Chronic Stress has been linked to just about every departure from health. It is estimated that more than 90% of illness and disease is stress-related. Anxiety is directly related to a change in the nervous system as a consequence of stress. Pain often shows up during times of stress or is markedly worsened with stress. And, insomnia is another condition that often shows up during periods of high stress.
What could your secret weapon be? There might be a couple of weapons but they are all related. To understand how to essentially insulate yourself from stress, anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia and many other health challenges we need to explore where these challenges come from and how they impact the body.
A Simple View of Stress
Stress is complicated and many people view it from a very narrow perspective. Let’s define stress from its impact on the body.
Your nervous system is tasked with the responsibility of responding to your environment 24/7/365. It responds to every change in the environment in a never ending effort to keep you safe. Any environmental stimuli or condition – heat, cold, noise, relationships, work, family dynamics – that exceeds the ability of your nervous system to handle is STRESS.
Another way to look at it is that stress is any stimuli that is perceived as a threat or possible threat. Remember that your nervous system’s first priority is survival. And, there are many things in our modern world that the human nervous system did not evolve with. Consequently, there are many things that are perceived as potential threats.
The “Fight or Flight” and “Rest and Digest” Systems
Vibrant health, no anxiety, deep restorative sleep, a healthy immune response, and most every other aspect of great health is a consequence of a healthy Vagus Nerve of the Parasympathetic “rest and digest” System.
The Vagus Nerve is responsible for health digestion, recovery and healing, quality sleep, lower blood pressure, human connection and much more. This is the opposite of stress, anxiety, pain, and insomnia.
The Sympathetic “fight or flight” system on the other hand is associated with:
- Increased muscle tension
- Increased pain
- Increased inflammation
- Elevated heart rate and blood pressure
- Poor sleep and insomnia
- Worry
- Anxiety….
….and much more.
It’s pretty clear that having a healthy active Vagus Nerve is one key to overcoming stress, anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia and much more.
It is your Personal Secret Weapon against stress and everything else. The big question is how to raise the activity of your Vagus Nerve while lowering the activity of your “fight or flight” system.
I’ve committed my personal exploration of health as well as my chiropractic practice at Life Chiropractic in Grass Valley to achieving this as the best path to taking back control of your physiology and your health.
Let’s look at the most powerful practices to help restore greater balance to the Autonomic Nervous System and destroy stress, anxiety, pain, insomnia and much more.
#1 Correct Dysfunctional Breathing Patterns: most of us breathe in a way that results in a chronic low level activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This creates chronic muscle tension, pain, poor sleep, anxiety and more.
The key is to learn to use the diaphragm to breathe. This results in a slower breathing rate and a better balance of CO2.
#2 Corrective Breathing Practices: These practices help to activate or exercise the Vagus Nerve. Most of us have low vagus nerve activity that requires repeated activation. These are simple practices that can be done just about anywhere.
#3 Corrective Chiropractic Care: spinal imbalances can cause a combination of effects that is detrimental to nervous system balance. Imbalances in the mid and low back tend to activate the “fight or flight” system. Imbalances in the upper neck and pelvis tend to lower Vagus Nerve activity. Correcting these imbalances restores great autonomic nervous system balance.
#4 Nature Exposure: getting out in nature has been shown to have a soothing effect on the nervous system. It is felt that the repeating patterns of nature, called fractals, have this effect.
At Life Chiropractic in Grass Valley our focus is on correction to help support a healthy nervous system for a healthy body and a healthy life.
If you would like to schedule an appointment please use this link: Schedule Here.
About Dr. Berkowitz
Dr. Bill Berkowitz is a dedicated chiropractor who brings reliability and depth to his practice at Life Chiropractic in western Nevada County. Focused on addressing chronic issues like low back pain, headaches, and anxiety, Dr. Berkowitz delivers patient-centered care rooted in proven methods without unnecessary extras.
Life Chiropractic, founded by Dr. Bill Berkowitz, offers reliable and results-driven chiropractic care for residents of western Nevada County. With a focus on foundational health solutions, the practice prioritizes quality and effectiveness to help clients achieve relief from chronic issues without unnecessary add-ons.
Schedule your first visit here: Schedule Here