Is your nervous system dysregulated?
A regulated nervous system is important for all aspects of your health and wellbeing. When the nervous system is able to regulate well, you'll be able to respond to things (including stress) as you need to but are then able to down regulate back to a place of relaxation soon afterwards.
Many of us are chronically stressed and living with dysregulated nervous systems which means that even when we're not needing to go into sympathetic, stress response mode, we're in this activated state OR we're staying stuck in a sympathetic stress response long after the original 'stress' or stressful event has occurred and we're unable to switch off the stress response and go back into parasympathetic mode (rest, digest, relax, replenish).
An common example can be where you've had a busy day, lots going on and you're feeling really tired but when you try to go to sleep you find yourself feeling wired or your mind is going at a million miles an hour and you can't switch off to be able to relax enough to get to sleep.
Here are some other indicators of nervous system dysregulation:
- you struggle to get to sleep or you wake frequently during the night (not being woken by kids)
- you find yourself in tears or close to tears often
-you startle easily eg in response to noises or sudden movements
-you feel on edge and hypervigilant
- you feel anxious or overwhelmed
-you have a racing mind and struggle to concentrate
-you feel flat or depressed or burned out
-you procrastinate or have difficulty getting started on tasks
-you overreact to things
-you are quick to react in anger or yell
- you feel under pressure constantly
-you have difficulty slowing down and relaxing even when you have the chance to
- you feel panicky
- you feel tense and wound up physically
Chronic nervous system dysregulation can lead to a whole host of symptoms including:
anxiety/depression/panic attacks/ high blood pressure/ heart palpitations/ insomnia/ burn out/ hormonal issues/low libido/digestive issues/ inflammation/ fatigue/ thyroid issues/ brain fog and difficulty concentrating/immune system issues and more...
One of the best ways to regulate the nervous system is through your breath.
Your breath has an influence on your autonomic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system controls your heart rate, respiration, sexual function and digestive system.
By consciously breathing in certain ways we can influence all of these processes which are otherwise happening outside of conscious control.
How we breathe also directly affects the nervous system so that you can learn how to regulate your nervous system and move from sympathetic stress response mode into parasympathetic rest/digest/relax/replenish mode.
If you're interested in learning how to use your breath to reduce stress and anxiety and to learn how to regulate your nervous system, I offer a variety of types of breathwork and can tailor 1:1 sessions to best suit you and your nervous system. The best place to start (whether you're a current/returning naturopathic client or a new client) is with a pre-session chat where we can establish which type of breathwork will be the most suitable starting point for you and you can ask any questions that you might have about breathwork. Book a free 15 pre-breathwork session chat here; https://blossomwellbeing.as.me/pre-breathwork-chat (these are via zoom or phone).
Or for a DIY option which you can access from the comfort of home when it suits you, my BreathSpace membership includes a new fortnightly breathwork class (30-45min length) plus an on demand tool box of shorter guided breathing techniques and meditations for you to access as you need to. Monthly membership is currently just $29 and there is no lock in time frame, you can pause or cancel your membership whenever you want to.
Read about the BreathSpace membership here: https://blossomwellbeing.com.au/breathspace-membership-introduction/
