Introduction: You Can’t Heal in Fight-or-Flight

When it comes to gut health, most people think food first. Maybe supplements. Possibly testing.

But there’s one system that quietly governs the success (or failure) of all of those things – your nervous system.

More specifically, the parasympathetic branch of your nervous system, often called ‘rest and digest.’

If your body doesn’t feel safe, you won’t digest properly. You won’t absorb nutrients. You won’t detox efficiently. And you certainly won’t reduce inflammation or calm an irritated gut.

In this post, we’ll break down what the parasympathetic nervous system does, why it’s critical for gut health, how to know if it’s under-functioning, and the tools I use with clients to bring it back online – including one of the most powerful and underused tools: breathwork.

Understanding Your Nervous System: Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic

Your autonomic nervous system has two main branches:

1. Sympathetic (fight or flight) – This state is useful in short bursts. It helps you survive, focus, and take action. But it shuts down digestion, reproduction, and immune regulation.
2. Parasympathetic (rest and digest)- This state allows healing. It promotes proper digestive enzyme release, nutrient absorption, motility, and repair.

Most people today are living in a sympathetic-dominant state – due to work stress, poor sleep, trauma, blue light at night, and chronic inflammation.

This constant stress disrupts the vagus nerve, which is the main pathway between your brain and gut.

Why the Parasympathetic State Matters for Gut Healing

In the parasympathetic state, your body:
– Releases stomach acid, enzymes, and bile for digestion
– Promotes peristalsis (gut motility)
– Supports blood flow to the digestive tract
– Triggers repair of the gut lining
– Enhances the gut microbiome through better fermentation and motility
– Dampens inflammation and immune overactivity

Even the best gut protocol will struggle to work if your nervous system isn’t on board.

Signs You’re Stuck in Fight-or-Flight

You may be sympathetic-dominant if you experience:
– Bloating or discomfort immediately after eating
– Constipation or irregular stools
– Reflux or indigestion
– Anxiety, especially around meals
– Chronic tension in the jaw, shoulders, or stomach
– Light sleep, wired at night, or difficulty falling asleep
– Hormonal imbalances and fatigue

These are nervous system symptoms – not just digestive ones.

Breathwork: A Direct Line to the Parasympathetic System

Breathing is one of the few automatic processes we can consciously control – and it’s a gateway to the vagus nerve.

Slow, diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the vagus nerve and shifts your body into a parasympathetic state within minutes.

Benefits of breathwork for gut health:
– Calms the immune system
– Supports gut-brain communication
– Reduces stress-induced dysbiosis
– Improves gut motility
– Enhances sleep and hormonal balance

3 Breathwork Techniques I Recommend to Clients

1. 4-7-8 Breathing (Pre-meal or before bed)
Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale through the mouth for 8. Repeat 4–6 times.

2. Coherent Breathing
Breathe in for 5 seconds and out for 5 seconds – ideally for 5–10 minutes. This smooth rhythm balances heart rate variability and vagal tone.

3. Box Breathing
Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat. Great for grounding during stress or overwhelm.

Beyond the Breath: Daily Tools for Parasympathetic Activation

– Morning light exposure to anchor your circadian rhythm
– Walking without stimulation (no podcast/music) to bring the body into flow
– Restorative yoga or stretching in the evening
– Gargling, humming, or singing (all stimulate the vagus nerve)
– Journalling or expressive writing to process emotional stress
– Chewing slowly and eating without distractions to support the cephalic phase of digestion

How I Use This in My 1:1 Programme

Nervous system support isn’t an ‘add-on’ in my programme – it’s foundational.

We start by restoring rhythm and safety in the body through light exposure, breath, nourishment, and pacing – before jumping into complex protocols.

When the body feels safe, it can digest, detoxify, and regulate again. That’s when real, sustainable gut healing begins.

Final Thoughts: Stop Pushing, Start Calming

If you feel like you’ve done everything – but your symptoms won’t budge – it may not be about trying harder.

It may be about slowing down, restoring safety, and supporting your parasympathetic nervous system.

The gut is a reflection of your environment, both internal and external. The breath is one of your most accessible tools to shift that environment.

👉 Want to work with your body instead of against it? Book a free discovery call and let’s build a plan that starts with calm: https://calendly.com/berkeleynutrition/discovery-call-1