training habits.

Sleep has been linked to brain health, gene function, mood, critical decision making, and work performance. It has also been linked to immune health (9), blood pressure (46), insulin sensitivity (66), testosterone levels (52), growth hormone (46), thyroid hormone (46), and weight gain (66).

Police Officers are nearly “four times more likely to sleep less than six hours in a 24-hour period than the general population (23).” In order to maximize their sleep, the following interventions may help:

• Try not to eat within 3-4 hours of going to bed. According to Alzheimer’s expert Dr. Dale Bredesen, the energy that is needed by the brain’s glymphatic system, is instead used by the digestive system to digest food.
• Tart Cherry Juice has been shown to improve sleep. According to a 2021 study, “tart cherries contain approximately 13 ng of melatonin per kg of cherry, which upon consumption can increase exogenous melatonin, which is critical for the sleep–wake cycle in human (20).”
• Try some Magnesium before going to bed.
• A 2011 study found that writing in a gratitude journal for 15 minutes every evening helped subjects worry less at bedtime and sleep longer (12).
• Turn down the heat, minimize electronic devices and blue light, and darken your room.

Going back to high school biology class, do you remember learning about an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex? The prefrontal cortex is like the brain’s CEO, responsible for executive decision making. Under high levels of duress, this area of the brain can be “hijacked” by another area of the brain called the amygdala. Excessive cortisol may also elevate the risk of this “amygdala hijack” (Rosenkranz 2010).

A 2019 study found that subjects who did mindfulness training had more gray matter in the frontal cortex area of their brain (33). Mindfulness training has been shown to positively impact the architecture of the brain, strengthening areas associated with focus, memory, empathy, emotional regulation, and perspective taking (11).

A recent study titled “Mindfulness Training Improves Quality of Life and Reduces Depression and Anxiety Symptoms Among Police Officers: Results from the POLICE Study—A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial” found that 8-weeks of mindfulness training boosted the immune system to fight off illness, lowered heart rate and blood pressure, reduced chronic pain, and alleviated gastrointestinal issues (65).

Mindfulness is “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally” according to Jon Kabat- Zinn, Founder of Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).  The most common practice of mindfulness is meditation and breathwork.

Just a few minutes per day of mindfulness training can increase concentration and mental clarity, improve self-control and decision making, cultivate positive emotions, and improve officer resilience.

An example of mindfulness training is the breathing technique utilized by the Navy Seals called Box Breathing. The Box Breath is a short and simple technique that can have a significant impact on one’s mental and physical health during high stress situations.  The technique is simple: 

• Sitting in a comfortable position, breathe in through your nose filling up your lungs and stomach for 4 seconds
• Hold your breath for 4 seconds
• Exhale all the air through your mouth for 4 seconds
• Hold your breath for another 4 seconds.

Repeat this cycle for as long as you need to help you feel more relaxed and in control.

Another simple mindfulness tip is walking, preferably outdoors in nature. A 2016 study found that Master athletes who walked thirty to fifty minutes multiple times per week could improve blood flow to the brain by up to 15% in three months. The Master athletes who did not exercise saw up to a 30% drop in blood flow to the brain after roughly two weeks (2).

Did you know that greater levels of physical activity can lead to more gray matter in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus areas of your brain (14)? You may recall, these are your executive decision-making and memory centers.  Research has also shown that “regular exercisers are more resistant to the emotional effects of acute stress, which in turn, may protect them against diseases related to chronic stress burden (10).”

A 2021 study set out to test the acute effect high intensity strength training had on cognitive function. The “high-intensity resistance exercise stress” led to improvements in information processing and response inhibition (31).

Strength training can improve stress resilience through its positive impacts on your hormones. A group of researchers tested subject’s baseline cortisol and testosterone levels, then had them train with weights for four weeks. The subjects worked out three times per week, following a progressive 7-exercise strength training program.

After four weeks, the subjects resting testosterone levels were nearly 40% higher while levels of the stress hormone cortisol were significantly lower (5). In essence, strength training was like therapy for their hormones.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) can also have positive effects on the brain. It promotes increased levels of BDNF, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. Interval training also spikes lactic acid levels. A recent study found that the lactic acid produced in your working muscles during exercise can be used as a cerebral energy supply. This may have neuroprotective benefits for the brain (32).

For more on the benefits of HIIT training check out the article 9 Awesome Benefits of the Fan Bike.

