Happy Dysautonomia Awareness Month!
October is both physical therapy and dysautonomia awareness month! I’m sure you hear about “regulating your nervous system” all of the time, but what does this even mean?
Dysautonomia is a general term referring to a dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system. This system is responsible for all automatic processes in your body that you don’t have to think about. Some examples are breathing, blood sugar regulation, heart beating, and digestion.
Some subcategories of dysautonomia are POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure), IST (idiopathic sinus tachycardia), VVS (vasovagal syncope), and more! Although each has its own diagnostic criteria, similarities include a dysregulated autonomic nervous system. This means, interventions should be focused on nervous system regulation! Here are some considerations:
Is there an allergy, toxin load, or mold exposure causing your mast cells to be overactive? Nervous system regulation may look like removing the exposure and reducing the load in your body or looking into medication management for MCAS or dysautonomia.
Are you neurodivergent with sensory needs? Whether you’re a sensory seeker or avoider, accommodating how your brain is wired is a way you can support your nervous system. This may look like exercise, fidget toys, deep pressure, loop earbuds, or hiding in a dark closet.
Gentle movement, nutrition, mental health work, and breathwork. All of these things contribute to a more regulated nervous system.
It’s almost always multifactorial, meaning you can’t eat your way out of a dysfunctional nervous system with all the right supplements. What you can do is choose 1 area to start working on it now.
Do you have a favorite sensory regulation tool?
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