Do you notice chronic fatigue that never seems to go away, even after a few nights of good sleep? Are sleep disturbances common throughout the week? Do you deal with bloating, constipation, and other gut disturbances? These are all signs of a dysregulated nervous system. The nervous system impacts your entire body. When dysregulation is present, havoc throughout the body ensues. It permeates throughout the body, keeping you stuck in a perpetual fight or flight response. This negatively impacts both emotional regulation and physical health. This post will review the role of the nervous system in the body, identify the signs of a dysregulated nervous system, and a brief overview of ways to regulate your nervous system.
**This is not medical advice. Please consult your medical provider for more information.
A Breakdown of the Nervous System
The nervous system is composed of the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). The central nervous system is comprised of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is made up of everything else (think of all of the nerves exiting the spinal cord). The enteric nervous system, or ENS, controls our digestive system and is part of the PNS. The ENS has been shown to act independently of the CNS.
The PNS is further broken down into the somatic nervous system (SNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The SNS involves all voluntary actions, like walking, grabbing objects, and blinking your eyes. The ANS manages involuntary actions and can be divided into the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic division is your “fight or flight” response. It prepares your body for action based on the presentation of a stimulus. The parasympathetic system is your “rest and digest” response. It calms the body and brings you back to homeostasis.
The Vital Role of the Nervous System
The nervous system acts as the command center for the body’s numerous functions. It affects everything from the rate of our breathing, to our heart rate, and even affects our digestion. Its delicate balance is crucial for managing stress and preserving your wellbeing. When operating smoothly, it allows us to navigate the ebbs and flows that daily life brings us.
At times, the finely tuned nervous system can become dysregulated. This dysregulation manifests through a spectrum of symptoms. You may feel a heightened alertness of the fight of flight response in action, especially to more subtle stimuli. You may notice more dynamic mood swings where you are reacting more strongly to something minor. A faster heart rate or heightened anxiety may also be present.
The health of the nervous system is not just a matter of physical health, but also tied to our mental health. A dysregulated nervous system influences the capacity to utilize coping strategies effectively and maintain heart rate variability at an appropriate level.
What is Dysautonomia?
Dysautonomia represents a spectrum of conditions arising from a dysregulated autonomic nervous system. While dysautonomia does not specify the cause of nervous system dysregulation, it does encompass all conditions related to this dysregulation. It impacts the body’s ability to manage the stress response effectively, which leads to an imbalance in the fight or flight mechanism. Symptoms resulting from this involve emotional dysregulation and chronic stress, just to name a couple.
While chronic stress can be a symptom of dysautonomia, it can also often serve as both a precursor and exacerbator of dysautonomia. This is what makes this so challenging to treat because it is very easy to get stuck in this perpetual circle that doesn’t seem to stop. Stress exacerbates the dysregulation, but then the dysregulation keeps the stress going. This is where stress can continue to affect physical and mental health. Understanding and addressing these symptoms through coping strategies, relaxation techniques, and mindfulness can aid in restoring balance to the nervous system.
Dysautonomia can also be a symptom of other conditions, including EDS. If this is something you are dealing with or believe you may be a hypermobile individual, check out this article here for more information.
Identifying the Signs of a Dysregulated Nervous System
When we talk about our wellbeing, it’s impossible to overlook the role of the nervous system. When our nervous system is dysregulated, you can experience a cascade of symptoms, which can sometimes make it difficult to pinpoint what the culprit is. This dysregulation, known as dysautonomia, affects the ANS. Ideally, your body fluctuates fluidly between a sympathetic state and a parasympathetic state. When dysregulation ensues, you get stuck in a prolonged sympathetic, or fight or flight, state. Here are some signs and symptoms to look for when you suspect a dysregulated nervous system.
Common Signs of a Dysregulated Nervous System
You will find that all of the symptoms listed below show correlation with low vagal tone and low heart rate variability (HRV). Vagal tone refers to the level of activity of the vagus nerve and is a useful indicator in measuring an individual’s ability to respond to stress. HRV is the measure of the variation in time between consecutive heartbeats. HRV can be used as an indicator for both physical and mental health. If you have high HRV, your body is able to adapt more efficiently to many changes. Low HRV refers to a body that is less resilient and may struggle with change. Because of this, low HRV is considered a sign of current and/or future health problems. Both a low HRV and low vagal tone are associated with dysautonomia.
Physical Symptoms
- Sleep disturbances, ranging from insomnia to difficulty falling or staying asleep, are a sign of a dysregulated nervous system. The body gets stuck in a sympathetic state, making it hard to fully rest and relax. When you are unable to find the necessary balance for restorative rest, this further fuels the cycle of symptoms related to anxiety and emotional dysregulation.
- Gut issues illustrate the profound connection between your nervous system and your gastrointestinal health. A dysregulated nervous system highlights the intricate interplay between stress, anxiety, and overall wellbeing. To learn more about this gut brain axis, Check out this blog post HERE!
Emotional and Behavioral Signs of a Dysregulated Nervous System
- Cognitive symptoms can present themselves, especially when sleep deprivation and stress are also present. A low HRV impairs executive functioning, focus, and attention.
- Difficulty regulating emotions is another hallmark sign of autonomic dysfunction. Mood swings and irritability are linked to impaired parasympathetic function. If you feel like you are on a rapid emotional rollercoaster without a clear reason, this may be a signal that your body is stuck in fight or flight mode.
- Anxiety, depression, and panic disorder, according to this study, were found to have a significantly reduced HRV compared to the controls. Once again, this is a key indicator for dysregulation of the nervous system and fight or flight (sympathetic) dominance. This isn’t merely about feeling nervous or worried. There is an ongoing, heightened state of anxiety that doesn’t seem tied to any particular event.
