When you have sore muscles, you stretch. You drink water to keep your skin glowing and eat vegetables for your heart health. You may even practice meditation to quieten your mind. However, if you’ve never considered nerve wellness, it may be time that you started.
Some illnesses affecting the nerves are genetic. However, some symptoms like tingling, numbness, and fatigue may simply be a sign you need to care more for your nerves. In this post, you’ll learn how, as well as why it’s so important.
Nerve Health: Why Should You Care?
You have about seven trillion nerves in your body. They make up a 45+ mile electrical network that sends signals to help you move, feel, and act. It’s how your legs know to walk, your hands to type, and your brain to smile when you see your dog. Normally, you don’t consciously think about these things. However if your nervous system malfunctions, you’ll know about it very quickly.
Weakened or slowed connections might cause problems with your grip. You may notice pins and needles. You could also struggle with balance and find yourself tripping over more often. Sometimes, these changes are temporary, caused by stress or posture. However, in some cases, they indicate long-term conditions like neuropathy or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT).
If you’ve never heard of it, learning about what CMT disease is can be a real eye-opener. This hereditary disorder affects the peripheral nerves, which carry messages between your brain, spine, and limbs. It’s the most common rare disease in the world, and there is currently no cure or treatment. When you understand the way it impacts patients, you see why nerve health is so intrinsic to overall function and wellness.
Stretching as a Daily Reset
One of the easiest ways to keep your nerves happy is through regular, gentle stretching. This boosts blood flow, reduces tension, and stops your muscles from tightening around nerve pathways.
If you already own a yoga mat or a gym membership, great, but if all you have is five minutes at home, that’s also enough. Something as simple as a few shoulder rolls, calf stretches, or neck turns can help. Do them when you’re waiting for your coffee to brew or in the couple of minutes it takes to brush your teeth. If you’re dealing with CMT or another neuromuscular disorder, professional mobility work and physical therapy can help with joint flexibility and balance.
Sleep as a Repair Mechanism
The importance of sleep is often overlooked, but if you want to maintain a healthy nervous system, you need to focus on sleep hygiene. When you rest, your body repairs damaged nerve cells and clears out inflammation. If you’re not getting enough high-quality sleep, your nerves can become more sensitive. Your reflexes slow down. Over time, it can increase stress hormones that cause muscle tension and nerve strain.
Try implementing a wind-down routine. Use dimmed lighting and avoid screens for a couple of hours before bedtime. Ideally, do a short stretch and have a relaxing, caffeine-free herbal tea. Try to be consistent, even on weekends. People living with nerve disorders often say that better sleep helps them manage pain. Even if your nerves are perfectly healthy, you’ll still notice the benefits of proper sleep, including better focus, mood, and balance.
Endnote
You may think about self-care as workouts, skincare, and mindfulness, but caring for your nerves is just as important when it comes to health and wellness. Fortunately, all it takes is a few tweaks to your normal routine to incorporate some nerve-friendly habits. Have a quiet stretch in the morning, get an early night when you can, and fit in some breathing exercises throughout your day. Even these tiny choices can help keep your nervous system strong.
