Dysregulated Nervous system…or a mineral deficiency?

Symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system

• Frequent energy slumps
• Attention/concentration problems – brain fog and trouble focusing
• Digestive issues – bloating cramping, reflux
• Hormonal issues – PMS, dizziness, fluid retention
• Anxiety, worried thoughts, frustration
• Trouble sleeping
• Mood swings, irritable, snappy, overreacting, emotional

Symptoms of a mineral deficiency

…see above!

Yep they’re the same! So what’s the answer?!

Well, they each lead to the other so that’s kind of a chicken and egg situation.

What causes nervous system dysregulation?

Nervous system dysregulation can happen when we’re in the fight/flight/freeze mode for too long.

This branch of our autonomic nervous system is called the sympathetic nervous system in contrast to our parasympathetic side, which is associated with rest/digest/repair.

In simple terms the sympathetic response is the ‘stress’ response and when we have too many stressors inputting to our system (our body) it causes numerous drains on our mineral reserves which are needed to make energy, as well as allow proper absorption of nutrients, movement of wastes and nutrients in and out of cells, proper nerve conduction, and much more.

Stress is a constant state of on.

It stimulates the production of cortisol at the expense of our sex hormones, and energy is conserved from the various systems in the body, in order to respond to the ‘threat’.

This means ‘less vital’ systems slow (things like reproduction and digestion) as energy is burned up with ‘being on’ all the time.

Whether they’re imagined stresses about the safety of our children, real stressors with a challenging relationship, or external stressors like toxins in our environment, our body essentially responds by burning through vital mineral stores needed to make the energy required to respond.

As mums we can have a constant input of worries, tasks to arrange, things to remember/organise/plan for etc. on top of fighting kids, annoying toy sounds, house chores, work and financial stress, spilt drinks on your newly cleaned floor, escalating piles of laundry…all draining our reserves.

So whilst working to calm your nervous system with things like breathwork, thought-work, meditation, and time in nature will most definitely help slow mineral loss whilst also helping you manage your stressors and stay more calm…

…if you aren’t properly replenishing your mineral stores that keep getting called on each day, with adequate nutrition and supplementation…it’s going to challenge your ability to do this well.

But…

If you could also support missing minerals that actually help calm the nervous system internally by taking a supplement and eating certain foods…

Well, it’ll be a heck of a lot easier for you to achieve more peace and calm and you’ll get more lasting results, quicker.

Ok so that’s the nervous system work to help manage emotional stressors first, which will help slow the drain on minerals, but what about the other way round?

Could a mineral deficiency occur first, which then goes on to impact your nervous system regulation and abilty to cope under stress?

Sure can!

Your nervous system may be doing absolutely fine then:

• Your diet doesn’t contain enough of the right nutrients to properly nourish your body – maybe you’ve switched diets, started a different routine that has different demands on you, or you have some other external influence that effects how and what you eat.
  
  
• You have a baby which depletes you of 10% of your minerals, and these reserves aren’t sufficiently replenished, then you experience sleepless nights, breastfeeding, and big changes to your life that further deplete you.
  
  
• You have a toxic burden that your body is unable to clear which drains your mineral reserves A common one I see here is a copper imbalance that is impacting your iron metabolism and depleting your ‘zen minerals’ driving anxiety, irritation, and intrusive thoughts whilst also hindering the body’s energy production. Another is mercury toxicity draining zinc, which impacts stomach acid production and hence digestion and absorption of nutrients, whilst also hindering the body’s defence against gut pathogens, which further deplete the body and contribute to even more toxic burden.
  
  

If any of the above happen then vital minerals needed to help maintain a calm nervous system and produce sufficient energy may be lost, and this may lead to nervous system dysregulation.

So what to do?

Nervous system work alone won’t replenish depleted mineral stores needed to properly regulate yourself and allow your body system to function optimally, and…

…working just to replenish your minerals with diet and supplementation isn’t going to be sufficient if your lifestyle stressors keep you in a sympathetic domnant state that continues to drain you.

But, if you knew which minerals you were deficient in, you’d know which foods and supplements you needed most to help your body replenish and manage all it’s trying to do…kinda like mitigating for the inevitable stress we get in life…

…then topping up with the nervous system support is going to ensure you don’t keep on depleting those stores, thereby allowing your body to switch into rest-digest-repair mode, replenish and be more resilient to stress.

You can’t have one without the other if you want to properly heal and feel amazing…believe me I’ve tried!

I believed I could be the mum that could do it all right now in that moment.

The business, the clients, the homesteading, the parenting, the homeschooling, the ‘wifeing’, the good friend, the self-care rituals, the homecooking, the chores…

I could biohack my way to achieving everything now that I knew exactly what my body was missing.

But my nutrition couldn’t out run my draining lifestyle.

My mineral levels remained low, my worst symptoms little changed, despite all my nutritional therapy.

I needed to find another way.

I learnt we can do everything and anything we want…just not all at once.

We move through seasons in our own life, our monthly cycle, and in our mothering role.

Truly healing our depleted broken bodies requires 3 key steps:

1. Uncovering the hidden stressors and drains that are depleting us and/or causing our dysfunctions
2. The right nourishment with quality food, supplementation, rest, and sleep
3. Nervous system healing and transformation to connect back to ourselves and our passions

That’s when our light stops being dimmed and we can radiate as the beautiful lights that we are.

There’s levels to healing in each of these areas, and this can be overwhelming to tackle when we’re already feeling fried and overburdened.

This is why I developed Radiant Mumma, my self-paced online program to help walk you through the steps all in your own time, whilst being supported in a community of mummas doing the same!

I’d love to see you on the inside!