A Whole-Body Approach to Helping Kids Calm the Fight-or-Flight Response

As a Paediatric Chiropractic office, we see so many children that struggle with chronic health conditions, whether it be underlying anxiety, poor sleep or low immune function. Just inflammation, whether it be in the gut, the lungs or the brain, there is so much our kids struggle with nowadays. In fact, it is estimated in Australia that approximately 2 out of 3 of our kids struggle with chronic health conditions. That's insane. Chronic health conditions are long term issues that our kids are dealing with and in reality, our kids haven't been here long enough to really need to struggle with these things, and that's what is so heartbreaking with it.

Now at the root cause of all of these struggles, we really need to look deeper at their neurological struggles, specifically when a child gets stuck in a fight or flight response. Fight or flight is the cascade of stress;

• Hormones

• Digestion

• Respiration

• Heart rate, all of the above.

Typically, this occurs when our kids struggle with what we call affectionately call the perfect storm. Now this is where successive stressors build up and they cause our kids, which wouldn’t usually struggle with even one of the concerns mentioned above, to struggle with multiple concerns. And then, they become chronic. Long term.

Why are kids struggling with so many chronic illnesses?

That's a great question, and why are they experiencing these stress responses that lead to bigger diagnoses and bigger symptoms? Keep reading, to learn how vagal tone allows for:

• Better sleep

• Better rest

• Better regulation

• Helping our kids feel at ease within their environment, and how this is such a crucial piece in helping our kids kick these health concerns.

How Kids Get Stuck in a Fight or Flight Stress Response

It's very easy for our body to get stuck in one of these states. Fight or flight. Or the opposite, rest and digest. In fact, our nervous system is designed to be able to toggle back through between these “modes” and the kiddos or even adults that can do this, are better regulated and better available to control their stress responses. Now, if you do get stuck in this fight or flight or response, that causes a cascade of everything with it. It causes the hormones to change, respiration to change, and then behaviour changes with it too.

The Vagus Nerve’s Function

Pivotal to the Nervous System's regulation is a nerve called the Vagus Nerve. It controls the activation of the rest, digest, calm and regulation of the Parasympathetic Nervous System. The vagus nerve originates from the upper neck. It's a cranial nerve and controls 75% of the sensory communication to the organs and glands of the body. It is a sensory integration point of everything going to the brain. That's why your upper neck is so critical, because everything, every bit of communication your brain is receiving is filtered by this vagus nerve. It’s a key integration point.

The vagus nerve has big gut and autonomic connection to the lungs, to the heart, and especially to the digestive system. It’s a key player in emotional balance, social engagement, communication, and beyond. When vagal tone is impaired, your child gets stuck in fight or flight and this can lead to a condition known as dysautonomia. Dysautonomia, means an out of balance autonomic nervous system and this can lead to a host of childhood concerns, like ones we are seeing today.

Signs Your Child Could Be Stuck in Fight-or-Flight Mode

Here are some body signals to look for, that may indicate your child could be trapped in fight or flight:

• Heightened baseline anxiety, worry and panic responses

• Frequent emotional meltdowns or outbursts

• Disrupted sleep and Nightmares

• Lack of appetite (or overeating)

• New onset of headaches

• Unusual body aches

• Poor focus or brain fog

• Unrelenting fatigue and low energy

• Growth and development delays

Helping Kids Break Free from Fight-or-Flight for Good

If you're anything like the parents we meet, you've probably tried a lot of ways to nurture your children at home to initiate a relaxation response; yoga, walking, supplements, listening to music, humming or getting off screens. I also know for a lot of parents, you've probably tried those things, you've tried everything under the sun that you know can help, and yet still, you're stuck. And therefore, when the nervous system gets stuck in fight or flight chronically and it can't get out, it takes more. It takes looking at the vagus nerve and finding exactly where the body is holding those tone or tension challenges that are causing the vagus nerve to get revved up underneath the surface.

The exciting news is with Neurological Insight Scans, we can now assess the tension in the nervous system where the vagus nerve supplies. We perform Neurological INSiGHT scans on every child that we see in our office. We want to know how their vagus nerve is functioning. We want to know if their nervous system is in fight or flight. Chances are that may be a catalyst, in a not so good way, to many of their other health challenges too.

If this is relating to you, we would love to take a deeper look at your child's nervous system and how we could help your child thrive, especially if they're struggling with these chronic health challenges that, as parents, we know in our gut are possibly all connected together. Reach out if you need more information. We are here to help.