Dysautonomia Awareness
Another awareness month that’s relevant to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome patients. Did you know October is dysautonomia awareness month?
What is dysautonomia or autonomic dysfunction and how might it be affecting you?
Dysautonomia is a general catch all term dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, responsible for regulating unconscious bodily functions like heart rate, digestion, and temperature control. The symptoms can manifest in specific disorders or involve multiple systems and vary widely between individuals. but tend to follow certain patterns, especially among people with chronic pain and related disorders like HSD/EDS, CRPS etc.
The longer you live with chronic illnesses like CRPS, the more likely co-existing aspects of nervous system are likely to develop. Dysautonomia is in part driven by not being able to regulate the back and forth between the sympathetic and parasympathetic ends of the nervous system, rather than just being stuck in the sympathetic as if commonly explained. It then keeps over-correcting and becoming too jumpy in response to that swing properly back and forth. It’s an exhausting process that can happen when there’s too many inputs, allostatic load, and decrease in capacity.
What are some common symptom buckets of dysautonomia? It pretty much feels like being sick. Nausea, dizziness, increased heart rate, more fatigue etc. Nausea is a great example of a vague symptom that is hard to find the cause of. When it’s all the time, and not related to food choices though, is more of a nervous system problem than a food problem. Why does it happen? When due to lack of capacity/increasing allostatic load or stress, your body is literally trying to force stop you like a computer and slow you down.
So how do you help it function better?
Regulate your sleep wake cycle
Sure up yoru circadian rhythm and nap habits
Maintain hydration and nutrition targets
Decrease your overall stressors
Regulate your nervous system and integrate diaphragmatic breathing to decrease heart rate
Get back to better pacing and integrate more pressure release valves throughout the day
Be in optimal positions for your body that don’t trigger POTS-like symptoms
Decreasing swelling and pooling in limbs
Be able to respond to and manage body temperature fluctuations
These strategies help create capacity and settle your nervous system so the amount of symptoms coming from bubbling over your pain threshold diminish. This is what I teach in Base Camp and work on with my clients so these symptoms pile on top of chronic pain less frequently.
Do you struggle with autonomic dysfunction from dysautonomia alongside CRPS or HSD/EDS? It can be overwhelming and frustrating, especially when trying to explain weird symptoms. There are some interventions and medications that can help with specific symptoms, but many shifts required are the above lifestyle interventions and daily habits. Reach out if you need help, join the wait-list for Base Camp, or use the resources below.
You can learn more about dysautonomia by listening our episode of It’s Not in Your Head podcast on managing dysautonomia, as well as a podcast interview I was a guest on for dysautonomia month.