Healthy Lifestyle Habits for your Nervous System

This blog comes from Ilke de Lange, a neuroscience student who writes about the lifestyle habits that can support nervous system balance and neuroplastic healing.

Introduction

The nervous system is profoundly shaped by our lifestyle, experiences and environment. Our daily choices and habits – such as how we eat, sleep and move our bodies – impact the health of the nervous system. Equally impactful is social connection, enjoyment of life and stress management: these factors influence how safe, connected and supported we feel in daily life.

In the context of chronic symptoms, it can be helpful to explore lifestyle factors as we know that neuroplastic symptoms are rooted in nervous system dysregulation and changes.

In this blog, we look at everyday choices and lifestyle habits that can shape the nervous system, why they play such a meaningful role, and how we can support health and recovery through lifestyle shifts.  

Part 1: the classic lifestyle domains: diet, movement, and sleep

Lifestyle advice often centres on diet, exercise, and sleep, which are the domains we explore first in this blog. 

However, it’s important to recognise that lifestyle advice can land differently when you live with chronic neuroplastic symptoms. Perhaps, for example, traditional exercise is currently not possible due to conditioned responses to movement. Sleep might be elusive if you live with high pain levels. Or perhaps you previously followed a restrictive diet hoping it would improve your chronic symptoms but it actually created stress and pressure, which was counterproductive for healing.

The lifestyle advice below, therefore, has been tailored for people living with chronic pain and symptoms. It reflects the lifestyle habits that research suggests can be supportive, but applied in gentle and flexible ways for people healing neuroplastic symptoms.  

Diet

Eating in a way that nourishes the brain and body – and keeps blood sugar levels stable supports nervous system health. In particular, research shows that a broadly balanced, Mediterranean-style diet may support balance in the functioning of your autonomic nervous system (Young & Benton, 2018). This includes:

• Fatty fish or algae-based omega-3s

• Whole grains, leafy greens, legumes, dairy (B vitamins)

• Fermented foods like yoghurt (probiotics)

• Berries or dark chocolate (polyphenols)

It’s important to note, however, that extreme or highly restrictive diets can increase pressure, hypervigilance and even fear of eating – none of which support nervous system regulation. Requiring perfection is not helpful. It’s better to focus on nourishing yourself well and making broadly healthy choices.

Movement

Physical activity can support ‘sympathovagal balance’: it helps the branches of the nervous system (activating and calming branches) to work together (Besnier et al., 2017). Helpful options include walking, swimming, or cycling – or even breathing exercises.

If movement feels unachievable right now, start with visualisation or gentle breathing: this is still meaningful. As you recover, exercise can be introduced slowly and gradually – in a safety-minded way.

And remember, more is not better. Staying within your window of tolerance, listening to your body, and allowing recovery are essential.

Sleep

Sleep quality affects nervous system function, mood, and fatigue (Kim & Kang, 2017). Helpful supports for sleep may include:

• A calming evening routine

• Winding down mind and body before bed

• Reducing stimulation late in the evening

• Consistent bedtimes and a comfortable sleep environment

For many people with chronic pain, however, sleep can be challenging even when these supports are used. Furthermore, insomnia can itself be a neuroplastic symptom. In these cases, shifting the focus from ‘trying to sleep’ to resting or quietly restoring without the pressure of achieving sleep, can be more supportive.

Part 2: Beyond the classic lifestyle domains

At the heart of healing neuroplastic symptoms is helping ourselves to feel safer and more supported and connected in life. In the second part of this blog, we discuss lifestyle factors that support this goal.   

Stress management

Stress is part of modern life. But there are gentle, supportive ways to reduce the impact of stress on the nervous system. This includes:

• Increasing self-care

• Honouring our human needs for rest, relaxation, connection, play and pleasure

• Taking pressure off – adjusting your schedule, reducing daily demands, slowing down, taking breaks

• Maintaining healthy boundaries – and saying no

• Noticing and softening patterns like perfectionism or people pleasing that place strain on the nervous system

  
  

Research has shown that self-critical perfectionism is linked with higher daily stress and rumination, something many people with chronic symptoms might recognise from lived experience (Nealis et al., 2021).

