Ways The Nervous System Impacts Everyday Wellness
Our nervous systems play a central role in our overall wellness. It can influence just about every function in our bodies, including our breathing, heart rate, digestive processes, movement, emotions, and most importantly, our body’s response to stress. It is important for us to be in tune with the state of our nervous system, understanding how it can govern our interactions with others & our surroundings, as well as how well we manage daily activities like walking, thinking, eating, and reacting to situations and stressors around us.
When our nervous system operates outside its relaxed parasympathetic state, and rather more regularly in its sympathetic state, we can begin to feel undesirable symptoms including nauseas, irregular sleep patterns, weak immunity, anxiety, moodiness, memory difficulties, feelings of overwhelmingness, & much more. However, a well-regulated nervous system can boost our mental clarity, our physical and emotional health, and our resilience to life’s stressors. Below, I have curated a more detailed list as to how the nervous system can impact our daily wellness, as well as ways to best support our nervous system.
Mental Health
Within our autonomic nervous system, there are two branches: our parasympathetic nervous system and our sympathetic nervous system. Our parasympathetic nervous system allows our mind and body to be in a relaxed state, allowing bodily functions to flow healthily & smoothly. However, when our nervous system is in its sympathetic state, our mind and body prepare for a “fight or flight” response, disrupting the flow of our bodily functions. Chronic activation of our sympathetic nervous system and ongoing stress can lead us to experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, and physical ailments such as headaches and muscle tension.
Ways To Support
Practicing deep breathing techniques, such as box breathing or 4-7-8 breathing, can be helpful in activating the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing the body to enter a more calm and restful state. It may also be beneficial to include regular movement and physical exercise, as physical excrete can help improve the nervous system’s resilience and response to stressors.
Cognitive Function & Memory
Our nervous system has great influence over our brain function and cognitive skills. Our memory, recall abilities, problem-solving skills, and ability to focus can all hinder on the state of our nervous systems. When our nervous system becomes dysregulated, it can cause memory gaps, inefficiency in forming solutions, decline in focus, and can cause us to recall important events or information in a distorted manner.
Ways To Support
It may be beneficial to engage and challenge the brain with activities such as puzzles, reading, or learning new hobbies that keep our nervous system sharp. While exploring activities that activate our brain power, it is helpful to limit excessive caffeine consumption. Caffeine consumption, especially in later hours where our bodies and minds begin to seek calm, can cause the nervous system to become overstimulating, resulting in undesirable symptoms.
Digestive Health
When we encounter life situations that leave us feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed, it can cause our nervous system to become active in its sympathetic state, causing overstimulation and dysregulation. Such dysregulation can have a great impact on our digestive health in its entirety, leading to symptoms that encapsulate irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bloating, nauseas, stomach discomfort, and even newly developed food sensitivities.
Ways To Support
It may be a helpful idea to consider choosing whole foods that are considered gut-healthy to better foster a balanced and healthy gut microbiome that can support the enteric nervous system. Choosing to include mindfulness techniques during meals, such as eating slowly, focusing on each bite, or being mindful of our breath, can also be beneficial in regulated our nervous system through a digestive lens.
Hormonal Balance & Immunity
Our nervous system has a significant impact on our hormonal regulation. Hormone regulation is closely linked with our immune system, impacting our immune responses to a variety of stressors and infections. Chronic stress and anxiety can suppress immune function, making us more susceptible to sickness, leading to poor overall health. For young women especially, chronic levels of stress and anxiety can also begin to impact our natural hormone cycles over time, influencing fertility, menstruation, and the effects of cortisol on our bodies.
Ways To Support
Engaging in activities that foster relaxation, such as yoga, meditation, or journaling, can be helpful in allowing our nervous system to enter a restful state, therefore balancing hormone levels and improving immune responses. It is important to choose balanced meals that can help us prioritize regulating our energy levels and maintaining strong nervous system health.
Sleep Regulation
Our nervous system plays a pivotal role in regulating our sleep cycles. Through the release of natural melatonin, a well-regulated nervous system allows our bodies to prepare itself for sleep, as well as supports a healthy circadian rhythm within our bodies. When we lack adequate and quality sleep, it can impair our nervous system function, leading to a decline in cognitive function & performance, weakened immune function, and emotional dysregulation.
Ways To Support
Establishing a consistent sleep routine is helpful in ensuring we receive the right amount of sleep each night for our mind and body. This allows our nervous system to repair and improve its ability to regulate healthy sleep and prepare our bodies for our daily life. It may be beneficial to limit screen time before bed, as well as when we first awake in the morning, as blue light can greatly disrupt our natural melatonin production and our circadian rhythm.
