Live Well Be Well with Sarah Ann Macklin | Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition

Why You're Always Wired, Tired, and Can't Switch Off | Dr. Arielle Schwartz

Apr 22, 2026
Dr. Arielle Schwartz, a somatic psychologist and yoga therapist who heals complex trauma, breaks down what a dysregulated nervous system feels like. She explains polyvagal theory, why stress and dysregulation differ, hands-on vagus nerve techniques, breathwork, rhythmic movement, crying as healing, and how compassion and EMDR help the body finally settle.
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INSIGHT

How Dysregulation Feels And Why It Matters

  • Chronic nervous system dysregulation shows as poor sleep, racing heart, or heavy fatigue and disrupts daily rhythms.
  • Arielle Schwartz explains dysregulation differs from normal stress by persisting long-term and affecting sleep, digestion, hormones, and immunity.
INSIGHT

Vagus Nerve Is The Mind Body Superhighway

  • The vagus nerve is a bi-directional mind-body superhighway with extensive branches to face, heart, lungs, diaphragm and gut.
  • Arielle notes ~80% of vagal signaling travels from body to brain, making bodily cues primary data for the brain.
INSIGHT

Three Nervous System Strategies Explained

  • Polyvagal theory describes three neural responses: social engagement (ventral vagal), fight-flight (sympathetic), and shutdown/freeze (dorsal vagal).
  • Stephen Porges' model explains why people either mobilize, connect, or collapse under threat.
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