...could it be your nervous system?

Here is my story:

I was outside, clowning around, turned around and tripped up a step.  I fell flat out, hit hard… skinned my knees—one pretty rough.  From that day, I had several issues come up that I didn’t put together in my mind for a few weeks.

My body couldn’t seem to relax when I went to bed.  My nighttime heart rate raised slightly; my heart rate variability (HRV) became lower.  My sleep was intermittent, and I almost always woke up between 3 and 4 a.m., alert and ready for the day—not able to go back to sleep.

The other important things—needing to keep my knee bandaged so I could wear something besides shorts, and making sure I kept it clean and lubricated, I was careful to do diligently.

My sleep was not peaceful, nor rested.  My heart rate continued to slightly move up, and my HRV (Heart Rate Variability) stayed low; and I began to wonder if it was my nervous system… I had all sorts of small random symptoms, and just felt nervous.  I wondered if that could be so.

I finally considered it truly was connected to my nervous system, and stemmed from the fall.  Even though my knee was pretty much well, the rest of my random symptoms stayed with me.

I began putting soothing essential oil on at night, which helped me sleep better.  I began meditating in the mornings.  I began putting my phone down by 7 pm at the latest.

I listened to more music; I drank mushroom hot chocolate and took magnesium before bed.

I began exercising in the mornings, and made a decision to prioritize walking outside every day.  I followed through on this on most days.

I also made a decision to eat healthier food—and no sugar, eating at home consistently.  In fact, I actually stayed home more, and kept my days peaceful and free. 

I made sure I kept up with my regular supplements, and a drink I’ve recently discovered that is majorly good for gut health.

I kept a close eye on my HRV and my nightly heart rate.

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Our nervous system is a very complicated and complex system.  It keeps our heart beating; it’s in charge of our thoughts that cross our mind, and many other things through our entire body and mind.  There are three parts of our nervous system:

1. Rest and Digest; it promotes relaxation, recovery and regeneration.  It slows our heart rate, increases our digestion, and helps us have a sense of calm.

2. Fight or Flight; it kicks in when we’re stressed, anxious or threatened.  It increases our heart rate, blood pressure, and energy levels.  It prepares you to either confront the challenge or flee from danger (even when there’s nothing you can flee from or fight off).

3. Automatic Pilot. It regulates our involuntary functions (heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digestion). It keeps our body functioning optimally, even when we’re not actively thinking about it.

These three systems ideally work together in harmony.  If they don’t, our body is out of balance—and so is our health.  It can affect each person differently.

So if you’ve been experiencing anxiousness, and a host of other symptoms that you can’t explain, don’t rule out that your nervous system may be out of sync.

When it’s off kilter, these are some of the symptoms you could experience in your body:

●       Rapid heartbeat

●       Excessive Sweating

●       Muscle pain and tension

●       Fatigue, low energy, exhaustion

●       Insomnia, difficulty sleeping

●       Digestive issues

●       Headaches, migraines, tension headaches

●       Difficulty breathing

●       Numbness, tingling, burning hands and feet

And these are some other symptoms:

●       Anxiety, fear or panic attacks

●       Mood swings, irritability, restlessness

●       Difficulty concentrating or focusing

●       Memory impairment or brain fog

●       Increased stress, overwhelm, feeling “on edge”

●       Withdrawal from activities, or people

●       Intrusive thoughts

And some others:

●       Feeling disconnected from oneself

●       Hypersensitive to stimuli

●       Destructive self-soothing behaviors

●       Difficulty regulating body temperature

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The cause of my nervous system issues were caused from my fall.  But there can be all sorts of things that can cause a nervous system imbalance. Here are some of those:

●       Chronic Stress

●       Trauma: Physical, emotional or psychological

●       Poor Sleep, over time

●       Gut imbalance

●       Toxins

●       Nutrition Deficiencies (especially B Vitamins, D, Omega-3)

●       Chronic Inflammation

●       Hormone Imbalances, Thyroid Dysfunction, etc.

●       Oxidative Stress

●       Poor (Shallow) Breathing

●       Lack of Social Connection

●       Chronic Illness

●       Medication and Substances

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Some of these symptoms can actually be pretty scary when you are experiencing them.

If you suspect you’re having trouble with your nervous system, in the simplest terms, take excellent care of yourself.

If your child or someone close to you was very upset and needed calming down, you’d want to comfort and care for them.  Think of your own self in that way.  Do things that would comfort yourself—good quality food with good quality fats, limited alcohol, no sugar, good quality supplements.

Eat on a schedule—and fasting is good, but don’t let yourself get weak.  And rest.  Be still sometimes—You might be surprised at how you feel.

Get some exercise, no matter how light.  Walking is good, especially outside.  Do things that are relaxing.  Do things you enjoy.  Be with people who care about you.  If you don’t have time to rest or enjoy, work it in somehow.  You can do it.

These are basic things that should improve your symptoms.  And if your nervous system is not your problem… if you do some of these things, your health will probably improve on its own anyway. 

In addressing your symptoms, if you are unable to improve your health, I recommend working with a seasoned Functional Medicine Physician.  If you need assistance in finding a physician, I can help you, or you can check on IFM.org.

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My issues have almost totally faded away.  I’m carrying on with the things I worked at to make it better, which is really what we all should be doing anyway.  Sometimes things happen to help us renew our resolve for our health, and this was one of those times for me.

If you have symptoms, I can help you; come talk to me about your health journey.  Let me help you.

(479) 234-2298

sharon@whereisyourcalm.com

Thank you for reading.

Sharon

P.S.

Take care of yourself.  You are the only body and mind you have.