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Your nervous system is vital for your body—whether in fight or flight mode during an emergency, allowing your body to relax on vacation, or operating your body’s daily functions. But a dysregulated nervous system can leave you feeling stressed, anxious, and fatigued. Read on to understand how to recognize the signs of a dysregulated nervous system and how to naturally restore regulation.
The nervous system is your body’s communication network made up of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves carrying messages from the brain throughout your body. Messages sent through the nervous system regulate virtually everything we do, including movement, thoughts, feelings, and our response to stressful situations—and things we do without even thinking about it, like breathing, digesting food, healing wounds, and keeping our hearts beating.
The nervous system is divided into two parts: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The central nervous system is comprised of the brain and spinal cord. It sends, receives, and processes all sensory information from the body. The peripheral nervous system is composed of everything else.
The peripheral nervous system is further divided into two main parts:
Your sympathetic nervous system is famous for the “fight or flight” reaction. It prepares your body for action and emergencies by speeding up your heart rate, sending blood to your muscles, and slowing digestion, among other effects.
The parasympathetic nervous system has the opposite effect and is activated when the body is in “rest and relax” mode. During this phase, the body calms down and conserves its energy by decreasing heart rate and blood pressure, slowing breathing, and stimulating digestion.
The last part of the peripheral nervous system is the enteric nervous system, which lies within the wall of your gut and responds to both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system input. If you’ve ever felt “butterflies in your stomach” before a big exam or public speaking event, you’ve felt your enteric nervous system at work. It is responsible for gastrointestinal functions and important for bowel movements and digestion.
When your nervous system is dysregulated, there is an imbalance between your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. When not well-managed, common day-to-day stressors can lead to nervous system dysregulation. Work burnout, traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), hormone imbalances, concussions, physical or emotional abuse, and even certain personality traits like perfectionism can all trigger nervous system dysregulation.
Your body will alert you when your nervous system is off through signs and symptoms. Signs of a dysregulated nervous system include:
Longer-term symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system include chronic stress, anxiety, poor digestion, and disrupted sleep.
Stress is the primary cause of nervous system dysregulation. When you are stressed, your sympathetic nervous system is activated, prepping your body for danger. This includes speeding up your heart rate, increasing your blood pressure, more rapid breathing, and releasing glucose and fat stores to send energy to your muscles.
In the short term, these changes prepare your body to “fight” a potential threat. However, when stress is prolonged, your sympathetic nervous system continues to activate, leading to an increased risk of chronic diseases over time, including heart disease and stroke, mental disorders, and weight gain.
Anxiety is influenced by neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), all of which are critical for regulating mood and the stress response. The amygdala, a brain region primarily involved in processing emotions like fear, also plays a significant role in anxiety disorders.
People with anxiety often show heightened amygdala activity when faced with anxiety-provoking situations, suggesting an overactive sympathetic nervous system response driven by fear. This heightened activity contributes to increased symptoms of anxiety and stress. Chronic anxiety can also trigger other symptoms, including high blood pressure, muscle pain, headaches, heart disease, and more.
Chronic stress and a dysregulated nervous system can lead to digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and indigestion. But beyond digestive health, nervous system dysregulation may also harm overall metabolic function by increasing blood pressure and triglyceride levels and decreasing HDL “good” cholesterol over time. These changes, which are signs of metabolic syndrome, increase the risk of conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The process of falling asleep and overall sleep quality is linked to the autonomic nervous system. If you have trouble sleeping at night, it could be due to increased activation of your sympathetic nervous system. Under normal circumstances, sleep stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. However, when an imbalance exists, the sympathetic nervous system dominates, leading to sleep problems.
Poor sleep can lead to or exacerbate many disorders, including autism, schizophrenia, and depression. If disrupted sleep continues over time, it may increase the risk for degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in older adults.
Regulating your nervous system is key to maintaining your overall health and well-being. Read on effective strategies to help you manage stress and promote a balanced autonomic nervous system (ANS).
Try to spend some time outside every day. Studies suggest spending time in nature reduces blood pressure and helps regulate your ANS. Nature-based tourism has been proven to help the ANS. So, next time you plan a vacation, pick somewhere with plenty of natural scenery to boost your well-being and help regulate your nervous system.
Breathing exercises are another powerful tool for calming the nervous system and promoting relaxation. One study found that practicing slow breathing once a day for only three months increased parasympathetic activity and decreased sympathetic activity. Another study found that just one five-minute session acutely reduced anxiety in people of all ages.
While you engage in breathing exercises, the parasympathetic nervous system decreases heart rate and releases endorphins, allowing the body to calm down. When practiced regularly, this intentional breathing may reduce anxiety and even support heart health. And though adding one more task to your daily routine may seem daunting, intentionally breathing for just five minutes a day can profoundly benefit your nervous system regulation and have lasting impacts on your body and mind.
Eating a healthy diet helps keep your nervous system in check by providing important nutrients that boost brain function. For instance, omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols, found in foods like salmon and turmeric, increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is great for neuron health and cognitive function. These nutrients support brain repair and maintenance, improving resilience and helping speed recovery from injuries like concussions.
Mindful eating is a practice that involves focusing on your mind, body, and food as you eat. Many of us multitask while eating by watching TV, scrolling the internet, playing games, or engaging in other distracting behaviors. With mindful eating, all of that is stripped away to focus on the present moment and cherish the eating experience. Food is eaten very slowly and without distraction.
Practicing mindfulness as a whole activates the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing the body to relax and reach a calmer state. By bringing mindfulness to our meals, we can improve our digestion and support a regulated nervous system.
Meditation involves focusing the mind to achieve heightened awareness and a deep sense of calm. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, is great for regulating the nervous system by reducing stress and promoting emotional well-being. Beyond stress management, research has demonstrated the many health benefits of practicing mindfulness meditation, including lower blood pressure, reduced smoking cravings, help with chronic pain and headaches, and more.
If you have trouble sleeping or feel anxious at night, using a weighted blanket may help. Weighted blankets have gained popularity for their ability to provide deep-pressure stimulation. This deep pressure activates the parasympathetic nervous system, releasing endorphins like dopamine and serotonin and promoting relaxation.
By inducing feelings of calmness and well-being, weighted blankets can help regulate the nervous system. Further, research suggests they can aid in chronic pain, sleep, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorders, and may enhance melatonin release for better sleep overall.
If you’re still experiencing symptoms of dysregulation after implementing these practices or want more support in calming your nervous system, certain supplements might help. L-theanine, an amino acid in green tea, can reduce stress and anxiety symptoms. The herb ashwagandha is known to stabilize levels of cortisol, the hormone that induces stress. Learn about other naturopath-recommended supplements that support mindfulness in this article.
When choosing supplements, look for brands that are third-party tested for purity. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement to be sure it is safe for you and won’t interact with any medications you currently take.
A dysregulated nervous system can exacerbate feelings of stress, anxiety, and fatigue. The good news is there are many natural approaches to help regulate your nervous system, including simple life changes like getting outside more, eating well, and using a weighted blanket, daily practices like meditation and mindful eating, and supplements that help support a calm body and mind. By incorporating some of these tips into your daily life, you can reduce anxiety and boost your mental and physical health.
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By Jim White, RDN
