Feels like my autonomic system is on high all the time.

I’d like to comment on this thread I read here today. I am not as impacted as what you’ve shared , but I’ll put in my two cents from where I’m at. I’m a trained OT(Occupational Therapist) , not that that matters , but I’ve taken neurology courses as part of that and loved learning that information. Anyway, I am Type A, and after going to school and learning of the parasympathetic PNS -rest and relax , and sympathetic SNS -fight or flight-parts of the Autonomic Nervous System ANS , I always felt that I was definitely geared more toward the SNS . Anyway . fast foward many years into the future. Started having problems with balance at times mostly when getting out of a car after traveling , getting up off a couch after watching TV . Reading became an issue when I stopped and looked away from the written text, same with using computers or IPhones. Along with that came my head feeling foggy, like I wasn’t really in the situation , but was. It took years of a variety of appts and finally a Vestibular Training PT hit on something that helped . She labeled (all that previous discussion ) Vestibular Migraine. I went to therapy and did a variety of exercises/activities that included balancing while visually looking at a target , or moving your head up and down , or side to side while looking at targets, etc and other things. But suffice it to say it was a thought out , progressive , sequential program based on your ability to handle the incoming information. (I’ll just say there were parts of your description that sounded a bit like that) Please be aware if anyone is thinking any PT can do this treatment…. In my experience YOUR WRONG. I saw a few PTs before landing with this one and they gave me handouts , had been to a conference and thought they had all they needed to help me, or simply were trying to help me with what knowledge they had . Which wasn’t enough or complete. Any people out there having those issues look up on you tube Dr. Shen Beh , and Talk To Me Dizzy , 2 PTs that are experienced in this area. Now going on in my life , last year I fracture a lumbar vertebrae due to osteoporosis and that lead me to much self learning . I have learned a lot about diet , gut health and all that as part of that and then tripped over Dr. Peter Kan, an Integrative Functional Dr -and I recently took his Vestibular Master Class, because of my nagging knowledge of my vagus nerve and it’s direct impact on the SNS and PNS. Enlightening!!! Lots to digest but was up for the task of 5 days learning. Vagal tone in one’s body is a real thing and though , obviously we need both systems , they need to work effectively and in a balanced manner to function our best. Yes, all the basic bodily functions from the brain on down , the vagus nerve has a branch going to all major organs. Which I did know, but he taught in a very understandable way how all the feedback loops and interconnections are made. And how there are building blocks of functioning that are essential to have things working well. So enlightening and thrilling to get this information.I’ll just say …. Oxygen delivery , Blood sugars. and Digestive/gut health are the foundational blocks upon which all other things build off of , and there are loops up and down from them to the brain. This doesn’t just relate to physical well being , but ALSO mental health well being .With many other things in between. But I’ll stop there. I highly recommend at least a peak at some of that info. Good luck to you and all who might have read this and found something in here that’s useful to you!

Just one more thing, Dr Kan provided things to do in your daily life to dampen the SNS -fight /flight part of the Autonomic Nervous System ANS to try and bring more balance into your overall vagal tone. THATS IT!!

Hello @ans
I understand what you mean about vestibular migraines. They do not appear as typical migraines but have some similarities, especially the nausea and need to be in a quiet dark atmosphere. I was told about a book called, Heal Your Headache, written by an M.D., David Bucholz, who had migraines himself. There is a lot of good information about foods and activities that can be avoided to help with migraines.

I'm glad that your vestibular migraines were properly diagnosed and that you found remedies.

It did take a long time , about 7 years !!! Told a variety of times it’s your anxiety. I would listen , however, in my heart of hearts I knew that there was no way it was anxiety when I was watching TV , lying down relaxed on a couch and simply came to stand, and now I felt off balance and had weird , spacey , foggy head feelings.

Could you please share some of his suggestions?

I've done the same PNS/SNS analysis and found it helpful. I seem to have some form of dysautonomia in which bodily functions like salivating, sweating or nasal discharge can cycle back and forth from too much to too little over a few days or weeks. I've 2 recommendations.

Go online and find what bodily functions are controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS)--if possible, which state is controlled by the PNS or SNS. By that I mean, excess saliva or skin oil is likely the PNS, and sweating is SNS. I've found that some functions indicate an overactive PNS--e.g., hypotension on dismounting my bike after a hard ride--while AT THE SAME TIME some functions indicate an overactive SNS, such as dry mouth. Weird, I know. Anyhow, I monitor every function, even hair regrowth, nail growth and gum health (prob driven by an overactive SNS!).

