Dr. Andy Galpin

But that's a little bit different and not always the best scenario when somebody is having issues on both sides, upregulation and downregulation. Because what can happen is if you're only ever paying attention to that downregulation size, that highway starts to get smaller. All right.

So what you probably want to do, and if you actually look at the research in this space more carefully, a lot of the interventions are strategically implement both up-regulation and down-regulation.

So what you probably want to do, and if you actually look at the research in this space more carefully, a lot of the interventions are strategically implement both up-regulation and down-regulation.

Even if somebody is highly stressed, has a lot of anxiety or has other markers of overall dysfunction or problems in the nervous system, you're gonna see careful integration of both up-regulation and down-regulation. And that's because it works like a hormetic stressor. I've talked about this for many, many, many years. It's one of my favorite things to talk about.

Even if somebody is highly stressed, has a lot of anxiety or has other markers of overall dysfunction or problems in the nervous system, you're gonna see careful integration of both up-regulation and down-regulation. And that's because it works like a hormetic stressor. I've talked about this for many, many, many years. It's one of my favorite things to talk about.

But effectively what you're doing is you want yourself to downregulate. Well, just telling yourself to calm down doesn't always work very well. Sometimes the easiest way to calm down is to actually give yourself a supercharge up so that your body naturally swings back down as an equal and opposite reaction and the other way. So that is the framework with what we're going to talk about.

But effectively what you're doing is you want yourself to downregulate. Well, just telling yourself to calm down doesn't always work very well. Sometimes the easiest way to calm down is to actually give yourself a supercharge up so that your body naturally swings back down as an equal and opposite reaction and the other way. So that is the framework with what we're going to talk about.

Let's get right into how we measure our nervous system. what tools we can use, and then we'll go into evaluation and interpretations from there. With that all in mind, let's dive into our first I, which is investigate. How do you measure this stuff? Well, there's no one answer here. I think it's easiest to describe this in three major categories. First one are what I call performance-based tests.

Let's get right into how we measure our nervous system. what tools we can use, and then we'll go into evaluation and interpretations from there. With that all in mind, let's dive into our first I, which is investigate. How do you measure this stuff? Well, there's no one answer here. I think it's easiest to describe this in three major categories. First one are what I call performance-based tests.

So in the sporting world, you'll see groups do this where they'll take a vertical jump test every day. So you'll come in and every single day, you'll do say three or four maximum effort vertical jumps. And they look at the change, the assumption there being if your vertical jump is much lower today than it normally is, then there's a strong likelihood your nervous system is a little bit fatigued.

So in the sporting world, you'll see groups do this where they'll take a vertical jump test every day. So you'll come in and every single day, you'll do say three or four maximum effort vertical jumps. And they look at the change, the assumption there being if your vertical jump is much lower today than it normally is, then there's a strong likelihood your nervous system is a little bit fatigued.

That is a very common and classic approach in the sport performance world. Others do it with things like grip strength. Again, simple test, easy to do. There are reaction time drills. There's a ton of different apps and low or fairly inexpensive technologies to look at firing rates, fingering tap tests, how quickly can you move your thumb, lots and lots of different technologies here.

That is a very common and classic approach in the sport performance world. Others do it with things like grip strength. Again, simple test, easy to do. There are reaction time drills. There's a ton of different apps and low or fairly inexpensive technologies to look at firing rates, fingering tap tests, how quickly can you move your thumb, lots and lots of different technologies here.

Others I've seen, and we've actually explored this a lot, have looked at things like range of motion and flexibility. And I've actually personally seen this one land pretty well. So a basic sit and reach test of your hamstrings and low back, a rotational test, a forearm or flexion extension test. I've seen all these in the field a ton, and I'll be totally honest with you, they're pretty good.

Others I've seen, and we've actually explored this a lot, have looked at things like range of motion and flexibility. And I've actually personally seen this one land pretty well. So a basic sit and reach test of your hamstrings and low back, a rotational test, a forearm or flexion extension test. I've seen all these in the field a ton, and I'll be totally honest with you, they're pretty good.

We spent many years, probably over four years, testing some of these things every single day. We stuck them directly up against other more scientifically validated measures, and they all came in pretty much the same. And so these are absolutely fine ways to measure it. It's obviously mostly used in, again, the sport performance world, and so they are hedging towards the performance aspect.

We spent many years, probably over four years, testing some of these things every single day. We stuck them directly up against other more scientifically validated measures, and they all came in pretty much the same. And so these are absolutely fine ways to measure it. It's obviously mostly used in, again, the sport performance world, and so they are hedging towards the performance aspect.

If you're not jumping as high or moving as well, that's what they're concerned about. A totally different approach to this is more of a psychological assessment. Again, you'll see research and I've seen now huge databases. You're talking about millions of data points stacked directly up against something like mood. How you feel today?

If you're not jumping as high or moving as well, that's what they're concerned about. A totally different approach to this is more of a psychological assessment. Again, you'll see research and I've seen now huge databases. You're talking about millions of data points stacked directly up against something like mood. How you feel today?

And you'll be stunned, stunned on aggregate in large populations. Mood is a very strong predictor of overall nervous system state. How tired are you? So fatigue is another question. One we see often is called RPE, so rate of perceived exertion. Just different ways to ask about how do you feel today? What's your effort feel like today? How interested in training are you today?