Symptom 3: Autonomic Instability: The Invisible Puppeteer of NMS
If you’ve ever watched a puppet show, you’ll know how a puppeteer can control several puppets simultaneously with just a few strings. Now, imagine NMS as an invisible puppeteer pulling the strings of your autonomic nervous system. This leads to our third symptom, autonomic instability.
The autonomic nervous system controls a host of automatic functions—heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, respiratory rate, and more. With NMS, these functions can fluctuate wildly, causing a range of disturbances. From rapid heartbeat and fluctuating blood pressure to irregular breathing patterns, the signs of autonomic instability are varied and far-reaching.
But let’s dive a little deeper. What makes autonomic instability such a compelling symptom is its unpredictability. Picture your body as a ship on the sea, with the autonomic nervous system as its rudder. Now, imagine what happens when the rudder starts acting up—the vessel is thrown off course, lost at sea.
The effects of autonomic instability are similarly far-reaching. For instance, rapid heartbeat, or tachycardia, can put undue strain on the heart. Likewise, fluctuations in blood pressure can affect various body functions, creating a whirlpool of health issues that can escalate if left unchecked. (3)