The rule is you can't control your ANS. True, but you can nudge it. Like you, I found myself a hostage to an overactive SNS, which had served me well in a 50 yr career in the law, but had worn out my neurology. Sparing you the details, I tried to go rest-and-relax , rather than fight-or-flee--the states of the PNS and SNS, respectively. I succeeded, but found that the two systems are synergistic, not mutually exclusive, altho, now retired, I'd rather go 100% PNS than 100% SNS.

There are countless ways to activate your PNS or SNS. Cycling a rough trail for an hr induces intestinal motility--vibrating my intestines or vagus nerve, I don't know, but heightened motility is a function of an active PNS. But I can go too far and have 3 large, well-formed bowel movements in a day! If lightheaded, I go for a coffee, black tea, or the Valsalva method (if lightheaded while cycling). If overstimulated, I go for a glass of whole milk.

I took propranolol for a yr from early 2021 to early 2022, and this helped me subdue my out-of-control SNS. But I've taken no drugs besides that and vitamins B1, B12, and D3 and magnesium. My drugs are my food. I avoid chocolate and alcohol, which are food triggers for an ANS flareup, and I am wary of tyramines and histamines. I eat wild salmon, cod and tuna 4 days/wk; goat yogurt, goat kefit, walnuts, blueberries, and flaxseed oil invariably for breakfast. I eat out rarely--never during a flareup. I drink lots of water and consume lots of salt (to support my blood pressure, which is generally 115-130/70-75.

I've lots more suggestions if anyone needs them to support your PNS AND SNS. At least in retirement, the idea is to be rest-and-relax most of the time. When I need to be more animated, it's still easy to release the Kraken and enter fight-or-flee mode for a while, but I'm careful to revert to rest-and-relax ASAP.

Like the antelope grazing peacefully in the field--for hrs, days, or wks--until the lion appears at the forest edge--then it's OUT OF HERE, NOW!!! That's the goal--again, once retired!

Thanks for the comments. Very informative. As was getting nowhere with professionals and I decided to go back to Uni and I started a few Psychology courses. Went back to the basics. It was then that I looked up adult ADHD and I found myself. I do believe that what I'm now experiencing is burnout from years and years of pressure on myself from my ADHD brain type.

Now learning to say "no" and and be kind to myself and give myself space.

Still in the infant stage with this all.

A recurring issue is what to do when evidence-based medicine offers little help for of us with obscure conditions that are little understood by medicine. I've slowly come to the realization that neurology is among the medical specialties with the most still to learn, probably due in part to the relative inaccessibility of, say, neurotransmitters when compared to, say, bones!

Replicable studies and clear-headed analysis of the generated data by persons with training and experience form the foundation of science, including medical science, including neurology. This necessarily slow process establishes knowledge on a very large scale, and it is vital that it continues. None of us can afford to indulge in a go-it-alone mentality.

But this is where it gets interesting. I'm in my mid 70s and meaningful relief, for me, from what appears to be dysautonomia, must come sooner rather than later. And, frankly, I'm looking for what works for me, not everyone suffering from apparent dysautonomia, especially given its bewildering variety in types.

As I don't have a go-it-alone mentality, nor do I have a "try anything" mentality. Like the FDA, I impose the twin criteria of safety and efficacy on everything that I consider--everything, even drugs and procedures already approved or accepted as safe and effective. I do my personal cost-benefit analysis to decide if the upside is worth the downside, based on the probabilities of each and the extent of impairment based on my apparent dysautonomy, as it presents itself from time to time.

As always, good luck. And peace.

You actually sound like my mother in law’s symptoms. She was diagnosed with mental disorder that was easily tempered with medications. Unfortunately for her she waited until she was in her late 80’s to allow herself to receive treatment. Prior to that she’d make these insane grocery runs to prepare a big meal except it was only her and my father in law. By time she gets home with her purchases she’s so bushed from shopping she can barely make it home. I often had to help pick her up from in front of her condo front door due to her stubbornness we thought. Once she received meds she was better in her final years until 93.

My body also reacted that way when I stood up. My dr said it’s bc I had developed POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). This syndrome is part of having Dysautonomia. My dr put me on Pregnenolone and Florinef to keep my BP up to a normal level.