Natural treatments and strategies to calm an overactive nervous system
How to soothe your nervous system with the key natural approaches.
The modern world isn’t exactly set up for calm, with so many of us living in a fast paced environment, with little time for ourselves and our own wellbeing.
Overview
In this article, a few strategies will be outlined that you can use to soothe an overactive sympathetic nervous system naturally.
First, let’s get some context on how having a less active sympathetic nervous system and a more active parasympathetic nervous system can lower the risk of burnout.
Symptoms of an overactive sympathetic nervous system
Although they’re rather wordy descriptions, the ‘‘sympathetic nervous system’’ and ‘‘parasympathetic nervous system’’ are worth paying attention to.
The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) rules over the ‘‘fight or flight’’ response (1). This division of the nervous system activates when a threat or need for physical activity is detected.
When we’re not in a situation of stress, we enjoy the ‘‘rest and digest’’ way of living. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) controls this mode.
The SNS and PNS affect everything from the eyes, to the heart, gut (and more) (2).
You’re probably familiar with some of the symptoms of an activated sympathetic nervous system, such as:
- Feeling anxious
- Heart beating faster
- Mouth becoming dry
- Needing to urinate
- Shallow breathing
- Tense muscles
When the SNS is overactive, many of these symptoms can occur more often than normal.
We may feel more on edge, irritable, or fearful.
In the long-term, the symptoms listed above and their accompanying emotional reactions can lead to burnout.
SNS activity causes energy expenditure to increase (3). But the body is only built to use up so much energy on a daily basis.
The even bigger issue here is that sympathetic nervous system overactivity is linked to a range of health conditions (4).
This includes the development of high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. It also causes a greater risk of insulin resistance, which is known to lead to type 2 diabetes (5).
Time to focus on the positive — strategies and natural treatments you can use to address an overactive sympathetic nervous system.
Nutrition
Nutrition is an underrated treatment for calming anxiety. But there are many different foods that have been found to be beneficial for the nervous system.
Turmeric is often referred to as a ‘‘superfood’’ for its long list of health benefits.
The main ingredient in this spice is curcumin, which is known to have neuroprotective effects (14) and be an anti-inflammatory (15).
Salmon is another. Wild sources of the fish are a great source of vitamin D in particular (16).
A fascinating study showed that a sample of people eating salmon three times per week for six months experienced lower levels of anxiety than people eating chicken, or the red meats of pork and beef (17).
And here’s one to celebrate for the chocolate lovers out there…
Dark chocolate, which is packed with healthy flavonols, can improve brain function by increasing blood flow and providing nerve-protective benefits (18).
Nobody wants to feel ‘‘tired and wired.’’
If you want to soothe an overactive sympathetic nervous system and lead a calmer life, the only option is to start changing how you live day-to-day.
Soothing strategies for an overactive sympathetic nervous system
The body is intelligent, more intelligent than humans have yet to fully understand.
Whilst stress is an unavoidable part of life, we do have some control over how much stress we expose our body to.
Thankfully, there’s a range of strategies that people frequently use to ease their nerves.
Here’s a quick list that you can choose from if you want to encourage your body to relax.
Breathing practices
Breathing slower and deeper into the belly is a great place to start.
Apps such as Headspace and Calm are accessible from your phone. You can select a breathing exercise and follow along, whether you’re at your desk, on the train, or making dinner.
The reason deep breathing is so useful is that it stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is one of the central parts of the parasympathetic response (6).
Blood pressure and heart rate decrease when the vagus nerve is stimulated. Bodily relaxation and digestion, meanwhile, both increase.
Self-care activities
You shouldn’t feel guilty for having some time for yourself. Taking the foot off the gas can restock your energy levels so that you’re more productive in other areas of life.
Protect some time each day for a self-care activity if this is possible. The activity doesn’t need to be too long. Five or ten minutes is better than nothing. Online casinos also offer an exciting and entertaining alternative that can help alleviate stress and tension. Gambling online can be a fun and enjoyable way to escape the pressures of everyday life while also providing the opportunity to win some rewards. Read this Bitstarz casino review if you would like to learn more.
What’s viewed as a relaxing and enjoyable activity is, of course, personal to each individual. But if you would like some ideas, people often feel calmer after a hot bath, reading a good book, receiving a massage, using full spectrum hemp UltraCell products, or spending an extra thirty minutes in bed.
Gratitude diary
Gratitude practices are popular, these days. You may have heard of entrepreneurs and celebrities talking about how they can’t do without their gratitude diary.
Maybe you think that taking some time each day to write down what you’re grateful for sounds cheesy.
This may feel unnatural at the start because you won’t be used to the process. With time, though, the practice should come more easily.
People report that within ten weeks of starting a regular gratitude practice, they feel happier and more optimistic about their lives (7).
And the best part is that it’s free to try. All you need is a pen and paper, or simply use your smartphone notepad.
Natural treatment for an overactive nervous system
Feel like the strategies above aren’t quite enough? Several natural treatments can also help to calm an overactive sympathetic nervous system. These include:
Psychotherapy
If you think that you could be suffering from an anxiety disorder — which can trigger an overactive sympathetic nervous system — then seeing a psychotherapist may be a sensible option to consider.
There are many different forms of psychotherapy. In CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy), people are guided to observe their thought patterns, examine the validity of these patterns, and shift negative loops of thought that are worsening anxiety.
There’s also MBSR (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy). This treatment combines cognitive therapy with Jon Kabat Zinn’s mindfulness-based stress reduction approach.
Both CBT (8) and MBSR (9) have been found to be effective in treating anxiety.
Bioresonance therapy also has wonderful results at helping to reduce anxiety and other nervous system symptoms.
Herbal medicine
You may be interested to try herbal medicine remedies which we use frequently here at the London Clinic of Nutrition.
Valerian root has been used to support people with sleep and anxiety issues by reducing GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) breakdown (10).
In simple terms, this means that there’s more GABA in the brain and nervous system, which helps to regulate impulses in the nerves.
Other widely used herbs for anxiety include chamomile (11), lemon balm (12), and passionflower (13).
Treatment
Our approach is to look at the body as a whole, rather than concentrating on just one area. Just like peeling back the layers of an onion, we investigate each patient’s unique situation to reveal the unique root causes behind their illness.
We often create a timeline based on the clients medical history to document the progression of their nervous system imbalance and identify contributing factors.
After a thorough interview, medical history and relevant laboratory tests, we usually have a much better understanding of the potential underlying causes. This allows us to develop an appropriate treatment plan tailored to each individuals unique situation.
Get in touch
For advice on calming your nervous system, the easiest and quickest way to speak with us is by calling 020 3332 0030 and a member of the team will be on hand to answer your queries.