Dysautonomia and Mental Health: When the Brain and Body Are Connected

By Shannon Parks, DO DABPN

Dysautonomia and Mental Health: The Brain and Body Are Connected

Have you ever wondered why symptoms like anxiety, fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, a racing heart, or feeling constantly “on edge” can seem to happen all at once?

Sometimes, these symptoms are connected in ways we are only beginning to understand.

Research increasingly shows that the autonomic nervous system and mental health are closely connected. The autonomic nervous system helps regulate heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature, breathing, and our response to stress. When this system isn't regulating the body properly, a person may experience a wide range of physical and emotional symptoms. At the same time, chronic stress, anxiety, and depression can also affect autonomic function.[1–6]

The relationship goes both ways.

Your Brain and Body Are Always Talking

Your brain doesn't operate independently from the rest of your body.

The brain and autonomic nervous system are constantly communicating. The same brain networks involved in emotion, attention, and stress regulation also help regulate autonomic function.[3,4]

Think about what happens when you become frightened. Your heart may beat faster, your breathing changes, your muscles tense, and you may feel sweaty or shaky.

Those are physical responses to an emotional experience.

But communication also works in the other direction. A racing heart, dizziness, or other physical sensations can send signals back to the brain that something is wrong. Those sensations can increase worry or fear, which can further activate the body's stress response.[3,4]

The brain affects the body, and the body affects the brain.

What Is Dysautonomia?

Dysautonomia is a general term for problems with the autonomic nervous system—the system responsible for regulating many of the body's automatic functions.

Symptoms can vary widely but may include:

• Racing or fluctuating heart rate

• Dizziness or lightheadedness

• Fatigue and exercise intolerance

• Brain fog

• Digestive problems

• Temperature sensitivity

• Sleep difficulties

• Feeling shaky or “on edge”

• Anxiety

Because these symptoms can overlap with anxiety and other mental health conditions, it can sometimes be difficult to determine what is contributing to what.[1,5]

And that's important:

Having physical symptoms does not mean they are “just anxiety.”

It is also possible to experience both autonomic dysfunction and anxiety or depression at the same time.[1,5]

Why Can Dysautonomia Affect How You Feel?

Living with unpredictable physical symptoms can be stressful.

Imagine not knowing when you might become dizzy, exhausted, nauseated, or experience a sudden increase in your heart rate. Over time, that uncertainty can affect sleep, work, relationships, and everyday activities.

Research involving people with autonomic dysfunction has found frequent reports of anxiety, depression, fatigue, cognitive difficulties, and feeling misunderstood or dismissed in healthcare settings.[5]

That experience matters.

Your symptoms can be physical and emotionally difficult at the same time. One does not make the other less real.

Anxiety Can Affect the Autonomic Nervous System, Too

The relationship doesn't only go in one direction.

When we're anxious or under prolonged stress, the autonomic nervous system responds. Heart rate can increase, muscles can tense, breathing can change, and the body can become more alert.[3,6]

If this happens repeatedly, the body may have more difficulty returning to a calm, restorative state. Chronic sympathetic activation and reduced parasympathetic activity have been associated with physiological changes that may affect both physical and mental health.[2,3,6]

This can create a frustrating cycle:

Physical symptoms → worry → increased nervous system activation → more physical symptoms → more worry.

Recognizing this cycle isn't about saying symptoms are psychological. It's about understanding how the nervous system can amplify real physical sensations—and how those sensations can affect how we feel emotionally.

Why This Matters

We have to look beyond a single symptom.

Someone who presents with anxiety may also be experiencing an underlying autonomic problem. Someone with dysautonomia may also be struggling with anxiety, depression, or sleep. And someone may have both.[1,5]

Instead of asking:

“Is this physical or psychological?”

A better question may be:

“How might these systems be interacting?”

The Takeaway

Mental health and physical health aren't separate systems.

Your brain, heart, nervous system, hormones, immune system, and digestive system are communicating all the time.[3,5]

That doesn't mean every physical symptom is caused by anxiety. It doesn't mean every emotional symptom is caused by dysautonomia.

It means the whole picture matters.

If you're experiencing anxiety, fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, dizziness, heart racing, or feeling constantly on edge, understanding the connection between your brain and body may be an important part of finding the right support.

Your symptoms are real. Your brain and body are connected. And both deserve to be understood.

This blog post is for general educational purposes and isn't a substitute for individualized medical advice. If you're struggling with your mental health, please reach out to a licensed provider.

References

1. Wang Z, Zou Y, Liu J, et al. Heart rate variability in mental disorders: an umbrella review of meta-analyses. Translational Psychiatry. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41398-025-03339-x.

2. Pinter A, Szatmari S, Horvath T, et al. Cardiac Dysautonomia in Depression—Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback as a Potential Add-on Therapy. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. 2019;15:2159–2170. doi:10.2147/NDT.S192610.

3. Thayer JF, Brosschot JF. Psychosomatics and psychopathology: looking up and down from the brain. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2005;30(10):1050–1058. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2005.04.014.

4. Huang M, Shah A, Su S, et al. Association of depressive symptoms and heart rate variability in Vietnam War-era twins: a longitudinal twin difference study. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018;75(2):133–141. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0747.

5. Shah LL, Kinser PA, Moyer S, et al. Lived experiences and perspectives of persons with conditions marked by autonomic dysfunction. PLOS ONE. 2025.

6. Goffi F, Maggioni E, Bianchi AM, Brambilla P, Delvecchio G. Is cardiac autonomic control affected in major depressive disorder? A systematic review of heart rate variability studies. Translational Psychiatry. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41398-025-03430-3.

About the Author

Shannon Parks, DO, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and Founder and Medical Director of The Parks Center for Women’s Wellness and Medicine in Tinton Falls, NJ. She is recognized for delivering elevated, root-cause–driven integrative psychiatric care and for advancing comprehensive mental health treatment for women.