The Link Between Hyperreflexia and Anxiety — And How Functional Neurology Can Help
- Joseph Coppus
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
When someone experiences heightened anxiety, it’s easy to attribute it solely to psychological stress or emotional strain. But for many, anxiety is also a neurological phenomenon, one that reveals itself through more than just racing thoughts or a pounding heart. One such physical marker? Hyperreflexia, or overactive reflexes.
At Delta Neuro Health, we look deeper into what these signs mean, why they show up, and how the nervous system’s imbalances often sit at the core of both hyperreflexia and anxiety. This is where functional neurology and neurofeedback come together to offer a drug-free, brain-based approach to restoring calm and control.
What is Hyperreflexia?
Hyperreflexia is a condition where the reflexes, typically tested by a clinician with a reflex hammer, are exaggerated or overresponsive. This isn’t just a quirky physical trait; it’s often a sign of increased excitability or disinhibition within the central nervous system (CNS).
While this can result from spinal cord injury, brain trauma, or neurological disease, in many cases seen in clinical practice, functional hyperreflexia is related to chronic stress or dysautonomia, an imbalance between the sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) branches of the autonomic nervous system.
The reflex that I tend to see hyperreflexia present most commonly in anxious patients is the plantar reflex. In this particular reflex, the practitioner scrapes the bottom of the patient’s feet with the sharp end of the reflex hammer. Typically we are looking to see if the patient exhibits a Babinski response, which can in serious circumstances indicate an upper motor neuron lesion; however, I often see a heightened withdrawal response in individuals with anxiety. This becomes a key biomarker throughout the course of their care.
The Anxiety Connection
Anxiety is more than just a mental or emotional experience, it's a whole-body response, rooted in nervous system activity.
When the brain perceives a threat, real or imagined, it activates the sympathetic nervous system. This leads to:
Elevated heart rate
Increased respiration
Muscle tension
Heightened reflexes
In individuals with persistent anxiety, this system can remain chronically overactivated, leading to a lowered threshold for reflex arcs in the spinal cord. In short, the body becomes more reactive, both mentally and physically. Hyperreflexia is a neuromuscular reflection of this constant state of alert.
How Delta Neuro Health Helps: The Functional Neurology Approach
At Delta Neuro Health, we specialize in identifying and rebalancing the neurological pathways that contribute to anxiety, overactive reflexes, and dysautonomia. Our approach is non-invasive, personalized, and rooted in neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change and adapt.
Here’s what we do to help combat anxiety and hyperreflexia:
Comprehensive Neurological Evaluation
We begin with an in-depth exam to assess:
Brainstem excitability
Cortical inhibition
Autonomic tone
Eye movements
Postural reflexes
Sensory integration This gives us a detailed map of where your brain is overactive, underactive, or dysregulated, and how that may be contributing to your anxiety and reflex patterns.
Neurorehabilitation Therapy
We design targeted neuro rehab programs to activate and regulate specific brain areas. These may include:
Vestibular and balance therapies to stimulate brainstem and cerebellar pathways
Eye movement therapies (saccades, pursuits, VOR) to enhance frontal lobe control and reduce brainstem overactivation
Gait and coordination drills to activate the cerebellum and improve sensory-motor integration
Respiratory training to shift autonomic balance back toward parasympathetic dominance
These exercises help retrain the brain to self-regulate, reducing physical and emotional hyperreactivity.
Neurofeedback Therapy
We also offer neurofeedback using our BrainMaster Freedom-20R system with BrainAvatar software, a cutting-edge, real-time EEG-based therapy that helps your brain learn how to calm itself.
Here’s how it works:
We begin with a brain map (qEEG) to measure electrical activity across different brain regions
We identify patterns associated with anxiety (e.g., high beta activity, low alpha/theta)
During sessions, you receive visual and auditory feedback when your brain shifts into a more regulated, relaxed state
Over time, your brain learns how to self-correct those patterns, resulting in fewer anxiety symptoms, improved sleep, better focus, and calmer reflexes
Neurofeedback is especially effective for:
Generalized anxiety
Panic attacks
PTSD-related hypervigilance
Performance anxiety
Post-concussion dysregulation
The Outcome: A Regulated Nervous System
By combining functional neurology with neurofeedback, we help patients:
Decrease hyperreflexia and muscle tension
Improve autonomic balance
Increase frontal-limbic regulation
Reduce chronic stress responses
Sleep better, move better, feel better
When your brain no longer lives in a state of overdrive, your reflexes
and your mind can finally relax.
Ready to Get to the Root?
If you’re struggling with anxiety, stress sensitivity, or signs of hyperreflexia, we’re here to help you move beyond symptom management and toward neurological resolution.
📞 Call us at (614) 706-2093
📍 Located in Columbus, Ohio
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