Part One: The Autonomic Nervous System. The Key to Athlete Success.
There’s A LOT of information circulating about “the nervous system” and “nervous system regulation” on social media. What I aim to do in this blog is simplify and give you the most pertinent information. I fully believe that the Autonomic Nervous System is a foundational piece of athlete health, well being and performance. Welcome to my 3 Part Blog Series where I break down all things Nervous System for athletes.
What is the Autonomic Nervous System?
The human nervous system is a complex system within us that consists of our brain, spinal cord and nerves.โโ The nervous system consists of 2 main branches including the Central Nervous System and the Peripheral Nervous System.
The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is a PART of the Peripheral Nervous System. Most people on social media are referring to this as just “the nervous system” ( I abbreviate it as NS) but it’s important to know that we are indeed talking about the Autonomic Nervous System. The ANS has 3 primary jobs:
Job 1: Keep us alive
First and foremost, the NS’s job is to keep us safe and alive. It’s called “autonomic” because of the way that it functions automatically and below our level of consciousness in order to prioritize our safety and well being. Safety and staying alive drives everything about being human. We can’t do much else if we’re not alive.
Job 2: Control Involuntary Systems
The ANS is the control system for all involuntary systems within our body like breathing, heart rate, digestion etc. that contribute to our homeostasis. Homeostasis is our ability to maintain a steady and balanced internal state while we interact and engage with life around us. (1)
Job 3: Connect the Mind and Body
The mind and body don’t operate separately and the ANS is the link of communication between our mind and body. This is primarily for our safety (to keep us alive) but it’s also imperative for registering internal cues and sensations, navigating emotions and thoughts and even how we connect and communicate with others.
Because of the function of the ANS and how it supports us human through these 3 jobs its actually fundamental to our lived experience. Safety (the drive to stay alive), involuntary bodily functions and the mind-body connection are a foundational piece of an athlete's ability to access and maintain optimal health and well being. Optimal health and well being is the foundation of elite performance (and being able to sustain peak performance over time).
How does the ANS work?
As humans we have a wide range of experiences and our ANS helps us prepare the mind and body so we can navigate those experiences in the most efficient way.
It does this through various nervous system “states”.
The easiest way to think about ANS states is like the gears of a car. We can shift the car from park to reverse to drive (and adjust speeds or even break) in order to adapt to the road and help us adjust to what's happening as we drive. Just like the gears of a car, our ANS helps us constantly adjust and shift to meet the demands of our lived experience.
So as an athlete, think about the energy or activation you need to compete or train for your sport. Now think about what is needed in order to rest, recover or sleep. They're completely different so we need different things from the mind and body.
The nervous system STATE we shift in to depends on 2 things:
- One: At this moment does my nervous system detect that I’m safe or does my nervous system detect real or perceived threat.
- Two: What activation or arousal do I need to meet the demands of or engage in this experience.
This shift in states occurs PHYSIOLOGICALLY (i.e in the body). This is not a mindset or cognitive thing because our nervous system lives inside our body.
We have two main “categories” of states:
- Safety States
- We shift into our safety states (there are 3 of them) when our NS detects we’re safe therefore REGULATION can occur. Safety drives our experience. Think about this as like “Rose colored glasses” but they're safety colored glasses. We will move through the world, think, feel, act and interact with others through the lens of “Im safe”
- Protective States
- We shift into our protective states (there are 3 of them) when our NS detects real or perceived threat therefore DYSREGULATION occurs. The need to protection drives our experience. Think about this as protection colored glasses. We will move through the world, think, feel, act and interact with others through the lens of “Im not safe”.
We focus a lot in sport on mindset and thinking but I want every athlete to understand that our safety and the ANS state we're in drives your thinking, feeling, actions and interactions. What is often referred to in sport as "mental training" is never just mental. You have to include the nervous system.
*Note: Safety is not cognitive. You can’t think your way into being safe. Have you ever been afraid or anxious and someone told you to “calm down” and that did absolutely nothing? That's the best way to conceptualize safety. The ANS determines safety BELOW the level of consciousness. It will be determined not only by what's happening in your present moment experience but also influenced by your PAST lived experience. Have you ever been "uneasy" or had a “bad” feeling about someone you’ve never met? Then you realize they “remind you” of someone you’ve interacted with before? Your ANS (in the body) remembers everything.
We are meant to shift between Safety states (regulation) and protective states (dysregulation) all day long. The ultimate goal is for an athlete to have a FLEXIBLE nervous system that can shift between regulation and dysregulation. A flexible nervous system is the foundation of an athlete's health and performance. I fully believe that if an athlete wants to reach and maintain peak performance they have to work with the Autonomic nervous system. If you want to keep learning about the Nervous System head to Part 2.
If you’re an athlete interested in building nervous system flexibility stay tuned. My athlete specific Nervous System Program is coming soon. This program is about helping athletes build total resilience by addressing nervous system flexibility. Athletes, parent or coach interested in this programming use my CONTACT FORM.
Part 2 of this Blog Series...
I find more often than not athletes DON’T have a flexible nervous system that supports health and performance. I’ll dive into WHY so many athletes are experiencing nervous system dysregulation.
References
(1)Libretti S, Puckett Y. Physiology, Homeostasis. [Updated 2023 May 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559138/
I acknowledge that this learning and knowledge is not my own but the culmination of many years of training and education.
๐๐ปPolyvagal Theory (originated in the 1970s) developed by Dr. Stephen Porges
๐๐ป6 month training Polyvagal Clinical Training with Deb Dana, LCSW https://www.rhythmofregulation.com/foundations
๐๐ป Level I and II, Advanced Trauma Training - Lisa Ferentz LCSW, the Ferentz Institute
๐๐ปLevel I and II, Applied Polyvagal Theory in Yoga - Dr. Arielle Schwartz, PhD
๐๐ปThe Hakomi Method to Somatic Healing, training- Manuela Mischke-Reeds LA, LMFT, CHT
๐๐ปHelp for the Helpers, 2023, Babette Rothschild.
๐๐ปPolyvagal exercises for safety and connection, 2020, Deb Dana.
๐๐ปTrauma Sensitive Mindfulness, 2018, David Treleaven
๐๐ป Lived experience and personal practice through healing journey
๐๐ป I acknowledge that MUCH of what we know about nervous system “regulation” and somatic practice has its origins in Indigenous and ancient Eastern Peoples.
