Understanding Nervous System Dysregulation: A Guide for Hypermobile and Neurodivergent Bodies

“You need to regulate your nervous system.”

If you live with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD), or you’re neurodivergent, you’ve probably heard this phrase more than once. And while it's often well-intentioned advice, it can also feel frustrating or vague. What does it actually mean to regulate your nervous system? And why is it so important for people with hypermobility and sensory processing differences?

To understand how to regulate, we first need to understand what the nervous system is, how it works, and how it becomes dysregulated — especially in bodies like yours.

🌿 What is the Nervous System?

The nervous system is your body's command and feedback system. It's how you process everything: sensory information, movement, internal sensations, emotions, even thoughts. It's not just in your head — it's woven through every part of your body, coordinating both voluntary actions (like moving your arms) and automatic functions (like heart rate, digestion, and temperature). It has two main parts:

🧠 Central Nervous System (CNS)

• Includes the brain and spinal cord

• Think of this as the “head office” where information is processed

🌐 Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

• Carries signals to and from the rest of the body

• Includes the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) — which runs all your automatic functions like heart rate, digestion, and breathing

The autonomic nervous system has two main gears:

1. Sympathetic Nervous System – "Fight or Flight"

This activates when you're stressed, scared, or excited. It helps you escape danger or rise to a challenge. Your heart beats faster, breathing quickens, digestion slows down, and your senses sharpen.

2. Parasympathetic Nervous System – "Rest and Digest"

This brings you back to calm. It slows the heart rate, deepens the breath, aids digestion, and helps your body repair and restore. Moving from a calm and safe space is extremely beneficial for people with EDS/Adhd/Austism and that is what inspired our brand name to be ParaMotion: Move from Safety.

🌀 What Is Dysregulation?

A healthy nervous system shifts flexibly between alertness and rest — like a pendulum. This is called nervous system flexibility. You get activated when needed, then return to calm when the stress passes.

But when the system becomes dysregulated, it gets stuck in patterns that are too intense, too dull, or unstable. Think of a car with a stuck gas pedal — or one that won’t start at all.

This can show up as:

• Chronic tension or anxiety

• Numbness, brain fog, or disconnection

• Digestive issues, fatigue, or sleep problems

• Sensory overwhelm or emotional shutdown

• Feeling “on edge” or “checked out” without a clear reason

These aren’t just mental health issues. They are full-body responses shaped by nervous system state.

💥 Why Does Dysregulation Happen in EDS, HSD, and Neurodivergence?

Several factors make nervous system dysregulation more likely in hypermobile and neurodivergent bodies:

🔄 1. Chronic Input from Pain and Instability

When connective tissue is too lax — as in EDS and HSD — the body’s structural stability is compromised. Joints move beyond their expected range, and the sensory receptors in those joints (especially proprioceptors) may send confusing messages to the brain. Your body doesn’t feel quite “together.” It doesn’t know where it is in space. That kind of instability is interpreted as unsafe, and the nervous system stays on high alert as a result.

🧃 2. Fascial Dysregulation Affects Sensory Feedback

the web-like connective tissue that wraps around your muscles and organs — is also involved. In hypermobile people, fascia may be loose, dehydrated, or unresponsive. Since fascia is highly innervated, this can reduce the quality of feedback the nervous system receives, especially from internal organs. The result? A weaker sense of containment, grounding, and internal regulation.

🌪 3. Autonomic Nervous System Imbalance

Many people with EDS/HSD experience dysautonomia — a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, including conditions like POTS. This means basic regulation of heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion is off, keeping the body in a constant loop of alarm.

🧠 4. Poor Interoception

Interoception is the sense of what’s happening inside your body. If you don’t feel your heartbeat, breath, or tension clearly, it’s harder for your nervous system to regulate. Many people with EDS or autism have reduced interoceptive awareness.

Layer on top of that the common experience of trauma, masking, chronic illness, or medical gaslighting, and you begin to see why these systems are often in survival mode. Your body has adapted to a world that didn’t feel safe — and your nervous system did its best to keep you functioning.

5. Sensory Sensitivity and Overwhelm

Many autistic and ADHD brains are finely tuned to sensory input. Sounds, textures, lights, or even emotions can be intense or even painful. If your system is constantly flooded with sensory input, it can struggle to regulate.

🧠 The Role of the Vagus Nerve

One of the most important parts of the parasympathetic nervous system is the vagus nerve — a long, branching nerve that travels from the brainstem through the face, throat, chest, lungs, heart, diaphragm, and into the digestive tract. It’s a key player in regulation, and in the ability to return to calm after stress.

The vagus nerve helps slow the heart rate, reduce inflammation, support digestion, regulate voice and breath, and even influence social engagement. It’s involved in that deep, bodily sense of “I’m okay now.”

But for many people with EDS, HSD, or sensory processing differences, the vagus nerve may not function optimally. It can be compressed by tight fascia or dysfunctional posture. It can also be underactive due to years of chronic stress. The result? A nervous system that has a hard time shifting out of “alert” mode — or that collapses without resilience.

When the vagus nerve isn’t well-toned you may experience:

• Shallow breathing

• Heart rate irregularities

• Poor digestion

• Emotional volatility

This is why breath work and slow, embodied practices can be so powerful: they stimulate the vagus nerve and help the body shift into calm.

🥦 The Role of Nutrition and Body Chemistry

Your nervous system needs certain nutrients to function well. If you're low in:

• Magnesium (calms the nervous system)

• B-vitamins (support brain function)

• Omega-3s (help with inflammation and brain health)

• Salt and water (especially if you have low blood pressure or dysautonomia)

…you might notice more fatigue, dizziness, anxiety, or brain fog. Many people with EDS, HSD, autism, or ADHD are more prone to nutrient absorption issues or metabolic differences, so it’s worth exploring this with a supportive doctor or nutritionist.

🛤 So… What Can You Do?

Regulation is not a trick or a hack. It’s a relationship with your body, built over time, through consistent, gentle experiences of safety and connection.

For some, regulation might feel like a clear breath and a softened chest. For others, it might be less pain, more clarity, or fewer flares. It doesn’t mean life is free of stress — it means your system can ride the wave instead of being pulled under.

Some helpful approaches include:

• Breath-based awareness (not performance breathing)

• Gentle movement that focuses on sensation and rhythm

• Sound, vocalization, and humming (which activate the vagus nerve)

• Visual tracking, orientation, and grounding techniques

• Building interoception and proprioception gradually

• Creating safe, predictable routines that support your system’s rhythm

• Time in nature or quiet spaces

• Kind, validating relationships

We'll explore these tools more deeply in our next blog — because regulation is not one-size-fits-all.

🌱 Final Thoughts: Understanding Is the First Step

If your body feels like it’s always in overdrive — or completely shut down — you’re not broken. Your nervous system is doing its best with the input it’s getting.

When you begin to understand why dysregulation happens, you can stop blaming yourself. You can begin to work with your body instead of fighting it.

Next time, we’ll explore specific tools to support regulation — including ways to work with breath, sound, touch, and movement in safe and empowering ways.

🦓 At ParaMotion, we take this into account in our movement programs, education and consulting so that you are guaranteed results with our no pain, no strain method customized for the hypermobile body. Ready to take the next step? 👉 [Book your Free 15 mn call here!!]