Nervous System Resilience

📣 This is important. 📣

Your nervous system is constantly responding to inputs.

Sometimes those inputs are regulating—like listening to calming music or going for a walk in nature.

Sometimes those inputs are dysregulating—like being yelled at or seeing fear-based news in your feed.

There are really 2 ways to go about regulating your nervous system:

1️⃣ One way is in the moment: When you notice you are triggered, take a moment to step away and take some deep breaths.

2️⃣ The other way is daily practice: Make it part of your routine to send signals of safety to your nervous system.

Some practices you could choose to do are:

✨ Deep breathing (this is one of the best ways to activate the vagus nerve and reset the nervous system)

✨ Mindful movement (you can shake, stretch, dance, or do anything that releases tension from the body)

✨ Intentional rest (meaning rest on purpose—not only when you’re completely exhausted)

If you commit to just ONE of these things and make it part of your routine, I promise that your nervous system will thank you.

Make sure you're following us to learn more about regulating your nervous system!

#elementsnatmed #nervoussystem #nervoussystemregulation #stressmanagement #nervoussystemhealing

The Goal is Not to Always Feel Calm...

Having a regulated nervous system does not mean you will feel calm all the time.

What it means is that your nervous system can respond to any given situation in a healthy way:

To be resilient.

When your nervous system is regulated and resilient, you’re able to:

✨ experience emotions without letting them take over your life

✨ notice when you feel stressed and come back to center

✨ rest without feeling like you need to justify it

Not only that, but the nervous system connects your brain to every organ of your body.

So with a regulated nervous system, it becomes easier to heal your:

✨ gut

✨ skin

✨ hormones

✨ metabolism

✨ mood & more

In functional medicine, we are always looking for the root cause and removing obstacles getting in the way of healing.

Nervous system dysregulation can be one of those obstacles.

Like this post ❤️ if you want to be sure to see more on strategies to support your nervous system!

We Weren't Designed for This:

Human beings are not designed to be in a constant state of stress.

Whether you’re always rushed for time….

Stuck in a pattern of worry…

Skipping meals…

Overexercising…

Living on caffeine…

Or feeling unsafe in your surroundings.…

Your nervous system will pay the price.

The initial physiologic response to stress is activation of the sympathetic nervous system (“fight or flight”).

The secondary response is cortisol production.

One role of cortisol is to keep inflammation in check, but when our stress response is repeatedly triggered, it can become dysregulated and allow inflammation to go unchecked.

👉🏽 That means nervous system regulation is an essential step in addressing any condition driven by chronic inflammation.

Slow down.

Rest.

Breathe.

These things signal the body that it is safe to heal.

Stay tuned because I have a series of posts coming up with tips to support your nervous system 🙌🏽

#elementsnatmed #nervoussystem #dysregulatednervoussystem #nervoussystemregulation #naturalmedicine

Signs of a Dysregulated Nervous System

Which of these can you relate to:

💥 Constantly overwhelmed

💥 Easily irritated or on edge

💥 Anxious for no reason

💥 Feeling “wired but tired”

💥 Overly sensitive to noises or smells

💥 Muscle tension or pain

💥 Indigestion or other gut troubles

While there may be different root causes for each person, all of these can be signs of a dysregulated nervous system.

What does that mean?

It means that your nervous system is stuck in a state of overdrive.

It might be caused by ongoing stress, past trauma, or pushing your body too hard for too long.

One way to think of this is that your body is in a perpetual state of “fight or flight” driven by the sympathetic nervous system—and has trouble settling into the “rest and digest” state of the parasympathetic.

Having a dysregulated nervous system is not a diagnosis.

There are no medications to take.

It is merely an underlying pattern that can be helpful to recognize so that you can take proactive steps to support a healthier nervous system response.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of the ways I help my clients regulate their nervous system—through foods, nutrients, intentional rest, and everyday habits.

What questions do you have about nervous system regulation? Let me know in the comments ⤵️

Sleep in Early-Middle Age: Why it Matters Now.

New research on sleep 😴

Based on sleep questionnaires and brain MRIs, a new study found that issues like trouble falling asleep or waking too early around age 40 were linked with an older brain age.

Not only was that true for a snapshot in time, but similar findings persisted over 5 years as long as sleep struggles were not addressed.

We all know that life is better with better sleep, but what I want you to know is that if you struggle with sleep now, that doesn’t mean you always will.

We have a deep toolkit of strategies to support sleep naturally.

If you’re curious about what that might look like for you and how we can help, 🔗 visit our website to get started!

REFERENCE:
Cavaillès C, Dintica C, Habes M, Leng Y, Carnethon MR, Yaffe K. Association of Self-Reported Sleep Characteristics With Neuroimaging Markers of Brain Aging Years Later in Middle-Aged Adults. Neurology. 2024;103(10):e209988. [link]