Living in Fight or Flight

Sympathetic Nervous System Dominance

Stress has become a defining part of modern life, but for many people, it is no longer an occasional experience. It has become their normal.

According to the American Psychological Association, nearly 75% of Americans report physical or emotional symptoms related to stress, and almost half experience significant daily stress [1]. Gallup’s Global Emotions Report found similar results, with nearly one in two adults reporting significant stress every day, highlighting just how common chronic nervous system overload has become [2].

While short periods of stress can help us respond to challenges, ongoing stress can keep the body stuck in a prolonged state of “fight or flight.”

This response is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, the branch of your nervous system responsible for helping you react to danger. When it is working as intended, it functions like your body’s gas pedal, activating only when needed. But when stress becomes chronic, the sympathetic nervous system can remain switched on, making it difficult for your body to shift into the parasympathetic state, often called “rest, digest, and heal,” where recovery and repair take place [3].

Signs Your Body May Be Stuck in Stress Mode

When the nervous system remains in a constant state of sympathetic activation, it can affect nearly every system in the body. Common signs include [4]: 

• Tight shoulders, neck tension, or jaw clenching
• Frequent headaches
• A racing heart or shallow breathing
• Digestive issues such as bloating, reflux, or constipation
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Feeling “wired but tired”
• Anxiety, irritability, or feeling overwhelmed
• Brain fog or trouble concentrating
• Relying on caffeine or sugar to get through the day

These symptoms are often signs that your body is struggling to regulate stress, not just mentally, but neurologically as well.

The Nervous System and Subluxation

Your spine does much more than support your posture. It protects your spinal cord, the primary communication pathway between your brain and the rest of your body.

When spinal joints become restricted or stressed, also known as subluxated, they may interfere with how efficiently the nervous system communicates. This can contribute to increased muscle tension, heightened stress responses, and difficulty shifting out of fight or flight mode [3,5]. 

Emerging research suggests that chiropractic care may help support healthy autonomic nervous system function by [3]:

• Reducing sympathetic nervous system activity
• Supporting parasympathetic, or “rest and digest,” function
• Improving Heart Rate Variability (HRV), an important measure of stress resilience
• Enhancing vagal tone, which helps the body regulate and recover
• Lowering stress related hormones such as cortisol

Simply put, chiropractic care supports a healthier stress response by helping your nervous system regulate and recover more effectively 

How We Assess Nervous System Stress at Activate Chiropractic

At Activate Chiropractic, we use advanced INSiGHT scanning technology to evaluate how your nervous system is functioning.

These objective assessments help us identify signs of nervous system dysregulation, including:

• Heart Rate Variability (HRV): Measures how well your body shifts between stress and recovery.
• NeuroSpinal EMG: Detects chronic muscle tension and patterns of stored stress along the spine.
• NeuroThermal Scans: Evaluate how effectively your nervous system is communicating with the rest of your body.

These tools allow us to look beyond symptoms and better understand where your body may be stuck in stress patterns.

Helping Your Body Shift from Survival to Healing

Neurologically-focused chiropractic adjustments are designed to reduce interference within the nervous system and support better communication between the brain and body.

As nervous system function improves, many patients report experiencing:

• Better sleep
• Improved digestion
• Less tension and discomfort
• More energy
• Greater emotional resilience
• A greater sense of calm and overall wellbeing

If you constantly feel like your body is always “on,” it may not be because you are bad at handling stress. It may be because your nervous system has become stuck in survival mode.

At Activate Chiropractic, our goal is to help your body move out of fight or flight and back into a state of rest, healing, and restoration, allowing it to function the way it was designed to.

Interested in learning more? Explore our pediatric chiropractic care, prenatal chiropractic services, or schedule an appointment. Make an appointment