Dr Emma Mosley is a senior lecturer in sport psychology in the Department of Sport Science and Performance. She is an active researcher within psychophysiology and sport performance, with a particular specialism in heart rate variability.

In this episode we discuss the mind-body connection and how it can be harnessed to optimize athletic performance. How perception, threat and appraisal play a role in the stress process and how this impacts our physiological reactions in sports.

We learn more about the power of heart rate variability (HRV) as a tool for measuring stress responses and improving athletic performance. Plus the significance of monitoring HRV trends over time, comparing your own baseline, and the connection between HRV and psychology, the vagus nerve, and the parasympathetic nervous system. We also look into interventions like cold water immersion and their effectiveness in improving HRV.

Finally we explore the benefits of slow paced breathing. Dr. Mosley teaches us how to adjust inhalation and exhalation ratios for optimal results, and shares how this practice can benefit overall wellbeing, improve sleep quality, and sports performance.

LINKS:

Follow Dr Emma Mosley on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Emma_Mosley  

PerformHIV at http://www.performhrv.com/

A scoping review of heart rate variability in sport and exercise psychology at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1750984X.2022.2092884

Other publications by Dr Mosley at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emma-Mosley-3