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Experts say the nervous system cannot be reset but can be made more flexible through paced breathing, cyclic sighing, meditation and other science-backed habits.
The internet is full of advice on how to reset a dysregulated nervous system, but experts say the goal should not be a permanent state of calm. Instead, the nervous system can be trained to become more flexible, responding to challenges and then recovering. The nervous system is the body's communication and control network, made up of the brain and spinal cord, and it helps us sense and respond to the world. The autonomic nervous system regulates automatic functions such as heart rate, blood pressure and digestion, and it has two main branches: the sympathetic system, which drives fight or flight, and the parasympathetic system, which supports rest and recovery.
Understanding Nervous System Regulation
Sympathetic activity increases during stress, whether from an urgent email or a family bereavement, causing faster heart rate, tense muscles and changes in digestion. These evolutionary responses help us respond to threats, but while once that might have been a predator, now it can be as everyday as seeing a celebrity death on Instagram. The problem is not sympathetic activation itself, but when we struggle to recover once the demand has passed, leaving us feeling wired and tired. A healthy autonomic nervous system is not permanently calm; it is able to adapt to changing circumstances.
Much of the conversation about nervous system regulation revolves around the vagus nerve, which is actually a pair of nerves made up of about 80,000 fibres each. It starts in the brain and travels down through the neck into the chest and abdomen. Because it helps slow heart rate and plays a role in rest-and-recovery processes, it is associated with stress relief and relaxation. One of the most common ways vagal and parasympathetic activity is assessed is through heart rate variability, or HRV, says neurosurgeon Dr Kevin Tracey, author of a book on the subject. This is the time in between individual heartbeats, and generally, greater variability is associated with greater vagal influence. The higher the vagal influence, the more likely our parasympathetic system is to be dominant, which cues feelings of calm. Sympathetic activity tends to shorten the time between heartbeats.
Science-Backed Habits for Nervous System Flexibility
Learning how to work with your nervous system could make it more flexible, meaning you rise to challenges when you need to and then recover when they have passed. Dr Serena Lai, consultant psychiatrist and associate medical director at London Psychiatry Clinic, says that slow-paced breathing of around six diaphragmatic breaths a minute is one of the most effective ways of producing an acute change in heart rate variability. She recommends inhaling for about five seconds, exhaling for five, and repeating for five to 10 minutes. Cyclic sighing is another option. It involves taking one deep inhale, followed by a second, shorter sip of air to fully inflate the lungs, before a long, slow, lung-emptying exhale through the mouth.
Practising cyclic sighing for five minutes a day has been shown to improve mood and reduce respiratory rate, an effect that became more pronounced over the course of a month-long trial. Meditation, where you practise bringing your attention to the present moment, is a great way to help slow down the heart rate, says Tracey. It is especially good when done in tandem with paced breathing, as you can really measure your heart rate decreasing. Apps including those that guide paced breathing can help, and other contemplative practices, from body scanning to yoga, may also support parasympathetic activity. Body scanning involves relaxing, closing your eyes and contemplating physical sensations.
Moving Beyond the Reset Myth
The idea of a nervous system reset is appealing because many people feel overstimulated and in need of ways to feel more level. However, every expert agrees that there is no such thing as resetting the nervous system, nor should we want to. We need sympathetic activation to exercise, concentrate, meet deadlines and respond to demanding situations. The goal is not to eliminate stress but to build flexibility. Cold water plunges, humming, gargling, yawning and spiky acupressure mats are all being touted as ways to help us regulate and return to calm, but experts say simple, science-backed habits can be more effective. These habits include paced breathing, cyclic sighing, meditation, body scanning and yoga.
By incorporating these practices into daily life, people can support their parasympathetic activity and improve their ability to recover from stress. This does not mean that stress disappears, but it can help the body return to a balanced state more efficiently. The key is consistency and finding what works for the individual. As the conversation around nervous system regulation continues to grow, experts emphasize that flexibility, not permanent calm, is the true marker of a healthy nervous system.
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