What is the Origin of Stress Response Downregulation?

The term originates from stress physiology, acknowledging that the acute survival response becomes maladaptive when chronically activated. Downregulation signifies moving the baseline reactivity set-point lower through targeted interventions. This is critical for preventing chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation.

What is the Mechanism of Stress Response Downregulation?

The mechanism involves enhancing vagal tone to promote parasympathetic dominance during recovery periods, allowing for the clearance of circulating stress hormones. Furthermore, optimizing GABAergic tone in the CNS helps dampen excessive neural excitability that triggers adrenal surges. Supporting adrenal substrate reserves ensures the system can manage necessary acute demands without crashing into exhaustion.

Stress Response Downregulation ∞ Area

Stress Response Downregulation

Meaning

Stress Response Downregulation is the clinical practice of modulating the reactivity and magnitude of the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis to chronic stressors, thereby reducing the long-term physiological impact of sustained catecholamine and cortisol elevation. This aims to shift the system from a perpetual state of defense to one of controlled readiness. It is about managing the allostatic load effectively.