Last week we explored ways to support your potassium levels to help your body feel more balanced and nourished. This week we are shifting focus to something just as important, your nervous system. When the nervous system is out of balance, life can feel like a constant state of chaos. Let’s begin to decode what’s really going on beneath the surface. Do you feel caught in a loop of anxiety, fatigue and strange symptoms but never seem to find relief?
In this episode:
- Regulation and Dyregulation
- How Dyregulation Shows Up for You
- The Pinball Effect
- The Neuroplasticity of the Brain
Regulation and Dysregulation
A regulated nervous system responds to stress easily without stress becoming a health problem. Stressful situations do not need to be a problem. They can even be good for your health. A dysregulated nervous system has lost its plasticity. As a result you may constantly feel anxious as if there is something wrong and may never fully relax. This can lead to burnout or shutdown. When this occurs some feel exhausted, depressed or like nothing matters. Many with dysregulated nervous systems feel stuck in a loop between anxiety and fatigue. These feelings can accumulate over time. A regulated nervous system can spend time in a higher stress state then come back to a baseline of lower stress. A dysregulated nervous system gets stuck in the higher stress states. It is unable to come back to a lower stress baseline. The body needs lower stress states to perform certain processes. Deep sleep occurs in very low stress states. This is the time when damaged cells get repaired or replaced with new cells. It allows the brain to flush waste material and the immune system to clear bacteria. Now that you understand what dysregulation is, let’s explore how it might be showing up in your daily life.
How Dysregulation Shows Up for You
A dysregulated nervous system can show up as emotional, sensory and physical. It will appear different for each person within the range of those three areas, emotional, sensory and physical. The emotional component can include feelings of being overwhelmed and dissociated. The mind may race preventing relaxation. Emotions may feel more intense. The sensory component can include stress reactions to sound, smell, heat, cold, light and textures. These sensory responses can be beneficial when the nervous system is in balance. But when not in balance the nervous system can become defensive and react negatively when stimulated. The physical component can include chronic pain, shoulder and neck tension. One may also have headaches, inflammation, irritable bowels or general tension throughout the body. These symptoms don’t exist in isolation. They tend to bounce off one another in a cycle called the Pinball Effect.
The Pinball Effect
Resolving nervous system dysregulation is not as straightforward as it may seem. You may have racing emotions and decide to address the emotions to feel better. Then symptoms may arise as body tension or inadequate deep sleep. In other words as you address one issue, new concerns arise. Mitochondria are parts of the cell responsible for producing energy. When they become disrupted the cells become unable to produce enough energy. Lack of cell energy can affect your mood, hormones and immune system. If we have not been taught to respond flexibly to stress and come back to a baseline. The combination of low energy and inflexible response to stress adds up over time and results in a dysregulated nervous system. What would it feel like to have your nervous system work with you instead of against you? Although it may feel like a never-ending cycle, the good news is: your brain and nervous system are adaptable. This is where neuroplasticity comes in.
The Neuroplasticity of the Brain
The good news is the nervous system can heal itself due to neuroplasticity. The nervous system is constantly forming and reorganizing connections. The brain remains neuroplastic throughout life. This means we are not limited by childhood experiences or traumatic events that may have occurred. There are limitations if there is brain damage or stroke. But aside from these limitations we can think of the nervous system as playdough. We have the ability to reshape, direct and mold it according to our needs. Many symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system can show up in feelings and behaviors or certain parts of the body. You may find yourself addressing each symptom as if it were a piece in a puzzle. The best way is to address the bigger issue. Are you ready to understand how to retrain your nervous system to feel safe, calm, and clear? Next week we will discuss the 4 Pillars of Nervous System Health and the Quick Fix Cycle.
I’m Barbara, guiding you on the journey to better health—steering the helm toward wellness, one episode at a time. For everything else, there’s a doctor.