How to Calm The Sympathetic Nervous System

Have you ever felt like your body’s alarm is stuck on? Maybe your heart starts racing over a small work email, your muscles get tight while you’re in traffic, or you can’t stop thinking about an awkward conversation from days ago.

You’re not broken—your sympathetic nervous system is just working too hard. In today’s busy, always-on world, a lot of us feel like we’re stuck in emergency mode all the time.

The good news? You already have simple ways to help your body calm down and reset. This guide will help you notice when your nervous system is stressed and show you easy ways to bring it back to balance.

Understanding Your Autonomic Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls your body’s automatic functions that keep you alive. It’s essentially operating behind the scenes 24/7, and understanding how it works can transform your approach to stress and wellness.

On one side we have the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), your body’s “fight or flight” response. On the other side is the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) or the “rest and digest” response.

These two systems are constantly working together, responding to different situations you encounter throughout your day.

Why Nervous System Balance Matters

By knowing the difference between your conscious thoughts and automatic bodily responses, you can regain control of situations that feel out of your control.

When you understand what’s happening physiologically during stress, you can intervene before things spiral.

Modern Life and Your Nervous System

Think of your nervous system as a city; the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is the emergency service, always on high alert, ready to protect you from danger.

Now, add a bit of chronic stress—think of it as rush hour traffic—and it can put these emergency services into overdrive. This is where the lights and sirens go off way more than they should, causing anxiety, high blood pressure, and muscle tension you can’t get rid of.

What Happens When Stress Takes Over

When stress hits, it’s a call to action for stress hormones, adrenaline, and cortisol to ready the body for action. This is perfect for those “run from a tiger” moments, but it is not so good when the tiger is constantly bombarded emails, deadlines, and daily demands.

The kicker is that prolonged exposure to these stress signals can throw off the balance between our internal emergency response and our rest and digest system and put us into a state of hyper-arousal.

This means our nervous system gets crossed wires; we start to interpret everyday situations as high-stakes emergencies. It’s like having a car alarm that goes off at the slightest touch. Not only is this exhausting, but it sets the stage for a whole host of health issues down the line.

Signs Your Sympathetic Nervous System Is Overactive

An overactive nervous system can cause:

Persistent anxiety and worry
Hyper-vigilance (always on edge)
Difficulty relaxing or falling asleep
Digestive issues
Muscle tension and pain
Elevated heart rate and blood pressure
Acne and skin issues
Hair loss
Low energy levels

But don’t worry; understanding this is the first step to turning down the stress and returning to calm and balance in the nervous system.

The Power of the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is also a crucial part of your nervous system. It starts in the brain and ends in the large intestine, creating a superhighway that connects your brain to many important organs.

It plays a vital role in involuntary sensory and motor functions like digestion, heart rate, and immune responses.

Why Activate Your Vagus Nerve?

Activating the vagus nerve puts your body into a relaxed state so that it can properly allocate energy. When your vagus nerve isn’t functioning optimally, your body’s resources get misdirected.

This improper energy allocation can show up as stress, acne, stomach aches, headaches, hair loss, poor sleep, low energy, and more.

By activating the vagus nerve, you allow your body to send energy towards repairing skin, growing hair, improving digestion, enhancing sleep quality, boosting energy production, and much more.

Techniques to Calm Your Sympathetic Nervous System

Activating the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is a crucial pathway for activating your parasympathetic nervous system. Here are some effective methods to stimulate it:

Cold Plunging – A short exposure to cold water can stimulate the vagus nerve and trigger the relaxation response
Music and Singing – Engaging with music, especially singing, creates vibrations that stimulate the vagus nerve
Gentle Touch and Massage – Physical touch, particularly around the neck and shoulders, can activate the vagus nerve
Breath Work Integration – Deep, slow breathing exercises directly stimulate vagal tone

Whether through cold exposure, music, touch, or breathwork techniques, activating your vagus nerve is a powerful way to counter sympathetic nervous system dominance.

5 Core Calming Practices

Let’s get into the most effective ways to calm your mind and body.

1. Deep Breathing

Research shows that slow, deep breathing increases comfort, relaxation, pleasantness, vigor and alertness, and reduces symptoms of arousal, anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion.

Try my personal favorite deep breathing exercise.

2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Relax each muscle group methodically, starting from your toes and working up to your head. Tense each muscle for a few seconds then release. This releases physical tension and relaxes the body.

Follow this step-by-step guide on progressive muscle relaxation!

3. Visualization

Close your eyes and imagine yourself on a beach or in a forest. Imagine the sights, sounds, and smells of this peaceful place. Visualization can distract your mind from stress and calm you down.

Try a guided visualization.