As you make some of the shifts outlined above, it might feel like you are doing less than you ‘should’, which is uncomfortable. It might help to remember that every time you actively reduce stress and pressure, you are supporting healing by taking strain off the nervous system.

Don’t underestimate social connection!

Humans are wired for connection. Research shows that social connection influences the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis (stress-axis), which in turn affects immune function (Eisenberger & Cole, 2012).

Connection can take many forms, such as in-person interactions, online communities, one-on-one conversations or group activities. At times, symptoms may make social engagement more challenging, but connection can still be adapted. If meeting in person is not possible, perhaps a call is; if a call feels like too much, a letter or email, a text or even a short audio message from a loved one can help. What matters most is that your body experiences a sense of belonging and safety with others.

Build moments of regulation into your day

As discussed, modern life is busy and stressful, so naturally we spend time in the sympathetic mode (activated branch of the nervous system, the “fight/flight” system). But know that a consistent practice of pausing at intervals within your day and using mind-body techniques that support relaxation can make a significant difference.

There are many, simple ways you can support your nervous system and signal that it is okay to relax. This includes:

• Slow, intentional breathwork

• Humming or singing

• Listening to nature sounds

• Laughing (perhaps to your favourite show or comedian)

Even short pauses can help turn down the stress system and support balance and recovery. For more ideas, you can explore our blog on mind-body practices that support nervous system regulation.

Joy, play and creativity

Life often seems to be about what we achieve, about work and our to-do list. Even recovery can become a task to be completed. I certainly was guilty of this. But I noticed that joy, play and creativity also send a powerful safety message to the body.

Science agrees with this: positive emotions, such as joy and happiness, can have many effects on the autonomic nervous system and could even inhibit the sympathetic mode of your nervous system (the ‘fight/flight’ system) (Kreibig, 2010).

Some final thoughts…

Supporting your nervous system is not about doing everything ‘right’ or adding more to your plate. It’s about gently widening the moments in daily life where your body can feel a little safer, a little more supported, and a little less under pressure. Whether that comes from nourishing food, rest, connection, stress reduction, or moments of joy, each small step matters. Recovery is not built through perfection, but through kindness, consistency, and listening to what your system truly needs.

If any of the strategies discussed in this blog feel difficult or inaccessible, which is common when living with chronic symptoms, working with a trained professional can provide reassurance and guidance as you learn to work with your stress responses in ways that feels safe and sustainable. A directory of trained mind-body professionals can be found here.

References:

Besnier, F., Labrunée, M., Pathak, A., Traon, A. P., Galès, C., Sénard, J., & Guiraud, T. (2016). Exercise training-induced modification in autonomic nervous system: An update for cardiac patients. Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 60(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rehab.2016.07.002

Kim, J. A., & Kang, S. W. (2017). Relationship among Sleep Quality, Heart Rate Variability, Fatigue, Depression, and Anxiety in Adults. Korean Journal of Adult Nursing, 29(1), 87. https://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2017.29.1.87

Kreibig, S. D. (2010). Autonomic nervous system activity in emotion: A review. Biological Psychology, 84(3), 394–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2010.03.010

Mandelli, L., Milaneschi, Y., Hiles, S., Serretti, A., & Penninx, B. W. (2022). Unhealthy lifestyle impacts on biological systems involved in stress response: hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, inflammation and autonomous nervous system. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 38(3), 127–135. https://doi.org/10.1097/yic.0000000000000437

Nealis, L. J., Sherry, S. B., & Lee-Baggley, D. L. (2021). Perfectionism and Stressful Perseveration in the Psychophysiological Experience of stress: A 7-Day Multi-Method study. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 44(1), 202–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-021-09932-w

Young, H. A., & Benton, D. (2018). Heart-rate variability: a biomarker to study the influence of nutrition on physiological and psychological health? Behavioural Pharmacology, 29(2 and 3), 140–151. https://doi.org/10.1097/fbp.0000000000000383