How stress can impact your nervous system (And how yoga therapy helps to regulate it)
How stress impacts your nervous system (And how yoga helps to regulate it)
We all know by now that too much stress isn’t good for us, but do we know why?
When you are stressed your body activates your Sympathetic Nervous system which releases the ‘stress hormones’ adrenaline and cortisol into your system, increases your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing, and diverts your blood flow away from your vital organs to your muscles. Basically it gets your body to fight or run away from danger!! And this is all good stuff - we evolved with this system and these hormones for a reason - to keep us safe and continue to survive.
What we didn’t evolve to do is live in this stress state for extended periods of time, and as we’re in this constant level of fight and flight (and freeze) our parasympathetic nervous system ‘rest and digest’ state is suppressed taking longer to switch back into recovery mode when you need it… to digest, to recover from illness and injury, to function at your most optimal capacity.
What could this mean and how can a disregulated nervous system show up for you?
Short term stress - normal for short sharp bursts to motivate and react:
Faster heartbeat and shallow breathing
Muscle tension or shaking
Sweaty palms
Digestive slowdown (butterflies, nausea, constipation)
Heightened alertness or irritability
Long term stress - When stress keeps the nervous system “switched on” too long:
Weakened immune system
Decline in mental health with anxiety, depression, memory and focus issues
Issues with digestion (e.g. IBS, ulcers)
Increased headaches, migraines, nerve sensitivity and/or insomnia
Reduced heart health - high blood pressure, risk of heart disease
Hormone imbalances like fatigue, weight changes, menstrual irregularities
Burnout
Chronic pain or fatigue syndromes
Not ideal but here’s one thing for sure - stress factors are just a normal part of life and are going nowhere! So how can yoga help us better prepare ourselves for this, give us the tools to support a regulated nervous system making us more resilient and better able to manage under these pressures? Here’s 4 (research backed) ways that yoga can help you find that balance:
Regulates by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and improving your rest and digest response.
Balances your hormones, decreasing cortisol levels and increasing serotonin and dopamines (your happy hormones).
Enhances brain function by activating the pre frontal cortex, the area involved in decision making and memory.
Releases physical tension, improves flexibility and increases strength.
What’s not to like! It’s not just the physical asana (postures) that support these effects, it is all of the 8 limbs of yoga - from the yamas and niyamas to the asana to the pranayama to the meditation and beyond! So if you’ve ever wondered about trying yoga but been too nervous, or felt you were too inflexible or not strong enough, then take this as a sign to just try it. I run yoga therapy 121s if you want a more bespoke therapeutic approach, or there are plenty of beginners classes online or in local studios to get you started, and I always say ‘you never regret doing yoga!’