Your nervous system is the communication center of your body. It controls the body's functions and regulates the body to its environment. A healthy body is able to adapt to different environments. What we know is that too much time in an unhealthy environment can lead to maladaptation, and chronic conditions.

Our body is always working on regulating itself. 

Your nervous systems had control over the following (just a few):

• Your temperature

• Digestion

• Urination and defecation

• Metabolism

• Healing response

• Blood pressure

• Production of body fluids

• Pupil response

• Adrenal response

• Emotional responses

One of the most detrimental experiences to the health of your nervous system is chronic stress and unprocessed trauma. When you experience stress, your sympathetic nervous system steps in and sends signals to the body. This part of the nervous system is to help us get out of danger. You are not meant to have it activated constantly over long periods of time. 

Often referred to as the fight or flight response, the activated sympathetic nervous system signals stress hormones, such as cortisol, and signals adrenaline response. Over time the constant releasing of cortisol and adrenaline leads to adrenal fatigue and diseases. 

If you are having your sympathetic nervous system in overdrive, it is important to start the healing process as soon as possible to reverse and limit the negative effects on your health.

7 Signs you are in sympathetic nervous system overload

1. You are quick to get angry or lash out. When you are out of balance you have a harder time regulating your emotions. You no longer process the information in a calmer manner, but jump right into an intense response. After the outburst, you may feel shame but also like you are unable to control the outbursts. Some other emotions you may experience are hypervigilant and more likely to startle. 

2. You experience anxiety and panic. When you're sympathetic dominant, tasks and experiences that used to be simple, easy, or fun, now become more challenging. You may be preparing for the worst outcome and anticipating things going wrong. You may struggle to do the tasks you used to do. This can lead to anxiety and even panicking over the completion of the tasks or experiences.

3. Inability to relax or sleep: When you go to relax at the end of the day, are you finding yourself unable to relax? Maybe you experience racing thoughts right when you lay down to sleep. Other’s report feeling tired all day and when it is time to sleep, you feel wide awake and cannot drift off into dreamland. When you are sympathetic dominant, your body is releasing more stress hormones than it normally would. This can affect all your hormones and lead to a hormone imbalance. This is often referred to as being wired and tired.

4. Chronic pain: Stress comes out physically. Dysfunction comes out physically. When you are stuck in the stress response in your nervous system it leads to dysfunction in the regulation of your body’s systems. This presents itself physically with migraines, shoulder and neck pain, back pain, general muscle aches, and body fatigue. We know chemicals produced from stress stay in the body and are stored in your tissue. 

5. Memory problems: Memories and remembering what you need to do is both activated and easier in your parasympathetic part of your nervous system (“rest and digest.”) Sympathetic dominance leads to being overwhelmed in your brain. You may find yourself unable to remember if you ate or not, what you need to get completed for the day, a loved one’s birthday, and things you used to never forget. When our brains are overwhelmed and in the stress response, the brain is focused on the stress and nothing else. Your adaptation response to the stress is the here and now, not memories.

6. Digestive struggles: The sympathetic nervous system draws blood flow away from the digestive system and into the limbs. Being in sympathetic dominance leads to a lot of digestive issues. This may present itself in diarrhea, constipation, weight gain, and pains in the stomach. In addition, your gallbladder can be affected by the chronic stress only our body and overall function is decreased. We also know that it can even affect your bacteria in your gut.

7. Sensitivity to light and sounds: When your system is overwhelmed, it often will try to limit the outside input. This means you may find yourself wanting to limit your vision (picture putting on hats, hoodies, or wearing your hair around your face) and noise is very irritating. You may find yourself unable to listen to certain types of music or that focusing with your eyes takes longer.

It is becoming more and more common to get stuck in sympathetic nervous system dominance. At Dover Health Care Center Chiropractic we see it in children, teens, and adults. Getting the right support for your nervous system is vital to your health. Click here for the best ways to heal your nervous system. If you are interested in chiropractic care in Dover, Delaware, or are looking for a chiropractor in Dover, Delaware, please reach out to us. We would love to meet you.