Sympathetic Dominance

Could Your Stress Be Preventing Your Healing?

Could Your Stress Be Preventing Your Healing? 1200 900 Mary Yeager

Sympathetic Dominance:  When your body is in a state of “fight or flight” (Sympathetic) more often than “peace and repair” (Parasympathetic).

There was a season in my life where I was working as a Physical Therapist in an extremely stressful environment.  Although the stress was emotional, it manifested itself in physical symptoms.  For example:  headaches, low back pain, ganglion cyst, referred pain, decreased patience, weight gain, and anxiety.   Pile on being a wife and raising three children and I could have been the poster child for Sympathetic Dominance.

When working optimally, your Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous systems should work together effortlessly in order to maintain an internal balance.  Because we live in an insanely fast paced world that makes us believe we have to be “on the go” at all times, a high percentage of people live in Sympathetic dominance. read more