4. Yoga and Tai Chi

Do some yoga or tai chi. These combine physical strength, flexibility, and focus. Follow a guided routine to ensure you’re doing it right and get the most out of it.

5. Healthy Diet and Probiotics

Feed your gut healthy bacteria by eating a thoughtful diet rich in fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Add probiotics found in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi.

Building Resilience to Reduce Stress

When your nervous system detects a threat, real or imagined, it triggers the fight-or-flight response and causes a cascade of physiological changes. But there are simple ways to build resilience against these stress responses.

Finding joy in the simple things can significantly reduce stress and activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Small moments of pleasure send signals to your body that you’re safe, countering the stress response.

The Nutrition-Nervous System Connection

Nutrition is also a key part of resilience. Eating whole foods supports your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

When I switched from eating fast food three times a day (for convenience) to just three times a week (cooking more), I noticed a significant improvement in my overall well-being. I felt better, had more energy, and got better sleep.

Regular practices like meditation, consistent exercise, proper nutrition, and incorporating joyful activities into your daily life all work together to create a stronger, more resilient you.

Self-Care Practices for a Healthy Nervous System

Self-care isn’t just a luxury—it’s vital to maintaining a healthy nervous system. It starts with making time for activities that help you relax and recharge, like reading a book, watching YouTube, or just going for a walk.

Gratitude and positivity are also important components of self-care. Taking a few minutes each day to reflect on what you’re thankful for can improve your mood and overall outlook.

By making self-care a priority, you’re creating a buffer against stress and supporting your nervous system’s health. Add these practices into your daily routine to take your mind off daily stressors.

Creating a Stress-Free Home Environment

Your home should be a place where your body and mind can relax.

Declutter and clean to cut down on visual stress.
Add plants and natural light to boost mood and connect with nature.
Use calming colors like blue, green, or earthy tones.
Try lavender, chamomile, or eucalyptus scents with candles or oils.
Set up a small spot for meditation, stretching, or deep breathing.

A calm space at home helps your body reset and recharge.

Conclusion

Your sympathetic nervous system is designed to protect you, but today it often gets triggered more than it needs to. The key is knowing what’s happening in your body and taking small steps to calm it down.

Things like breathing exercises, cold plunges, or making your space more peaceful can all help. It’s not about fixing everything at once but making small changes regularly.

Over time, these habits can help you feel more steady and less overwhelmed.

FAQs

Your sympathetic nervous system doesn’t always distinguish between physical threats and psychological ones. Work deadlines, relationship tensions, or even scrolling through negative news can trigger the same physiological response as physical danger.

Additionally, if you’ve experienced chronic stress or trauma, your nervous system might have a lower activation threshold, meaning smaller stressors can trigger a full stress response. Regular nervous system regulation practices can gradually reset this threshold.

Unlike medications that often work quickly but temporarily, nervous system regulation is more like strength training—it builds over time. Most people notice small improvements within 1-2 weeks of consistent practice (like daily breathing exercises or cold exposure).

However, meaningful shifts in your baseline state typically take 4-8 weeks of regular practice. The key is consistency rather than intensity—five minutes daily is much more effective than one hour once a week.

Yes, but not in the way most people think. While no single food is a magic bullet, emerging research shows that your gut microbiome directly communicates with your brain through the vagus nerve.

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (like fatty fish and flaxseeds) help reduce inflammation that can trigger stress responses. Fermented foods introduce beneficial bacteria that produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters.

Perhaps most importantly, stable blood sugar levels (achieved through regular meals containing protein, healthy fats, and fiber) prevent the stress response triggered by blood sugar crashes.

Nervous system sensitivity exists on a spectrum influenced by both genetics and life experiences. Some people are born with naturally more reactive nervous systems (often called “highly sensitive people” or those with “sensory processing sensitivity”).

Additionally, early life stress, trauma, or even extreme stress during pregnancy can affect nervous system development.

Rather than comparing yourself to others, focus on understanding your unique nervous system patterns and finding personalized regulation strategies that work specifically for you.

While self-regulation techniques are powerful, sometimes professional support is necessary.

Consider seeking help if: your nervous system symptoms (anxiety, panic, insomnia, etc.) significantly interfere with daily functioning; you’ve experienced trauma that feels unresolved; your symptoms have persisted despite consistent self-regulation efforts; or you notice increasing physical symptoms like chest pain, digestive issues, or chronic pain without clear medical cause.

Options include trauma-informed therapists, somatic experiencing practitioners, or healthcare providers specializing in functional medicine approaches to stress-related conditions.

Medical Disclaimer

The information contained in this post is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions or before embarking on any new health or wellness routine, including saunas and cold plunging. Neither the author(s) nor the publisher of this content take responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any cold plunging routine or other health or wellness program.