Norepinephrine, Adrenaline, and Cortisol: Pilots, Nurses, and Unstoppable Rush

Friday, 20 July 2018

Dianne McAdams-Jones, EdD, RN, GNE, CHSE
Randall Johnson, PhD
College of Health Emergency Medicine and Aviation, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT, USA

Purpose: Cortisol, Adrenaline and Norepinephrine are our defenses against chaotic situations that pose both a threat to our safety and possibly that of others. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of biofeedback and/or meditation on individual decision-making in anomalous/stressful scenarios. There is a pressing need to calculate a workable if not successful solution to the stress producing emergency at hand

Methods: Three groups of nursing students, pilots and officers of the law were cognitively situated in the moment of a controlled stress induced environment where they were given seconds to critically think while being required to mitigate chaos. A paralleled control group along with two other groups participated. Initial blood draw and spit test were completed to baseline the study; then each of the three groups were immersed into the stress induced scenario; upon completion each group underwent another blood draw and spit test. At this point each group spent six weeks receiving the intervention of either biofeedback, meditation or placebo. Beyond the 6 weeks, the three groups were immersed into the stress inducing scenario again and upon completion, submitted to a spit test and blood draw.

Results: These results were compared to the baseline results in an attempt to understand if meditation and/or biofeedback actually enhanced the outcome of the groups’ performance under and within the stress induced scenario. Meditation trains the body to insulate itself within those experiences which strengthen. Biofeedback teaches us to focus on areas which comfort and control where these emotions are called upon in times of stress.

Conclusion:

It may be concluded that meditation and biofeedback can mitigate a stressful situation thereby facilitating better situational outcomes in health care, policing and nursing. Both interventions distracts the focus of the individual from increase stimuli and increased fight or flight hormones (adrenaline) to situational management of the current stressful reduction.