Stuck In Overdrive? Supporting the nervous system to better manage anxiety

Anxiety is a natural, human experience—part of how our body prepares us to face challenges. However, when anxiety becomes chronic, it signals that the body isn’t regulating itself as effectively as it should.

The Autonomic Nervous System: A Natural Balance

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a vital role in managing the body’s response to stress and relaxation. It has two essential branches:

1. Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS): Often referred to as the fight or flight system, it helps your body respond to perceived threats. It increases heart rate, sharpens focus, and prepares muscles for action—necessary functions in moments of danger or high stress.
2. Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS): Known as the rest and digest system, this branch supports recovery, relaxation, and healing. It helps lower heart rate, encourages digestion, and promotes restful sleep.

Both branches are crucial. We are designed to function well with access to both these states, switching between them fluidly based on our needs. The problem arises when this balance is disrupted, leaving the body stuck in a heightened sympathetic state—fuel for chronic anxiety.

How Nervous System Interference Affects Regulation

When the nervous system is disrupted—through what chiropractors refer to as subluxation or interference—this communication breakdown can impair the body’s natural ability to shift between sympathetic and parasympathetic states.

This interference affects the way the brain and body communicate, potentially leaving your system stuck in a state of heightened alert. Over time, this can lead to:

• Increased feelings of anxiety
• Restlessness and poor sleep
• Fatigue from constant tension
• Difficulty relaxing or feeling calm

This isn’t about your body failing—it’s about interference disrupting its ability to regulate and function optimally.

Measuring Nervous System Balance at Advanced Health Chiropractic

At Advanced Health Chiropractic, we use advanced technology to measure how well your nervous system is functioning. Our INSIGHT CLA heart rate variability scan allows us to assess the balance of autonomic activity—giving us valuable insight into how effectively your body is regulating between fight or flight and rest and digest states.

In addition, we measure the depth of subluxation patterns in your nervous system. This helps us understand the impact of chronic stress and interference on your current state of health, allowing us to tailor our care to support your body’s ability to regulate and adapt.

How Chiropractic Care Can Support Nervous System Function

At Advanced Health Chiropractic, our focus is on supporting your body’s innate ability to regulate itself. Chiropractic care works by addressing nervous system interference, helping to restore clear communication between your brain and body.

When your nervous system functions without disruption, your body can more easily shift between fight or flight and rest and digest states. This allows you to respond to life’s challenges appropriately—without being stuck in a constant state of anxiety.

Our approach isn’t about treating anxiety directly but supporting your nervous system so it can do what it’s designed to do: help you adapt, recover, and thrive.