The nervous system is the body’s command centre for all its functions. It directs our thoughts, emotions, and physical responses. When we are stressed, anxious, or overworked, our nervous system gets activated, putting us in a state of fight or flight. This can make us feel tired and irritable, have sleep problems, and make us more susceptible to colds and flu as well as other illnesses.
Read on to learn about the nervous system and ways to help calm it so that it doesn’t interfere with the healthy function of our immunity.
What the nervous system is and how it works
Your nervous system is a complex network of cells that carries messages between your brain and body. The nervous system can be divided into two parts: the central nervous system (CNS), which consists of the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which includes all other nerves in the body.
The CNS controls the body’s unconscious functions like breathing and heartbeat, while the PNS sends messages from your senses to your brain and vice versa. Nerves are made up of thousands of individual cells called neurons. Each neuron has many branches that extend out like a web to connect with other neurons. When activated, these neuron branches trigger electrical impulses that travel along them as waves of electricity called action potentials or nerve impulses.
These waves travel very quickly through each branch of the neuron until they reach its end where they release neurotransmitters onto neighbouring neurons at synapses (tiny gaps between neurons). These neurotransmitters are chemicals that tell neighbouring neurons whether to fire or not based on whether they received enough nerve impulses to activate them — essentially how you learn new things about your environment via your senses.
How your nervous system can impact your immune system
Your immune system is an important part of your body’s defence against disease-causing microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses. When you’re healthy, your immune system protects you from infection by producing white blood cells that can fight off germs. Your immune system also helps you recover from minor illnesses like colds or flu by fighting off invading germs before they can cause serious harm.
But when your nervous system is disrupted — whether due to stress or an underlying health condition — it can trigger changes in the function of your immune system that may make you more susceptible to illness.
Your immune system depends on your nervous system for its proper functioning, which means that when you’re stressed out or anxious, your immune system may be compromised.
Stress can affect the immune system in many ways. When you feel stressed out or anxious, your body releases hormones called glucocorticoids — cortisol in particular — into your bloodstream. These hormones can suppress your immune response, making you more susceptible to infection and disease. Stress also increases levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which can trigger inflammation throughout the body. This inflammation can have wide-ranging effects on health, including increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis as well as contributing to many autoimmune disorders like psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis.
How to calm your nervous system
Our nervous system controls everything we do, from breathing and digestion to movement and sleep. When the nervous system is calm, our immune system can function at its best. But when we get stressed out, our body’s natural defences are weakened, and we are more vulnerable to infections, colds, flu, and other illnesses.
Here are some effective ways to calm your nervous system and promote a healthy immune system:
Sleep well. Get plenty of sleep and avoid overscheduling yourself. Sleep deprivation activates the stress response and inhibits immunity. Try to go to bed at the same time every night, even on weekends, so that your body can get used to a regular sleep schedule — this will help you fall asleep faster when you’re tired at night.
Meditation. Meditation is an excellent way to calm your nervous system. There are many different types of meditation, but they all share the same goal — to disconnect from the world around you and focus on your inner thoughts and feelings. The more you practice meditation, the easier it will become for you to relax and let go of stressful thoughts.
Mindfulness. Mindfulness is similar to meditation, except that it allows us to be more aware of distractions in our environment and ourselves. It’s about being aware of what we’re doing and how we’re feeling at any given moment — whether that’s eating lunch at work or sitting in traffic on the highway. It helps us put things into perspective so that we can focus on what matters most in our lives instead of letting worry overwhelm us with negative emotions like anger, fear, or sadness.
Yoga. One way to calm your nervous system is by practicing yoga. Yoga is an ancient practice rooted in Eastern philosophy that promotes physical fitness through stretching and breathing exercises. It has been shown to reduce stress levels by lowering blood pressure and heart rate while boosting the production of brain chemicals called endorphins that act as natural pain relievers.
The more we can take control of our nervous system and learn to use it in a healthy way, the more control we have of our body and mind. Not only will this result in calmness and reduced stress, but it will also promote a healthier immune system.
If you’re feeling anxious, stressed out, or out of balance, book an appointment at My Rest. Whether you’re looking for some acupuncture, tui na, reiki, or counselling, our treatments are effective options to reduce stress levels and promote relaxation in the body this cold and flu season.