The Naturopathic Co.
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Bloating when you’re stressed. Losing your appetite when you’re anxious. Suddenly needing the bathroom before an important event. Feeling constipated after an exhausting week.
These are all examples of how closely the nervous system and digestive system interact.
If you’ve been researching nervous system dysregulation, you may have come across symptoms such as feeling wired but tired, difficulty switching off, poor sleep, anxiety, fatigue and feeling constantly on edge.
But nervous system symptoms don’t necessarily stop at the brain.
The digestive tract is heavily influenced by the autonomic nervous system, which means ongoing stress can also affect the way your gut feels and functions.
“Nervous system dysregulation” is commonly used to describe difficulty shifting appropriately between different states of nervous-system activation.
Your autonomic nervous system includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
The sympathetic nervous system helps prepare the body to respond to challenge or threat — often referred to as the fight-or-flight response.
The parasympathetic nervous system supports functions associated with recovery, relaxation and digestion — commonly described as rest and digest, and communicated largely through the vagus nerve.
Both systems are necessary.
The aim isn’t to eliminate the stress response. It is to be able to appropriately activate when necessary and return towards baseline afterwards. Read more about our approach to nervous system support.
People experiencing prolonged periods of stress may report:
These symptoms can have many causes and shouldn’t automatically be attributed to nervous system dysregulation. Persistent fatigue in particular is worth investigating properly — read more about fatigue and low energy and adrenal fatigue. Chronic stress can also affect hormones (read more about stress and hormonal imbalance) and, for some people, immune regulation (read more about stress and autoimmune flares).
However, when several occur together — particularly during prolonged stressful periods — looking at nervous-system health can be useful.
Digestion is one of many functions influenced by the autonomic nervous system.
When you perceive a threat, the body temporarily prioritises responding to that threat.
The problem is that modern “threats” aren’t necessarily physical dangers.
Deadlines, financial pressure, relationship problems, constant notifications, poor sleep, excessive work and ongoing worry can all contribute to repeated activation of the stress response.
For someone already susceptible to digestive symptoms, this may contribute to worsening IBS, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, reflux or abdominal discomfort.
The gut and brain communicate through the gut-brain axis.
One important pathway within this network is the vagus nerve, which communicates between the brain and internal organs including the gastrointestinal tract.
Communication is bidirectional.
Your emotional state can influence your gut, and signals originating within the gastrointestinal system can communicate back towards the brain.
This is why we often consider gut health and nervous system health together — read more about the gut-brain axis and the vagus nerve and gut health.
People with IBS frequently report that symptoms become worse during stressful periods.
This doesn’t mean stress is necessarily the underlying cause of IBS.
Instead, stress can be one of several factors influencing symptom severity.
Someone may simultaneously have microbiome disruption, food triggers, altered gut motility and significant stress — which is why we also look at contributors like SIBO and food sensitivities.
A comprehensive treatment plan needs to consider the individual combination rather than assuming one explanation accounts for everything. Read more about IBS and anxiety.
One pattern we commonly hear is:
“I’m exhausted all day, but as soon as I go to bed I can’t switch off.”
Feeling wired but tired can occur when fatigue, stress and poor sleep overlap.
However, persistent fatigue requires proper investigation.
Depending on the individual, we may also consider iron and ferritin, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, thyroid function, blood glucose, nutritional intake and other appropriate investigations. Read more about fatigue and low energy, and about how to treat adrenal fatigue.
There is no single nervous-system reset.
Instead, the foundations matter.
Depending on your individual situation, we may look at:
Nutritional or herbal medicines may also be used where clinically appropriate. If sleep is a significant part of the picture, read more about our approach to sleep problems and insomnia, and about our naturopathic approach to healing anxiety.
At The Naturopathic Co., we work with patients experiencing stress, anxiety, nervous system dysregulation, IBS, bloating, fatigue, brain fog and poor sleep — and, because these systems are so interconnected, we regularly see this picture overlap with skin flare-ups, hormonal symptoms and weight changes too.
Because these symptoms often overlap, we take a whole-body approach rather than looking at the nervous system or gut in isolation.
We offer nervous system and gut health naturopath consultations in South Yarra, Melbourne, as well as online consultations Australia-wide, including Sydney.
If you feel constantly wired, tired, anxious and bloated, it may be worth investigating how your gut, nervous system, sleep, nutrition and stress response are interacting.
Book a consultation with The Naturopathic Co. to start investigating what may be contributing to your symptoms.
With 180+ verified five-star Google reviews, our naturopaths and nutritionists offer comprehensive 60-minute initial consultations, in person in South Yarra, Melbourne, or via telehealth across Australia. Book your consultation with The Naturopathic Co. today.
