What do people mean when they say their nervous system is overloaded or needs a reset?

You might have heard people talking about their nervous system being “overloaded” or “dysregulated” when they’re going through periods of heightened stress.

Or perhaps you’ve been offered ways to “heal” or “reset” your nervous system on social media or at expensive wellness retreats.

But how does the nervous system actually work? And can it be overloaded and reset?

What does the nervous system do?

The autonomic nervous system influences bodily functions that aren’t in our conscious control, such as the workings of our organ systems, body temperature regulation and emotions. It’s organised into two separate branches: sympathetic and parasympathetic.

The sympathetic nervous system helps us deal with stressful situations, activating our survival responses of fight, flight, freeze and fawn.

The parasympathetic nervous system has an opposite role, bringing our automatic responses back to normal functioning after activation due to stress.

While we have evolved to be able to respond well to immediate threats, our stress-response system is terrible at helping us deal with the chronic stressors of modern life: heavy workloads, financial stress or the long-term pressures of fitting caring responsibilities into already busy lives.

“Nervous system overload” isn’t clearly defined but usually refers to the bodily effects of stress when we feel beyond our ability to cope. This might happen when we have numerous threats outside our control or when we haven’t had a chance to de-stress from one thing before another hits.

Is this the ‘nervous breakdown’ of our times?

“Nervous breakdown” is another lay term, though an outdated one, without a clear medical definition.

It was considered as a sort of collapse in the ability to fulfil one’s usual social roles. Being completely out of action – like a car broken down on the side of the road – due to a sudden and extreme mental health episode.

“Nervous system overload” is described in almost opposite terms. People may still able to go about their daily lives but feel more frazzled and sensitive, and less able to cope with the usual ups and downs.

Why is the nervous system having a moment?

Dysregulation of the nervous system has long been understood to be part of what goes wrong, biologically, in post-traumatic stress disorder.

But the nervous system – and its overload – seems to have become a mainstream self-help buzz word, particularly since the pandemic.

One reason could be rising awareness of the biological bases of emotions. There are physiological changes that are interpreted by the brain, which lead to the experience of emotions.

The recently debunked polyvagal theory has also risen in popularity. This theory posits evolutionary and neurophysiological explanations for the role of the vagus nerve in the autonomic nervous system, and is often referenced in relation to trauma.

While there aren’t many studies of therapies developed from polyvagal theory to know if they work, a recent consensus statement from 39 experts in related fields debunked the central premises of polyvagal theory.

More broadly, our fascination with the nervous system could be a move towards seeing distress as a brain or biological problem, rather than something based on our experience. Using medical-sounding term such as nervous system overload might feel easier than saying you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Using biological explanations for stress or mental ill-health can reduce stigma and shame but it also means problems can feel more long-lasting and outside our control.

There is also the risk of “concept creep”, where people extend diagnostic labels that are usually reserved for severe symptoms to relatively mild experiences. This can turn everyday problems into medical or psychiatric disorders.

Talking about “resetting the nervous system” can give the impression that something in the body is seriously wrong, even though ups and downs in our health and wellbeing are a normal part of being human.

Read more: Diagnostic labels may increase our empathy for people in distress. But there are downsides too

You can’t reset the nervous system

“Nervous system resets” are described online as anything from deep breathing and time in nature to £13,000 (A$25,000) a day health retreats favoured by former British royals.

While there’s nothing wrong with any of these self-help strategies (or fancy health retreats), there’s no clear evidence that they can “reset” the nervous system or that such a thing is even possible.

So how can you actually manage stress?

Re-framing “nervous system overload” as chronic stress can help to identify some more affordable, evidence-based ways to cope.

Lifestyle interventions such as regular physical activity, adequate sleep and healthier diet patterns have all been shown to reduce chronic stress.

Mindfulness and meditation practices, which could include breathing exercises, can reduce cortisol (a stress hormone) levels in blood and saliva.

Time in nature has been shown to reduce other measures of stress such as blood pressure and self-reported stress.

Making or experiencing art – visual art, music, dance or drama – has also been shown to help with stress management and prevention.

For greater levels of distress, or for support implementing these kinds of methods, seek professional support. Psychologists are well-versed in using evidence-based therapies for helping people manage stress.

However, unlike a “reset”, sustainable change is usually gradual and requires ongoing effort. And prevention is key. If you can, reflect on how to make life more manageable over the long term before your body shows physical signs of distress.