5 Actionable Steps to Help you Regulate Your Nervous System
Let’s be even more specific when we say “Nervous System”. Yes, your entire nervous system is key to your health and well-being. Your nervous system is ultimately responsible for the monitoring, control, and regulation of every single body function.
Not a single body function is outside of the control and influence of the nervous system. Starting to sound pretty important isn’t it?
If we were to assign a level of importance to different divisions of the nervous system the highest level of importance and priority would be assigned to the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). According to a paper published in the NIH’s National Library of Medicine the Autonomic Nervous System “regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal”.
Most of us feel that we have little to no influence over or control of our nervous systems. Yet, the degree of health we experience and the impact of stress on our bodies and our lives is directly related to the health and balance of the Autonomic Nervous System.
Learn to Regulate Your Nervous System
Did you know that learning how to regulate your nervous system can be one of the most powerful things you do for your health, wellbeing and longevity? A well-regulated nervous system not only promotes calm and focus, but it also is key in reducing stress, improving sleep, and supporting overall well-being.
I’m sharing 5 of my most actionable steps to help you regulate your nervous system.
1. Breathe Through Your Nose, Not Your Mouth
There are many tools I can teach you but almost every single practice involving breathing starts with nasal breathing. When you breathe through your nose a couple of very critical things happen:
- Nitric Oxide is produced in the sinuses causing dilation of the bronchioles in the lungs and your blood vessels. This facilitates greater uptake and delivery of oxygen.
- Your Vagus Nerve is activated. Reduced activity of the vagus nerve is synonymous with stress and ill health.
- Your Diaphragm is activated. The diaphragm is the primary muscle of breathing. The majority of us breathe in the upper chest.
Action Step: Spend 7 to 10 minutes twice a day sitting still and breathing lightly, slowly, and deeply. The goal is to experience a very mild degree of air hunger where you experience a controllable desire for more oxygen. Increased watery saliva is a sign you have activated your Vagus Nerve.
Conscious deep breathing is a simple yet powerful tool to calm your nervous system. When you take deep breaths, especially with an elongated exhale, your vagus nerve gets stimulated, shifting you from a “fight or flight” state (sympathetic) to “rest and digest” (parasympathetic). A study in Frontiers in Psychology found that slow, deep breathing directly affects the autonomic nervous system, reducing heart rate and promoting relaxation.
Action Step: Try 4-7-8 breathing. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Do this for 2-3 minutes when you feel stressed.
2. Grounding and Nature Exposure
Grounding, also called “earthing,” involves connecting physically with the earth, either by walking barefoot or touching natural surfaces like grass or soil. You can experience the same effect immersing yourself in a natural body of water like a river, lake, or the ocean. Research published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health suggests that grounding can improve sleep, reduce pain, and lower stress by balancing the autonomic nervous system.
Getting out in nature has also been shown to have tremendous benefits. This is also called “forest bathing” and research published in the National Library of Medicine shows it helps reduce blood pressure, improve autonomic function, improve immune function, as well as improve mental health.
Action Step: Spend 10 minutes barefoot in a park, on grass, or sand. Notice how your body and mood change. Or, simply go out for a walk and observe the grass, trees, clouds, water.
3. Practice Mindful Movement
Movement practices like yoga, tai chi, or even mindful walking regulate the nervous system by balancing the energy in your body. A study from Harvard Medical School showed that yoga improves vagal tone, which means better control over your stress response. You will benefit most by turning your phone off, and moving with your body, paying attention to all the sensations of movement.
Action Step: Incorporate 5 minutes of gentle yoga stretches or mindful walking into your day. Focus on the sensation of each movement.
4. Cold Exposure Therapy
Short bursts of cold exposure, such as cold showers or ice baths, can stimulate the vagus nerve, promoting better nervous system regulation. Studies from PLOS ONE indicate that cold exposure activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing inflammation and enhancing resilience to stress. Immersing your body in cold water is the best but you can also benefit simply by filling a large bowl with ice water and immersing your face in the water.
Action Step: Start your day with 30 seconds of cold water at the end of your shower. Gradually increase the time to 1-2 minutes. I find it easier to immerse my entire body in cold water than the cold shower, but they both work
5. Corrective Chiropractic Care
This is a significant advancement over traditional chiropractic care. If you have ever been to a chiropractor and they did essentially the same adjustments each time, or simply adjusted you where it hurts, that is traditional chiropractic.
Corrective Chiropractic has a few very defined goals from care:
- Restore structural balance and alignment
- Restore proper spinal joint motion
- Remove sources of irritation from the Autonomic Nervous System with the key areas being: upper cervical spine, mid thoracic and lumber, and the pelvis.
Corrective Chiropractic care helps calm the nervous system and retrain your brain to better manage stress. This form of chiropractic care improves the connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, lowering anxiety and improving emotional regulation.
Action Step: If you are in Grass Valley or Nevada County consider scheduling your first visit with Life Chiropractic of Grass Valley. You can schedule your initial visit here: Schedule Here.
Now it’s your turn to try these steps and experience the benefits of a calm, regulated nervous system. I’d love to see how these practices are working for you! Reach out by email and share how this has worked for you lifechiropracticgv@gmail.com.
Don’t wait—your path to calm and well-being starts today. We can’t wait to hear how these practices impact you!
About Dr. Berkowitz
Bringing more than 3 decades of practice experience, Dr. Bill Berkowitz focuses on balancing and corrective care, applying his expertise to provide patients with predictable, repeatable and measurable results.
Dr. Bill consistently strives to enhance the well-being of his patients by addressing the root imbalances of their problems and promoting optimal balance, alignment, and function of the spine and nervous system.
Bill’s wealth of knowledge and experience has allowed him to develop a nuanced understanding of the human body and its intricate connections. With each adjustment, he supports the body in returning to a state of balance that goes beyond mere symptom relief, focusing instead on long-term correction for his patients’ well-being.