You Can Thank This Parent For Your Dysregulated Nervous System, Says Biology
Don't worry — there are ways to treat a dysregulated nervous system, no matter which parent is responsible.
DimaBerlin | Shutterstock If you feel anxious for no reason, struggle to regulate your emotions, and often feel overwhelmed, you may have a dysregulated nervous system. This is often the result of childhood trauma or other conflict, but sometimes, the cause occurs before you are even born.
In fact, it may stem from events that happened when you were in your mother's womb, or even when your grandmother was pregnant with her!
Biologists say that you can thank your mom for your dysregulated nervous system.
Beyond anxiety, symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system include chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, muscle tension, digestive issues, mood swings, depression, irritability, poor memory, and chronic stress.
A dysregulated nervous system can result from a combination of genetic, environmental, and developmental factors, so it’s not solely the responsibility of one parent. Yet, a mother’s stress levels during her pregnancy can result in a dysregulated child.
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"From the moment we're in the womb, we're absorbing our mother's emotional state, her stress levels, and even the way she regulates her own nervous system," content creator Sierra Alexandra explained in a recent TikTok.
"If your mom was anxious, overwhelmed, or dysregulated, your nervous system likely wired itself to mirror that," she continued. "This could be why some of us feel anxious for no reason. Our bodies actually learned to be hypervigilant before we had the words to describe it."
When a pregnant person is stressed, they release higher-than-normal levels of cortisol, which affects the unborn child.
"The stress hormone cortisol plays a vital role in the body and in fetal development," Laura Williamson explained for American Heart Association News. "But when a woman is exposed to intense or prolonged stress during pregnancy, excessive levels of cortisol can disrupt [the] development of the unborn child's brain. These changes in fetal brain circuitry can lead to hypersensitivity to stress later in life."
It's important to note that stress and other trauma during pregnancy do not mean a dysregulated nervous system is inevitable — it simply creates a vulnerability in the child towards it.
Thankfully, there are ways to treat a dysregulated nervous system.
"Just because you inherited a dysregulated nervous system does not mean you're stuck with it," Alexandra added. "Nervous systems are actually not set in stone. They are adaptable, they evolve, and we can start to teach it new baselines of safety."
Taking care of yourself is the first step. Get adequate sleep, eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and practice self-care. The goal is to bring balance back to your body, release tension, and find a sense of calm.
Calm.com further recommends breathing exercises, meditation, cold exposure, and spending time in nature. Giving yourself a hug or investing in a weighted blanket may also help to heal your dysregulated nervous system, as can other grounding techniques, like placing your feet on the earth.
"Resetting the nervous system means shifting out of fight-or-flight mode," they explained, "and into a state of relaxation where the body can rest, heal, and function optimally."
Sylvia Ojeda is an author who has over a decade of experience writing novels and screenplays. She covers self-help, relationships, culture, and human interest topics.