Nervous System Dysregulation: Signs, Causes and How to Regulate

Written and clinically reviewed by Stephanie Post, PsyD

What is nervous system dysregulation?

Nervous system dysregulation is when your body stays in stress mode after the stress has passed. You might feel tense and nervous all the time, numb and exhausted, or swing between the two.

It isn’t a diagnosis or a nervous system disorder, and there’s no test for it.

The part of your nervous system that handles stress has two branches that work like a gas pedal and a brake. The gas pedal, your sympathetic nervous system, gets you ready to fight or run when you sense danger. The brake, your parasympathetic nervous system, calms your body down once the danger has passed.

On a good day, you move between the two without noticing. A tense meeting speeds you up, and a walk afterward settles you down. You stay inside what therapists call your window of tolerance: the zone where you can feel stressed or upset and still think clearly.

Dysregulation is when you get pushed out of that zone and have trouble coming back. You can get stuck revved up, where your heart races, your muscles tense and your thoughts won’t slow down. Or you can shut down, where your body goes numb and slows everything to protect you.

Stress responses aren’t unhealthy in themselves. They help you handle hard moments. The trouble starts when they keep running after you need them.

What are the signs of nervous system dysregulation?

The signs depend on which way your body has gone, and you can move between the two.

When you’re revved up, you might:

• feel tense, jumpy or easily startled

• have a racing heart, a tight chest or a clenched jaw

• get an upset stomach

• find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep

• get irritable or angry over small things

• have racing thoughts you can’t switch off

• feel exhausted but unable to relax

  
  

When you’ve shut down, you might:

• feel numb, as if you can’t feel much of anything

• feel heavy and exhausted, even after rest

• find it hard to focus or remember things

• pull away from people

• feel disconnected from your body or your surroundings

  
  

These signs can have other causes, including medical ones, so it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about them.

What causes nervous system dysregulation?

Dysregulation builds when your body is pushed into stress mode again and again without enough time to recover. Over time, repeated stress takes a toll on your body. Common causes include:

Ongoing stress: months of pressure at work or at home, money worries or burnout.

Trauma: a frightening or overwhelming experience can teach your body to stay alert for danger. So can growing up in a home that didn’t feel safe, which can affect how a child’s stress system develops.

Physical strain: poor sleep, illness and long-term pain add to the load your body is carrying.

It can be a mix of these, and sometimes there’s no single cause you can point to.

How to calm your nervous system in the moment

No breathing trick will reset your nervous system in 30 seconds. But a few simple steps can help your body settle enough for you to choose what to do next. Pick the one that fits the state you’re in.

If you’re revved up (racing heart, racing thoughts), breathe out for longer than you breathe in. Breathe in through your nose, then let the breath out slowly, making the out-breath longer. Or try two short breaths in through your nose and one long breath out through your mouth. Practiced for five minutes a day, this kind of breathing can lift your mood over a month.

If you’re revved up, move. A fast walk deepens your breathing and eases muscle tension. Walk to the end of the street and back, or take the stairs.

If you’ve shut down (numb and heavy), start small. Stand up, stretch or press your feet into the floor. Then look around slowly and name a few things you can see. This reminds your body where you are right now.

You’ll find more steps for each state in my post on how to stop a flashback.

How to regulate your nervous system day to day

The steps above help you through a hard moment. What you do on ordinary days, when you’re not struggling, can change how often you get there.

The aim isn’t to feel calm all the time. It’s to make it easier to come back to steady after something knocks you off balance.

These are the habits I recommend:

Spending time in nature. You don’t need a hike. Twenty to 30 minutes in a park or garden can lower your levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Leave your phone in your pocket and notice what you see, hear and smell.

Unplugging from your devices. Your phone pulls at your attention, even when you’re trying to rest. Blocking internet on your phone for two weeks can improve your mental health, well-being and focus. You don’t have to go that far. Keep your phone out of the bedroom and turn off notifications you don’t need. At meals, leave it in another room.

