Climb High, Sleep Low: A Mountaineer's Guide to Nervous System Recovery

Before I became unwell—before my nervous system began to malfunction—I had been dabbling in mountaineering. I’d climbed a couple of 4000+ metre peaks in winter, pushing my physical limits, testing my skills, and preparing for bigger challenges ahead. At the time, it was all about resilience, adaptation, and the quiet satisfaction of reaching a summit after days of effort.

Little did I know that I would soon face a much steeper and more invisible climb—one that had nothing to do with mountains and everything to do with my own nervous system.

Mountaineers the world over follow a simple but powerful maxim: "Climb high, sleep low." It’s a golden rule for altitude acclimatisation. The idea is to expose the body to stress gradually, giving it time to adjust, and then return to a place of safety to recover. This rhythm—stress and recovery, challenge and rest—is how mountaineers prepare for the extremes.

And I’ve come to believe that this same principle can help us retrain a dysregulated nervous system.

Photo by Les Zollbrecht on Unsplash

The Stress Response and Nervous System Dysfunction

For those of us living with conditions like ME/CFS, FND, Fibromyalgia or Long COVID, the body often reacts to even minor stress—whether physical, emotional or sensory—as though it's a major threat. The nervous system becomes overly reactive, stuck in a chronic state of fight, flight or freeze. It no longer responds proportionately to stress, and struggles to return to baseline.

This hypersensitivity can lead to Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM), a hallmark symptom where even minor exertion causes a delayed crash in symptoms—sometimes for days or weeks. For many, it feels like being trapped in a body that constantly overreacts to life.

But here’s the hopeful part: just as mountaineers train their bodies to tolerate altitude stress, perhaps we can train our nervous systems to tolerate everyday stressors more calmly and adaptively.

Applying the 'Climb High, Sleep Low' Principle to the Nervous System

In this context, “climbing high” means gently nudging the edges of your current capacity—doing just enough to stimulate adaptation without overwhelming your system. This might be:

• A short, mindful walk

• A phone call with a friend

• Five minutes of focused activity like writing or gentle yoga

  
  

Then, “sleep low” mirrors what climbers do—returning to a place of safety and recovery after a challenging ascent. They rest, refuel, and allow the body time to adapt before the next push up the mountain. Likewise, nervous system recovery depends on regular periods of restoration and nourishment. This might look like:

• Deep rest

• Breathwork or meditation

• Time spent in low-stimulation environments

• Eating nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods to support healing

  
  

The key isn’t to push harder each day, but to gently explore your limits, give your system time to adjust, and always return to a baseline of calm. Over time, this back-and-forth rhythm may help the nervous system become less reactive—and more resilient.

Why Graded Exercise Often Fails

This idea also sheds light on why graded exercise therapy (GET) often fails—especially for those dealing with PEM. GET is often built on a linear model: do a little more each day, no matter what. But that’s not how bodies, especially those with dysregulated nervous systems, adapt.

No one just walks up Everest in a straight line. That would be a disaster. Instead, climbers ascend in waves—climb high, sleep low. They expose the body to stress, allow it to adjust, then return to safety to recover. Without this rhythm of challenge and rest, the body doesn’t integrate the stress—it crashes.

Likewise, a rigid GET plan that steadily increases activity without enough recovery time can be counterproductive. It assumes the body will adapt linearly, but for those with hypersensitive nervous systems, the opposite often happens: overexertion leads to worsening symptoms, not resilience.

A smarter, more compassionate approach involves listening to the body, respecting its limits, and building strength through gentle oscillation—exposure and recovery, effort and restoration. That’s how real adaptation happens.

The Science: Neuroplasticity and Nervous System Adaptation

This isn’t just a metaphor—it’s rooted in science. The nervous system is plastic, meaning it can change in response to experience. This is known as neuroplasticity.

By repeatedly pairing mild, manageable stressors with safety and recovery, we can encourage new neural pathways to form—pathways that associate stress with calm rather than crisis. Over time, this can lead to a less reactive baseline, a stronger vagus nerve response, and better overall regulation of stress.

This is the foundation of many modern approaches to healing nervous system dysfunction, including somatic therapies, mindfulness-based interventions, and vagus nerve calming techniques.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t about “pushing through” or ignoring your symptoms. It’s about working with your nervous system, not against it. It’s about becoming your own mountaineer—learning when to climb, when to rest, and how to gently expand your capacity without triggering a crash.

Healing from nervous system dysfunction is rarely linear. But it is possible. Step by step, climb by climb, the nervous system can learn safety again.

References

1. Heal Your Nervous System – Brain Retraining for Nervous System Regulation. Retrieved from: https://healyournervoussystem.com/brain-retraining/

2. Princeton University Outdoor Action Guide – Altitude Illness: Prevention & Treatment. Retrieved from: https://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/altitude.html

3. PubMed – Neuroplasticity and the Brain: The Role of Experience in Brain Development. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23838093/

4. Standard Chartered Breeze Blog – The Expedition: Adjusting Your Altitude. Retrieved from: https://www.sc.com/breeze-blog/the-expedition-adjusting-your-altitude.html