22 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: OCTOBER 2017 by Janine Henkel “I’m so f*#@*ing stressed out.” It’s a universal feeling in law enforcement. And it’s no surprise. To survive this glamorous career you need a tough mind and strong body. You can be fired, sued, prosecuted or killed just for doing your job. You’re critiqued by any- one with an internet con- nection. Exposure to bodily fluids, assorted toxins, and traumatic scenes defines today’s shift for cops. Top this off with poor food choices and question- able sleeping habits and it’s no wonder you’re at a higher risk for disease, obesity, depression and suicide. Here come the stats. In 2016, 108 police officers took their own lives, com- pared with 145 who were killed in the line of duty. The CDC states that female first responders are #1 in occupational risk for suicide. First responders in gen- eral were #6. Knowing that police officers go through a rigorous psych screening prior to employment should be a red flag. Our heroes are crumbling under unnatural amounts of stress. So managing it should be an obvious priority. Stress is natural and nec- essary. We need it to adapt and grow to new challenges. Our body is even equipped with a sophisticated mecha- nism called “allostasis” to manage and adapt to stress through hormones, our immune system and neu- rotransmitters. But there’s a key difference between acute stress (short term) and chronic stress (long term). Stress is meant to be short. Like hustling to make sure you’re not in the front row for training. Your stress response kicks on, dials you back and shuts off. But we live in an era of never-end- ing stress, so our allostasis response is working over- time. If we never give it a break, we hit an “allostatic overload.” Your response systems don’t fire up ad- equately or don’t shut off when stress is over. This failure to communicate predisposes you to disease and psychiatric disorders. You may recognize the beginning stages of this as being “burned out”. Here’s some things that- might help you get going. 1Deep Breathing. Before you roll your eyes, know this. It’s been used for thousands of years (called “pranayama”) and it’s sci- entifically proven to work. Our combat warriors seem to agree. They call it “tacti- cal breathing”. Navy Seal Mark Divine has a entire practice built on this called “box breathing”. Deep breathing looks like this: breath in through your nose for four seconds, hold for two, and breath out through your mouth for four seconds or more, hold for two. This activates your para- sympathetic nervous system (the relax response), which can lower your blood pres- sure and heart rate. You’re breathing anyway, so why not try it out? 2Movement. Most of us dread this but as the saying goes, “no one regrets a workout” unless you hurt yourself. Exercise naturally low- ers stress hormones (like cortisol) and stimulates the production of endorphins (the happy hormones). In- tense exercise also increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which slows the death of brain cells, gen- erates new neurons and sup- ports cognitive function. Loosely translated, BDNF fights disorders like Alzheimer’s, dementia and depression. A nice side-ef- fect of exercise is increased strength and stamina. And let’s be honest, you need to be ready for the fight. 3Food. Chronic Psycho- logical stress creates inflammation through a simple portal: Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). You know them as ‘free radicals’. These are unstable molecules that run around like little meth-heads, dam- aging your healthy cells. There are also pro-oxidant foods that compound the problem. Some examples are trans- fats, high fructose corn syrup and charred meats. Luckily, antioxidants snuff out ROS and are easily found in foods like colorful fruits and vegetables, nuts, green tea and even plain coffee. Bottom line? Stick with whole, un- processed foods, taking a breathing break and exer- cise. It’s these little things that will help you stay strong on the front line. Janine Henkel is passionate about nutrition and the #1 fan of police officers. After almost 20 years in law enforcement and lecturing her co-workers about their eating habits, she retired and founded www.On- PointNutrition.Org, designed with first responders in mind. Janine holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition (CNS candidate), is a Certified Per- sonal Trainer and U.S. Marine Veteran. You can usually find Janine geeking out on technical books or enjoying the outdoors with her 5-year-old son. Don’t let stress ruin you