Summary of Sara C. Mednick's The Power of the Downstate

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The autonomic nervous system is the ultimate expression of the push-pull relationship between your Upstate and Downstate. It works in your favor when well-tuned, but can conspire against you when your response to stress creeps unchecked into your life.

#2 I was a late bloomer when it came to learning about the brain. I had spent my childhood dreaming of a career on the stage and screen, but after several hundred cattle call auditions, I realized that I needed to find another way to make it in this life.

#3 The human brain is not just a circuit board of wires and resistors, but a biological organ composed of billions of neurons. Neurons are limited in resources, and they require programmed breaks that grant time to recharge and prepare for the next power punch.

#4 Neurons have two states: resting and firing. As the neuron moves between these two states, electrically charged ions flow between the inside and outside of the cell walls. At rest, there are far more negatively charged ions inside the cell than outside, with a resting membrane potential of -70mV.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822524293

IRB Media

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Insights on Sara C. Mednick's The Power of the Downstate

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The autonomic nervous system is the ultimate expression of the push-pull relationship between your Upstate and Downstate. It works in your favor when well-tuned, but can conspire against you when your response to stress creeps unchecked into your life.

#2

I was a late bloomer when it came to learning about the brain. I had spent my childhood dreaming of a career on the stage and screen, but after several hundred cattle call auditions, I realized that I needed to find another way to make it in this life.

#3

The human brain is not just a circuit board of wires and resistors, but a biological organ composed of billions of neurons. Neurons are limited in resources, and they require programmed breaks that grant time to recharge and prepare for the next power punch.

#4

Neurons have two states: resting and firing. As the neuron moves between these two states, electrically charged ions flow between the inside and outside of the cell walls. At rest, there are far more negatively charged ions inside the cell than outside, with a resting membrane potential of -70mV.

#5

The homeostatic principle states that any system in balance tends toward health, well-being, and sustainability, while any system out of balance lists toward illness, disease, suffering, and collapse.

#6

The homeostatic model of body maintenance is the idea that our bodies work like a machine to maintain a constant internal environment. But in reality, this only applies to a handful of vital functions, like maintaining pH, body temperature, glucose, and oxygen levels.

#7

Humans want to become stronger, faster, smarter, sexier, and fitter from birth to death. The way you get better isn’t by looping around the same old circle trying to get back to your baseline. Instead, you should consider growth to be an upward trajectory with a lot of zigzags.

#8

When you first begin an exercise routine, you may only be able to last twenty minutes of cardio and fifteen minutes of strength training at the lowest weight before you feel like you’re in cardiac arrest. But that exhaustion sends a strong signal to jump-start your Downstate recovery process, such that you’re better prepared for that hard workout next time.

#9

The same RecoveryPlus trajectory can be applied to anything you want to improve. For example, the psychological process of learning. Your knowledge set-point is constantly changing as you absorb new facts, and you can increase it by listening to a podcast or learning Hungarian.

#10

The concept of balance and harmony that Hippocrates, Cannon, and many other scientists have believed in is outdated. It doesn’t take into account the real biological, psychological, and emotional trajectory of progress.

#11

Your quest to elevate your set-points hinges on the actions of your autonomic nervous system, which supports equilibrium of all your physiological functions. It keeps you abreast of all new experiences and provides moment-to-moment support for every action and reaction you have to the world.

#12

The autonomic nervous system is made up of two branches, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic,