10 expert tips to regulate your nervous system

It’s essential to regulate your nervous system to keep your body and mind balanced — Photo courtesy of pixdeluxe / E+

Your nervous system, including your brain, spinal cord, and nerves, is the main control center for your entire body and regulates your every move, whether you consciously think about it or not. There are signs when your nervous system is out of whack, and there are ways to get your body back on track. Here, experts offer tried-and-true methods to help you rebalance your nervous system.

What’s a dysregulated nervous system?

When your nervous system isn’t balanced, it could affect you mentally and physically. “When the nervous system is dysregulated, people might feel like they’re constantly ‘on edge’ or stuck in overdrive — think anxiety, restlessness, and racing thoughts,” says Dr. David A. Merrill, director of the Pacific Brain Health Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. “Others might experience the opposite: a sense of disconnection, fatigue, or numbness. Physical symptoms like digestive issues, headaches, or frequent illness are common signals of a nervous system under strain.”

How to regulate your nervous system

Regular exercise helps regulate your nervous system — Photo courtesy of skynesher / E+

You may need to try multiple methods to regulate your nervous system, and you can expect it to take some time to see long-term benefits. Each of these techniques below focuses on eliminating the noise and stress of our everyday lives.

“The key to regulating your nervous system is creating moments of calm and connection throughout your day,” Merrill says.

Engage in deep breathing

Take a moment to breathe, but really good, deep, long breaths. “Practices like deep, diaphragmatic breathing (using the diaphragm to take deep breaths) or progressive muscle relaxation can engage the parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ response, helping counterbalance stress,” Merrill says.

Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing up and then relaxing different muscle groups throughout your body. For example, contract the muscles in your face and then relax them, contract the muscles in your shoulders and then relax them, and so on until you’ve reached your toes.

Get regular exercise

“Regular exercise, yoga, or tai chi enhance vagal tone, calming the nervous system,” says Dr. Ryan S. Sultan, professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University.

The vagus nerve (in your brainstem) helps regulate blood pressure and heart rate, and a high vagal tone indicates a lower resting heart rate and blood pressure.

Try mindful walking

Mindful walking in nature with friends will help regulate your nervous system — Photo courtesy of mixetto / E+

You can participate in mindful walking anywhere — indoors at home or at work or even when walking your dog. The key to mindful walking is to stay in the present moment by paying attention to bodily sensations and your immediate surroundings Note the sounds you hear, the things you see, the feeling of the ground below your feet with each step. If you find your mind has wandered off to thoughts of the past or future, simply note it and bring your awareness back to your immediate surroundings.

Enjoy nature

Communing with nature is an excellent antidote for a dysregulated nervous system. You can go anywhere — in your backyard or to a nearby park — as long as you feel safe and find enjoyment. Whether walking, soaking up the sun, or simply sitting with the breeze on your face, you’ll reap benefits, like lower blood pressure and improved mood.

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Spend time with loved ones

Quality time with family or friends can increase oxytocin and dopamine in your blood stream which helps reduce stress and boosts positive emotions.

Sleep and eat well

Getting plenty of sleep and eating a healthy diet go a long way in regulating your nervous system. “Adequate sleep, balanced nutrition, and reduced exposure to chronic stressors create an environment for nervous system health,” Sultan says.

Meditate

Daily meditation is one way to balance your nervous system — Photo courtesy of Milan Markovic / E+

Meditation benefits the body in many ways. “Daily mindfulness or focused meditation is as effective as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, like Prozac) for managing anxiety, as shown in clinical studies,” Sultan says.

It doesn’t take much: Meditating for as little as 20 to 40 minutes daily promotes balance in the autonomic nervous system, part of the peripheral nervous system that regulates breathing, digestion, blood pressure, and heart rate.

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Sit up straight

Maintaining good posture helps ward off back, neck, and shoulder pain and reduces joint wear and tear. It also can help regulate your nervous system because maintaining good posture keeps your spinal cord working optimally with the brain and nerves. To maintain good posture:

• Keep your head above your shoulders with your shoulders back.
• Maintain a straight line between your shoulders and hips.
• Keep knees slightly bent when standing with your feet the same width as your shoulders.
• When sitting, sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor.

Splash some cold water on your skin

The sensation of cold water on the skin stimulates the areas of the brain that regulate negative emotions. While you could opt for a cold shower, you can get similar results by placing a cold washcloth on your neck or splashing cold water on your face.

Smile

When you smile — a genuine smile, not a pretend or half-hearted smile — your facial muscles relax, which, in turn, calms the nervous system. Smiling also lowers stress, boosts your immune system, and improves your mood, all of which help regulate your nervous system.