CODES of Brain

During leadership training we come across the words oxytocin (Happy hormone) & cortisol (Stress hormone) and its effects on our life. Also in the book “Leader eat last” by Simon Sinek explains 5 chemicals/hormones of our body/brain, which we need to consider during day to day life. I call it CODES (Cortisol, Oxytocin, Dopamine, Endorphins, and Serotonin) of brain

You may be wondering, why I am talking about this CODES of brain here? Mind is powerful as it has the ability to control your body and mind has the power to cure disease.

During childbirth, body (physical) and mind (psychological) has to be equally nurtured, monitored and controlled.

In the book “Business Sutra” by Devdutt Pattanaik, he explains the Brahman = Creator of Unlimited Mind (Brah ब्रह = Expand, Man मन् = Mind=Manas). Courage expands the mind (intellectual and emotional growth) and Fear contracts the mind (holding back). Look at the below image if you have mindfulness, the circle rotate outwards (expansion) and if you are in fear the circle rotate inwards (contracts) 

If you have fear, you have to let it go, you should not hold back. You should have peace of mind during pregnancy and labor for better results. Fear means you are generating stress hormone like adrenaline/cortisol. What you need is more happy chemicals which is Oxytocin.

Oxytocin role during the labor is shown in below cycle.

CODES of brain: Let’s start with Adrenaline/Cortisol, which you need to avoid

Cortisol/Adrenaline: The stress system relies on two key hormones: adrenaline and cortisol. In short, adrenaline works in the short term, while cortisol has large momentum and works in the long term. (Adrenaline is also known as epinephrine in North America)

Physiological fear, which generates stress hormones like adrenaline/cortisol.

During danger/fear our body’s natural reactions are fight, flight or freeze. The fight, flight or freeze response can be understood by imagining you’ve come face to face with a tiger. Our brain knows that the tiger wants to eat us, so it might respond in a number of ways:

    Fight – Your brain may instruct you to fight the tiger in an attempt to defend yourself. Your heart rate and your strength may increase, blood starts to flow to upper body and hands and you’ll become super-aware of your surroundings, ready to protect yourself.

    Flight – Your brain might instruct you to run away from the tiger. Your heart will pump more blood to your legs to help you run faster and you’ll try to get more oxygen into your lungs to allow you to keep running to safety;

    Freeze – This can be the trickiest response to understand, after all, why would we want to stand still in front of a hungry tiger?! Not only might you freeze to assess whether the tiger is a danger to you, your “primitive brain” may take over and immobilize you entirely. This is very similar to an animal “playing dead” and works by hoping the tiger will lose interest and move on to their next snack. Or you hide in a bush and freeze without making noises, so that tiger moves on.

 Excess cortisol/adrenaline inhibits growth in a human being, you don’t need growth cells when you are supposed to fight, flight or freeze. So in childbirth or in normal life, we don’t need stress hormone, we need more happy hormones.

Oxytocin: Oxytocin is a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter. It plays an important role in reproduction. A hormone made in the brain that plays a role in childbirth and lactation by causing muscles to contract in the uterus (womb) and the mammary glands in the breast. When you’re attracted to another person, when you are bonding and involved in a human relationship, your brain releases dopamine, your serotonin levels increase, and oxytocin is produced. This causes you to feel a surge of positive emotion (Example: Couple walk/talk, human touch, romantic dinner, kiss, hug, cuddling, intercourse etc…)

Dopamine: Motivate us to achieve incremental goals. Rewards motivated behavior. Kind of like the “greed” function of our brain. Make us feel good when we check things off the “to do list” or get through project milestones. Highly addictive. Use this hormone during the pregnancy to reach your ultimate goal of natural birth. (Example: use fitness tracker for incremental growth, to cut down sugar, maida and shift to healthy regime) 

Endorphins: Diminish our perceptions of pain.  Keeps us going during work-outs, gives us a “runner’s high”, and helps us to endure difficulties. Natural pain killer, you need not to do anything, this will kick-in when your body needs.

Serotonin:  Provides the feeling of significance, pride, status. It drives us to seek the recognition of others. Want to do it “for my mom, my boss, my wife.” It reinforces the sense of relationships with the group, allegiance.  Simon Sinek calls this the Leadership chemical and what creates a sense of allegiance and organizational cohesion. (Your ultimate goal is to have a natural birth, and you are doing it for yourself and all the fathers out there you will feel proud about your wife’s journey, together helps you both release serotonin and feel proud about the journey)

So, you know the CODES of brain now. In short, you need to increase happy hormones and reduce stress hormone.

Happiness hormones are: Oxytocin & Serotonin which can be triggered from external (by nature, by partner etc...) and Endorphin and Dopamine are generated by selflessly by body when it is required.

Stress/Sad hormones are: Cortisol/Adrenaline which inhibits growth.