Do you feel alarmed and under pressure even when you know there is no need to? Are there times you feel a heavy emptiness in your chest – disallowing you to focus on anything else? Your nervous system can be negatively impacted due to too many stimulants, handy tasks and overthinking. But you do not have to live like that forever.
Let’s learn more about the nervous system, what affects it and discover how to regulate your nervous system.
Understanding the Nervous System
The nervous system is a network that coordinates our bodies’ responses to triggers and all bodily functions. It is divided into the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).
The CNS is simply the brain and spinal cord. The CNS plays a great role in action and reaction by transmitting signals between the brain and the rest of the body. The PNS, on the other hand, covers all the nerves outside the CNS and connects organs and limbs to the CNS.
All these medical terms might sound unfamiliar and a bit complex, but the truth is these systems are the reason why you can automatically pull your hand back when you accidentally touch the hot pan or why you find yourself frozen when you get that mail loaded with questions from your manager.
Signs of a Dysregulated Nervous System
If you would like to check yourself up, here are 8 signs that you need a nervous system regulation:
- Regular headaches
- Weak immune system
- Tension on neck and shoulders
- Forgetfulness
- Difficulty sleeping
- Concentration problems
- Constant fatigue
- Mood swings
Why and How Can One's Nervous System Become Overactive?
Screen Addiction
Even though psychologists and neuroscientists used to think that individuals with easily triggered nervous systems had traumatic pasts, especially in their childhood memories, the times are changing.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, we have been doing damage with our own hands—literal hands scrolling screens for 7+ hours a day, or hands not allowing any rest to the eye, mind, and legs by being attached to multiple devices.
We are highly disturbing our attention span and exposing our brains to fun, horrifying, cute, disgusting content in the same single minute. As a reaction, our nervous system needs to keep us alive, even though we are lying on the sofa, munching on chips.
Overly Safe Zones
As we started to build cities, apartments, offices, skyscrapers, and highways, we managed to escape wild animals, many natural disasters, famine, and more. While keeping us alive, these new living conditions create a massive gap between what our bodies were made for and what they are doing now.
Homo sapiens and their ancestors have a history of millions of years – so what we think of human history is actually a milestone for our evolution. Therefore, our bodies and nervous systems have yet to have the chance to follow up with the new order and will not catch up in less than a thousand years.
Our legs were evolved to escape, and our hands to craft are now laid to rest for most of the day. And as we, as the lucky proportion of the world, do not experience daily life-threatening events, we try to compensate for this feeling from things like unexpected calls, being late to a flight, doing a presentation…
But then, we become addicted to being stressed, as smaller and smaller things become stressors for us. We become unable to calm our thoughts for a moment as these stressors are always around.
A continuously activated sympathetic nervous system has the potential to crash your body. As unneeded and constant stress plays with the immune system, you can become an easy target for any illness and see the physical effects, such as hair loss, acne, and headaches, quite fast.
Benefits of Nervous System Regulation
As you start working on your nervous system’s wellness, you will become aware of a part of your body that is invisible to your eye, and damage done to it is generally not as straightforward as a paper cut on your finger but is way more dangerous to your health. On the journey of earning a say on what happens in your body and mind, taking control of your nervous system is a huge step. Here is what will change:
Improved Sleep Quality
Sleep and the nervous system affect each other circularly. When one is troubled, the other cannot stay undisturbed. Stress can adversely affect one’s sleep quality. If your nervous system is more reactive than needed, it is more likely that you will have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep and diving into the REM stage.
When you take stress under control, you can start controlling your stress reactivity as well. If being asleep but having conscious thought flows or waking every half an hour is relatable, you probably need to do something about your nervous system’s wellbeing.
Reduced Stress and Anxiety
More than 40 million people, only in the United States, struggle with anxiety. Stress is inevitable if your body spends too much time in the fight-or-flight state and steals time from the sympathetic nervous system.
