The Nervous System: Your Body's Security Alarm

The nervous system is a highway of communication between the brain and the rest of the body, allowing us to interact with the physical world around us. It's also what keeps us safe. Known for being the body's security alarm, your nervous system is constantly on the lookout for danger and ready to respond in a split second to protect you,

Unfortunately, sometimes the nervous system can go into overdrive and become dysregulated. This leads to feeling overwhelmed, tired, anxious, or having trouble processing sensory information. Anxiety and panic attacks are often due to your nervous system perceiving a threat where there is not one.

When your nervous system is regulated, you’ll feel balanced and able to handle the activities of daily life. This state of balance is known as the “window of tolerance.” Outside the window of tolerance, many people experience symptoms of “shutting the world out” or feeling unable to relax or constantly “on edge.” Here, we’ll discuss the symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system and what you can do to get back in balance.

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Signs of a dysregulated nervous system

You are probably familiar with feeling nervous or anxious. Perhaps you’ve felt like you can't focus, or like you were on edge all the time. These are symptoms of nervous system dysregulation. Like a security alarm inside of you, your body is sending signals that it thinks something is wrong or that you are in danger. You may have heard this described as fight-or-flight mode. A number of factors can cause this, including:

• Chronic stress, from work, school, or upsetting home and life situations.
• Trauma, such as abuse, the recent loss of someone close to you, sudden changes in lifestyle (moving, divorce, diagnosis of an illness)
• Hormone changes, from puberty, menopause, gender transition, or illness
• Mental illnesses, like depression, PTSD, anxiety, panic disorder, and more.

While this response is helpful in times of true danger, it's not helpful when it happens outside of real threats, or when it happens constantly. Nervous system dysregulation can cause you to experience anxiety, insomnia, depression, lack of motivation, and difficulty concentrating.
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Regulating your nervous system

Many of us walk around in the chaos of modern life feeling dysregulated. The good news is that there are things you can do to become more aware of your nervous system’s state and bring yourself back into your window of tolerance.

• Meditation & Mindfulness - Meditation can help you slow down and process your emotions. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is part of the nervous system that is in charge of calming the body down. This can help you lower levels of stress and anxiety and improve your sleep. Overall, learning mindfulness techniques can help you be more present and more aware of your current state.
• Stress reduction - Chronic stress is frequently to blame for an overactive nervous system. There may not be a lion chasing you, but your body perceives the stress of a hard day in much the same way. Examining the stressors in your life and reducing them can go a long way towards keeping yourself more regulated.
• Exercise - When we think about exercise, we typically think about the benefits to our muscles and bones. However, exercise has a profound effect on our nervous system as well. The feel-good and pain-relieving chemicals known as endorphins are produced in the body in response to physical activity. Studies have also demonstrated that physical activity lowers blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
• Emotional Freedom Technique - The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a psychological acupressure technique that is used to help regulate the nervous system. It is based on the premise that thoughts create emotions and by changing our thoughts, we can change our emotions. EFT is a simple, safe, and non-invasive procedure that can be performed anywhere at any time. It involves tapping on specific energy points on the body, such as the eyebrows, forehead, cheekbone, etc… while focusing on a particular issue or problem. EFT has been shown to help relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression, (PTSD), pain, and sleeplessness, and stress.
• Therapy - For many, self-care is something that is often forgotten about in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Getting caught up in work, family, and social obligations makes it easy to forget that we need to take time for ourselves. One of the best ways to take care of ourselves and help regulate the nervous system is through therapy. Therapy can help you understand your thoughts and emotions, and it can also help you learn how to manage stress and symptoms of anxiety in a healthy way. All of this can lead to getting better sleep and reducing overall stress in your life, thus decreasing your nervous system’s response to stress.
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Getting help to regulate your nervous system

The link between your brain and your body is so strong, that they often work independently just as much as they work together—creating the perfectly balanced life we’re accustomed to. When we experience a threat to life or feel in danger, our amazing nervous system kicks into gear to help us fight or flee. However, sometimes this reaction can get stuck in an "on" position due to chronic stress, even when there's no threat present. This can lead to the feeling of being constantly on edge, as well as a host of other symptoms. The great news is, with the right help, you can learn to regulate your nervous system and improve your mental health and well-being.

If you or someone you know struggles with nervous system dysregulation, Medens is accepting new patients in the California and Nevada areas. Reach out to us by filling out our online contact form or calling us at (833) 624-5400.

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^Disclaimer:

^{‍The information provided in this blog is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reliance on any information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding your medical or mental health. If you don’t currently have a therapist, we can connect you with one who is qualified to give you safe, professional, and ethical advice regarding your mental health.}

^{If you or someone you are responsible for is experiencing a medical emergency, is considering harming themselves or others, or is otherwise in imminent danger, you should call 9-1-1 and/or take them to the nearest emergency room.}