Moving mindfully. Gentle movement, like walking, yoga or tai chi, helps calm your body’s stress response. As you move, pay attention to your feet on the ground, your breath and the places you’re holding tension. Ten minutes of stretching at home counts.

Eating without strict rules. Intuitive eating means eating when you’re hungry, stopping when you’re comfortably full and letting go of rules that label foods good or bad. Strict dieting can add to your stress. Cutting calories can raise your cortisol, and tracking every calorie can make you feel more stressed.

If food has been a struggle for you, work on this with a dietitian or therapist who understands eating disorders.

Drinking less alcohol. A drink can seem to ease anxiety, but only in the short term, and heavy drinking can make anxiety worse. Even moderate drinking can disrupt your sleep. If you drink, have fewer drinks when you can, and try not to rely on alcohol to calm down.

Checking in with your doctor. Some physical conditions can feel a lot like a dysregulated nervous system. An overactive thyroid can cause a racing heart, nervousness and trouble sleeping. Sleep problems, irritability and anxiety also become more common in the years around menopause.

A checkup can rule these out, and your doctor can tell you if anything else needs attention.

Using the tools you learn in therapy. In therapy, you build your own set of resources: things that help your body feel steadier. A resource might be a place where you feel safe, a person or pet you feel calm around, or a phrase you say to yourself. One I teach is an inner “resource team”: the nurturing, protective and wise parts of you.

Practice your resources when you’re calm, so they’re easier to reach when you’re not. The “I Love You Anyway” tapping in my post on how to stop overthinking without fighting yourself is one you can start on your own.

Trying a calming wearable, if you’re curious. Some wearable devices use gentle vibrations and are sold to help you relax. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t check whether devices sold for relaxation or stress relief work before they go on sale. If you try one, notice whether it actually helps, and use it alongside these habits rather than instead of them.

How long does it take to regulate your nervous system?

In the moment, a few minutes of slow breathing or moving can help you settle. But they’re coping tools, not a reset.

Lasting change takes longer. It’s more like building fitness than fixing something once: small practices, repeated over weeks and months.

If trauma is part of the picture, it can take longer, and working with a therapist can help.

Is there medication for nervous system dysregulation?

There’s no medication for dysregulation itself. If your symptoms are part of anxiety, depression or PTSD, a doctor or psychiatrist can talk with you about whether medication could help.

Can therapy help with nervous system dysregulation?

It can. Therapy gives you a steady person to settle with while you learn new ways to respond.

In my practice, I use Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, which works directly with your body’s responses. Together, we notice what happens in your body under stress and build resources that help you feel steady. Then we practice coming back into your window of tolerance.

If your symptoms are part of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there are well-studied treatments for each. I can help you work out what fits.

When to get help

It’s worth talking to a therapist if:

• you feel tense, numb or exhausted most days, and it’s affecting your work, relationships or sleep

  
  

• the steps in this post aren’t making a difference after a few weeks

  
  

• you have trauma symptoms like flashbacks or nightmares

  
  

• you’re relying on alcohol, food or your phone to cope

See your doctor if you have new physical symptoms, like a racing heart, dizziness, fainting, numbness or weakness. If you have chest pain, trouble breathing, or sudden numbness or weakness, call 911.

Steadiness is something you build

Your nervous system learned to react this way for a reason. It was trying to protect you. With practice and support, it can learn that it’s safe to settle.

You don’t have to do this alone. If you’d like help, I offer online therapy for adults across California.

Stephanie Post, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist based in the San Francisco Bay Area who specializes in trauma-informed somatic therapy. She is an EMDRIA-certified EMDR therapist and a certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist, and she is IFS trained. She works online with adults across California who are facing trauma, anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression, and want to live more authentic, embodied lives.

Schedule a free 30-minute confidential video call today.

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9. Tomiyama, A. J., Mann, T., Vinas, D., Hunger, J. M., Dejager, J., & Taylor, S. E. (2010). Low calorie dieting increases cortisol. Psychosomatic Medicine, 72(4), 357–364.

   
   

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