Did you know that certain foods have been linked to cortisol regulation, brain function, and stress resiliency? A study from the American Journal of Psychiatry found that chemicals found in some foods can negatively impact the brain while increasing the risk of cognitive decline (1, 60). Increased trans-fat consumption has been associated with memory impairment and impaired memory recall performance (19). Dietary trans-fat consumption has also been linked to aggression levels and greater incidence of “behaviors that have unfavorable repercussions to others (18)”.

High fructose corn syrup consumption has been linked to high blood pressure (34), increased belly fat (8), elevated serum triglycerides (8), oxidized LDL (61, 62, 63), greater cholesterol (61, 62, 63), and an increase in concentrations of uric acid (34). A study from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism even found that “after only two weeks of consuming 25% of calories in high fructose corn syrup beverages, researchers saw an increase in several factors for cardiovascular disease (62).”

While Rome was not built in a day, so too are healthy dietary habits. If you can commit to making the changes, the good news is that healthier food choices can have many short and long-term benefits. For example, a 2017 study of elderly subjects found that those who consumed Mediterranean diets had greater levels of cortical thickness than those who consumed lower fat/higher processed carbohydrate diets (64).

Mediterranean diets are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been associated with improved executive functioning and lower risk of cognitive decline (42). These diets are also high in fish, olive oil, cruciferous vegetables, and garlic.

Eating fish four times per week has been found to have beneficial effects on heart rate and blood pressure during stressful situations (40). Garlic, which is loaded with an antioxidant-like compound called allicin, is known for its immune boosting benefits. In subjects eating a high protein diet, garlic has been found to positively impact testosterone levels while mitigating the cortisol response (48).  

Aside from its effects on testosterone and cortisol levels (49), olive oil has been found have potential brain benefits. A 2017 paper found that “consuming olive oil reduces inflammation, stimulates autophagy, supports the growth of new neurons, helps regrow dendritic structures that form neural networks, and protects your brain from the negative effects of any amyloids that don’t get washed out at night. (55).”

Other foods that have been found to modulate cortisol and stress response include dark chocolate (68), walnuts (47), chia seeds (47), cherries (17), vegetables (73), and high antioxidant fruits (74).

Compounds in green tea have also been shown to have positive effects on cortisol. EGCG, an antioxidant found in green tea, has been shown to inhibit the conversion of cortisol precursors from forming into cortisol (25).    

Intermittent fasting is a method of eating that has grown in popularity over the last few years. Several studies have shown that intermittent fasting may have positive impacts on longevity, mental health, inflammation, metabolic risk factors, brain health, and stress resiliency (15, 26, 36, 41, 50, 54, 58, 71, 73).

We learned a simple tip to start intermittent fasting from Longevity Diet author and expert, Dr. Valter Longo. He recommended to begin by cutting daily eating periods by 2-3 hours. For example, if your first meal is 7:00AM and your last meal is 9:00PM, that is a 14-hour eating period. Cutting that back by three hours means first meal might be at 8:00AM and last meal at 7:00PM. You may also try to start the eating period later with first meal at 9:00AM and last meal at 8:00PM.

Alzheimer’s expert, Dr. Dale Bredeson also taught us a great tip for healthy brain aging. He calls it Ketoflex 12/3. “Ketoflex” stands for ketogenic flexibility; the ability to switch from ketones to glucose as a fuel source. The “12” stands for a 12-hour fast between meals. The “3” stands for refraining from eating within 3 hours of going to bed, to allow for the brain’s waste clearance system to do its job more efficiently.

As you’ve seen, law enforcement is one of the most stressful occupations. Negative health consequences of chronic stress can range from high blood pressure, CVD risk, and abdominal fat gain to decreased job performance and impaired decision making. We have also seen that stress plays a role in life expectancy.

Wouldn’t it be great to mitigate the impacts of life’s daily, small stressors while bolstering your stress resilience for the larger ones? Picture navigating through the small stresses with a positive, solution-based, clear mind while conserving energy to focus on the bigger ones.

In the game of chess, small moves add up over the course of the game. The same concept applies in life. Small, marginal, 1% improvements over a year can add up to nearly 37%. What does that number look like over a 30-year career?

It is time to put the tools you’ve learned into action. And remember, it’s never too late to learn to play chess.

Thanks for reading!

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