Chronic Stress and Its Role in Nervous System Dysregulation
Chronic stress acts as a relentless antagonist in our daily lives and overall wellbeing. It can disrupt the delicate balance of the autonomic nervous system. This has the potential to place us in a perpetual fight or flight response. The dysregulation of the nervous system can drive symptoms of anxiety, sleep disturbances, emotional dysregulation, chronic fatigue, and gut imbalances, just to name a few! These physical and emotional symptoms are just the tip of the iceberg. They are signaling deeper turmoil beneath the surface. Being in a stressed state perpetuates the fight or flight response, keeping us stuck in a sympathetic state. We continue to stress over being stress and not feeling good, along with the other symptoms that come about. This cycle then continues to fuel itself, making it very difficult to get out of on your own.
Unfortunately, managing chronic stress is a lot more challenging than we make it out to be. All too often, doctors say, “manage your stress levels.” But what exactly does this mean!? It sounds straightforward, but in actuality…it is not. Managing stress is often more than simply going for a walk every once in a while or having a spa day once a year. Managing chronic stress is an ongoing cycle. It requires a constant commitment to mindfulness, relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, working out, proper sleep, and other stress management strategies. Acknowledging the connection between nervous system dysregulation and chronic stress empowers us to adopt these coping strategies for restoring harmony within us.
Related Articles on Managing Stress and Prioritizing Self Care
- 5 Different Ways How to Build Self Care
- Why Sleep is Important for Muscle Recovery
- Exercise and Mental Health: Positively Improve All Aspects of Life
- What is Vagal Tone and How to Improve It
Nervous System Regulation and It’s Impact on Chronic Pain
Dysautonomia can manifest in a myriad of ways. Yet, one of its most taxing expressions is through chronic pain. A dysregulated nervous system does not have the ability to properly manage stress responses. Therefore, the body gets stuck in a sympathetic state. The body believes it is trying to help itself. But instead of protecting us, chronic time spent in this state actually ends up hurting us. It hurts us through a cascade of physical symptoms, throwing our bodies out of homeostasis. So where does the chronic pain come into play? Let’s explain…
When in a sympathetic state, the body can sometimes enter a state of heightened pain sensitivity. This can happen for a short time. The real issue is when you start dealing with the chronic pain. Chronic pain is characterized as pain that is present for over 3 months. When dealing with chronic pain, brain structure and function changes over time. In fact, individuals dealing with chronic pain have brain regions similar to those found in individuals dealing with mood disorders.
On top of these structural changes, emotional disorders can also accompany the physical changes. Also, the way that we perceive pain also changes. This study states that “chronic pain is considered to develop as a result of the persistence of pain memory and inability to erase pain memory after injury”2. This goes to show that pain over time alters how we perceive pain signals and how it manifests in the brain.
When to Seek Professional Help
Identifying the signs of a dysregulated nervous system do not happen immediately. These changes are slow and happen over time. There is a persistence of symptoms that hints that something might be off. You might notice that you have tried many different avenues of treatment for various symptoms which only provide temporary relief. There is a certain complexity that shrouds the nervous system and when navigating nervous system health.
This becomes than implementing relaxation techniques of mindfulness. When both emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms manifest and make themselves apparent over a length of time, professional help is necessary. It is a lot to navigate on your own. Seeking psychological support can offer a tailored approach that can help with emotional and behavioral symptoms. Leaning coping mechanisms and tools for dealing with anxiety is useful. Using medication as needed and when safely prescribed can be beneficial if symptoms are severe or interrupting with daily life.
Support from friends and family can be of service in times of need. A physical therapist can help with some nervous system regulation tools and providing a comprehensive workout regimen to support your activity goals and help with chronic pain management. Working with a functional medicine dietician and physician can support your body from the inside out. Finding out where you bloodwork levels are can give key insight into what is wreaking havoc on the body. They can work with you based on what you body shows and give direction as to where to go from there.
Seeking help from just one of these professionals is a start, but it cannot be all that you do. Remember, treating the nervous system is about a full body approach. If you leave one avenue open, you will not address the entire issue at hand, leaving room for symptoms to make their way back in and continue the never-ending cycle. Acknowledging the need for help is a powerful first step towards reclaiming the harmony of your nervous system. You must stick with it and remain persistent in your pursuit for overall wellbeing in reaching homeostasis.
References
1 Wang Z, Luo Y, Zhang Y, et al. Heart rate variability in generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and panic disorder: A network meta-analysis and systematic review. J Affect Disord. 2023;330:259-266. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.03.018
2 Yang S, Chang MC. Chronic Pain: Structural and Functional Changes in Brain Structures and Associated Negative Affective States. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(13):3130. Published 2019 Jun 26. doi:10.3390/ijms20133130
TL;DR
The nervous system plays a critical role in regulating how our body responds to stress, movement, and pain. When it becomes dysregulated—a condition known as dysautonomia—people may experience a variety of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating. Chronic stress is a major contributor to these issues and can worsen or even trigger persistent pain. Recognizing the signs of a dysregulated nervous system is essential for seeking proper treatment and restoring balance. Physical therapy can support nervous system regulation and improve quality of life by addressing both physical and neurological factors. In turn, regulating your nervous system can also help you through your journey with physical therapy, including managing chronic pain.
Tera Sandona is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and the founder of PT Complete. She helps high-achieving women break out of cycles of chronic pain, stress, and burnout through her Regulate and Rebuild Method, a sequenced approach that addresses the nervous system first and builds strength second. Her work focuses on helping women finally understand their bodies, rebuild strength, and create lasting resilience that fits real life.
