What Is Nervous System Tone?

Key takeaways

• Nervous system tone is the tension, or frequency, your nervous system runs at; the easiest way to picture it is a violin string.
• Chiropractic was founded on the idea that life is the expression of tone, which is why we care so much about the spine and the nervous system it protects.
• Your thoughts, emotions, stress, and daily habits all play into your tone.
• Small, simple choices like breathing slower, drinking more water, getting outside, and getting adjusted are ways to tune yourself every day.

Nervous system tone is the tension, or frequency, your nervous system is running at. It shapes how you feel, how you respond to stress, and how well your body adapts to everything life throws at it.

In our office, we talk about tone a lot. I even co-wrote a book about it, TONE: The Interconnection of Your Life and Your Health. This month our theme is nervous system regulation, so I want to share the simplest parts of that book with you here.

As I like to say, “The tone of the nervous system sets the tone of your life.”

What is nervous system tone?

The best way to understand tone is to think of a violin string. In TONE, we wrote: “A violin string has a certain TONE it produces when stressed, and depending on the degree of tension in that string, there is a different tone that is sent out.”

Your body is the same. Depending on the tension in your neuro-spinal system, your whole being has a different tone.

Picture yourself driving to work. Someone cuts you off, and you miss an accident by a split second. You feel tense, and your heart beats faster. Your tone goes up.

Now picture yourself on a beach. The sun is shining, it’s the perfect temperature, and you can hear the waves. You’re relaxed. Your tone is different.

Which tone would you rather carry through your day?

Why do chiropractors talk about tone?

Because chiropractic was built on it. D.D. Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, said it this way: “Life is the expression of TONE; in that sentence is the basic principle of chiropractic.”

Your brain and body communicate through your nervous system. Your spine is the bony case that protects that highway of communication. That’s why we care so much about the spine: it’s closely connected to the energy coursing through that highway.

Every day, your body adapts to stress: how you sit at work, how you talk to yourself, the emotions you carry. Over time, your body can hold on to those patterns. As chiropractors, we’re trained to find the areas along the spine where your body isn’t adapting well. We call these subluxations.

An adjustment is a simple way to give your system more ease, a little like tuning that violin string. Then we let your body do what it was innately designed to do.

Can stress and emotions change your tone?

Yes. Stress isn’t all bad. We need some stress to grow, the same way working out builds muscle. In TONE, we wrote that stress becomes an issue “when we can’t adapt to it.”

Your thoughts and emotions are part of your tone too. You can walk into a room where people have been arguing and feel it right away. You can snuggle up with your child and feel something completely different. Around the people we love, we tend to harmonize, just like instruments.

One of the things we wrote in the book is that tone can’t be “hacked.” Someone can look happy and positive on the outside while carrying fear underneath, and their nervous system responds to what’s underneath. As we put it, “Energy doesn’t lie.”

Here’s a simple question to start asking yourself: “Does this choice feel good for my body, or is it working against it?”

How can I tune my nervous system every day?

Start small. You don’t have to change everything at once. In the book, we call it playing the “How Good Can I Feel?” game.

Here are a few places to begin:

• Breathe slower. Slow down, exhale fully, and breathe through your nose as much as you can. Your breath is free and always with you. If you want to go deeper, we recommend the book Breath by James Nestor.
• Get outside. If you’re not getting any time outdoors right now, start with five-minute breaks in the sunshine.
• Drink more water. Plain water, more than you’re drinking now.
• Move your body. Use your full range of motion like a kid does. Start where you are and go one degree deeper than is comfortable.
• Choose your yeses. Busy is not the badge. A life you love and feel connected to is.
• Get adjusted. Find a chiropractor where you feel heard and can ask questions, and make it part of your routine.

Remember, two steps forward and one step back is still forward progress. No change is too small.

If you want to learn more about tone and energy, my favorite book is Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins.

Want to have your nervous system checked in Chippewa Falls?

If you’re in the Chippewa Falls area and you’re curious about your own tone, we’d love to meet you. We’ll listen to your story, check your spine and nervous system, and talk through what we find. You can also browse all of our Doc Talks and blog posts.

Frequently asked questions

What does tone mean in chiropractic?

Tone is the tension, or frequency, of your nervous system. D.D. Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, said life is the expression of tone, so it’s at the heart of how we look at health.

Is nervous system tone the same as muscle tone?

Muscle tone is one meaning of the word, but when chiropractors talk about tone, we mean the overall tension and frequency of your nervous system. We like to picture it as a violin string, where different tension makes a different sound.

How does a chiropractic adjustment affect tone?

An adjustment is a way to bring more ease to areas along the spine where your body isn’t adapting well. From there, your body does what it was innately designed to do.

Where can I get the TONE book?

TONE: The Interconnection of Your Life and Your Health by Dr. Danny Otis and Dr. Lona Cook is available at the Cook Chiropractic office and drlonacook.com.