There are two ways to fight against it; either you need to lower the number of triggers or take control of your body’s response to triggers with mindfulness techniques. Every regular responsibility your organs and limbs have is directly connected to your mental state, from the circulatory system to your excretory system.
Techniques for Nervous System Regulation
1. Mindfulness and Meditation
Start by slowing down; it is the easiest and fastest way to allow a chill day for your nervous system. If you are shampooing your hair in a rush with no actual urgency or swallowing your food like a tiger behind you, your body rightfully will think there is a reason behind all this quickness and keep itself prepared for what is to come. Whenever you find yourself doing something way faster than it needs to be done during the day, slow down your hands, legs, and eyes and continue your task.
Another mindfulness technique is to call out your emotions. Check on yourself during the day. Am I feeling anxious right now? Are you stressed, scared, excited, or nervous? If you can name and separate these feelings, you can control them at some level.
Ten minutes of meditation a day can be life-changing. If you find yourself distracted during that time, we recommend guided meditation, available on many platforms. The guiding voice will tell you where to focus on your body and remind you to stay in the moment. Please remember that mastering meditation will not happen quickly. Be ready to take baby steps and start with shorter sessions.
2. Deep Breathing Exercises
We have all breathed since day one, but now it is widely known that we do it wrong most of the time. Focusing on your breath and relearning how it should flow in your body and be released has many benefits, from regulating blood sugar to helping you cope with stress.
You can look up many different approaches and techniques of mindful breathing, and each has additional health benefits. However, we specifically recommend the Wim Hof Method for nervous system regulation. This method suggests rapid breathing and has been approved by many athletes and wellness enthusiasts. The Wim Hof Method also includes cold therapy, which helps regulate the nervous system, prevent burnout, and treat anxiety.
3. Yoga and Tai Chi
Ancient practices like yoga and Tai Chi can ease the dysregulations of the autonomic nervous system. With breathing techniques, yoga stimulates the vagus nerve and helps calm the body. It is also proven that yoga reduces stress hormones.
Tai Chi promotes heart rate variability with steady, balance-focused, and slow movements. High HRV is linked with stress resilience because it indicates that the body can switch between the parasympathetic and sympathetic states. With regular yoga or Tai Chi, you can gain more control over your anxiety and mood swings.
Lifestyle Changes for Optimal Nervous System Health
Just like the damage we do to our nervous system does not occur in a couple of days but results from years of unconscious choices, the healing also takes some time. By choosing suitable sources that will help regulate your nervous system, you can slowly but permanently get rid of the symptoms of a malfunctioning nervous system.
Nutrition and Hydration
Dehydration is scientifically known as one of the major reasons behind strokes. Besides causing brain fog and tender nerves, dehydration can completely destroy our bodies. Please remember that Coke, tea, coffee, or any other beverage cannot substitute water, so you should drink 8 glasses of clear water daily. Sufficient water intake increases electrical functioning in the brain, which helps with productivity, focus, and clear thinking.
The food we eat affects the effectiveness of our neurons, and an imbalanced diet can affect the formation of new neurons. A diet built on fats and sugar leaves the brain starving for essential vitamins and protein. Vitamin B, especially B1, B6, and B12, can help prevent dementia and several nerve damages. Leafy greens, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and whole grains are the first things to think of when looking for natural nervous system support.
Physical Activity
Keeping your body active is critical for regulating your nervous system. Regular exercise enhances autonomic balance and helps reduce stress. Running, swimming, and walking improve heart rate variability. Dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin are also released during physical activity, regulating the release of stress hormones.
How to Kick Off Your Nervous System Regulation Journey?
At home exercises and lifestyle changes can be sufficient for your nervous system regulation at the beginning. But to fully adapt healthy choices and habits to your life and to have your body professionally checked up to see if there is any existing damage to the system, you may consider joining a mental wellness program.
Generally, these programs take place in natural atmospheres and are guided by wellness professionals. By attending a mental wellness program, you can find the chance to learn from the source.
