3 strategies for relaxed nerves: This is how you can calm the sympathetic nervous system

Calming the sympathetic nervous system has many health benefits. With simple exercises you can relax your nervous system and thus support natural bodily functions.

Various relaxation techniques can help you calm the sympathetic nervous system. This is important to prevent long-term health consequences of chronic stress. In addition to stress at work, we can also perceive so-called leisure time stress as an increasing burden. So on many days we can hardly get out of a tense state. This can have fatal consequences, because mental and emotional tension can promote a range of physical and psychological ailments.

Regular breaks and self-care or spending time in nature to combat stress are therefore particularly important to relax our nervous system and stay healthy. Here we present three concrete strategies that you can use to calm the sympathetic nervous system.

Soothe the sympathetic nervous system: why it’s good for you

Before beginning the exercises, it is good to understand why we should calm the sympathetic nervous system. Our nervous system has the task of perceiving sensory experiences and reacting accordingly. To do this, we have two main players:

• The sympathetic nervous system increases performance. This was used to survive in life-threatening situations. Today it is mainly used to increase activity in stressful situations. When the sympathetic mode is activated, our muscles tense, the heart beats faster and blood pressure rises. This state is also referred to as “fight or flight”, i.e. “flee or fight”.
• The parasympathetic is the antagonist to the sympathetic and is activated during periods of rest and regeneration. Then we speak of “rest and digest”: rest and digest.

Chronic stress disrupts the natural rhythm of tension and relaxation and we spend most of our time in the sympathetic state. While this increases our performance, it also inhibits other bodily functions that are not immediately essential for survival in the short term.

consequences of tension

If we don’t regularly calm the sympathetic nervous system and relax our nervous system, it can lead to chronic stress. This has long-term consequences. This includes:

• Elevated blood pressure
• tension
• muscle discomfort
• insomnia
• indigestion
• cardiovascular diseases

According to the science journal Quarks, chronic stress could also trigger depression and diabetes.

Our nervous system is autonomous. So we cannot consciously control it through willpower. Still, according to Quarks, there are some methods that can help you calm the sympathetic nervous system. Use them at the latest when you feel tense and stressed, or just want to relax for a moment in between.

The following strategies are all about activating the parasympathetic nervous system to signal the nervous system to relax.

1. Calmness through breathing: Calm the sympathetic nervous system

One of the most effective ways to calm the sympathetic nervous system is to breathe properly. In stressful situations, our breathing becomes shallow and superficial. With deep abdominal breathing, on the other hand, we can calm our nervous system in just a few minutes.

You can do breathing exercises, for example, while walking, at work or after waking up. You don’t need any equipment, just a moment’s rest.

Perform abdominal breathing while sitting, lying, or standing. However, make sure that the abdominal wall is not pressed in in this position, for example when sitting crookedly. Then place a hand on your abdomen and feel the air lift the abdominal wall as you inhale.

When doing abdominal breathing, pay attention to the following things:

• Drop your shoulders and relax your neck.
• Use your diaphragm for abdominal breathing.
• Keep the abdominal muscles relaxed.
• It is best to do this exercise on an empty stomach.

An approximate guideline for the duration of conscious breathing is the 4-7-8 rule. Do about five sets of this for a relaxing effect.

1. Breathe in for four seconds
2. hold your breath for seven seconds
3. then exhale for eight seconds.

By the way: With deep abdominal breathing you not only initiate the parasympathetic state. You support your lymph flow at the same time.

2. Calm the sympathetic nervous system with targeted relaxation methods

Targeted relaxation procedures can also aim to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. When our nerves are tense, it also affects muscles and other organs. You can take advantage of this characteristic of the body by consciously relaxing your body. Because when we relax the body, our nervous system calms down and the perceived stress decreases.

One effective method is autogenic training. You imagine how your body relaxes, for example by becoming very heavy. Through this idea, the body converts the signs of relaxation and “sinks” more and more into rest.

Similar to autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation calms the nervous system. A body scan can also help to calm the sympathetic nervous system.

If you still feel too physically tense to calm your nerves in silence, then gentle physical exercises from yoga are also a good strategy. Slow Yin Yoga is a good preparation to relax the body and mind. You can also activate the parasympathetic nervous system during work with yoga for the home office.

Tip: Start and end the day with yoga in bed. So you start relaxed and go to sleep with calm nerves.

3. Relaxation with meditation and mindfulness

With mindful habits, it is easy to quiet the sympathetic nervous system as we repeatedly consciously activate the parasympathetic state. With regular practice, you will be less stressed in everyday situations and you can relax your nervous system in the long term.

For a decelerated lifestyle you can learn mindfulness. It is about concentrating on what you are doing in the moment and not letting worries, plans and fears about the future pull you out of the present. With simple mindfulness exercises, you will quickly succeed in calming your nerves.

In addition to mindfulness, the practice of meditation is also a powerful strategy to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Just like mindfulness, you can learn meditation. For example, set up a meditation corner at home. There you can withdraw daily to get into the parasympathetic state. If you can’t make it at home, try meditating on the go.

Note: It is important for all exercises that you do them regularly. This allows the sympathetic nervous system to calm down and your nervous system to relax over the long term. You prevent chronic stress, which promotes your health in the long term.

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