Why the muscles and nerves at the top of your spine may be running the show — and how a simple physical reset can change everything before January.

By Annalisa Brown, L.Ac.
AB Acupuncture, West 72nd Street

December in New York quietly steals something from us.

We push through the fall sprint — work deadlines, kids’ schedules, darker evenings, colder mornings, the emotional weather of the world — and by the time we reach the holidays, most New Yorkers are running on equal parts caffeine and sheer force of will.

Every year, without fail, my office fills with the same questions:

“Why am I so tired even though I’m sleeping?”

“Why does my mood tank in December?”

“Why is my brain fog so bad right now?”

“Why do I feel anxious and exhausted at the same time?”

“Why does everything hurt?”

You may think these symptoms come from stress, or the weather, or the holidays — and yes, all of that plays a role.

But there’s a surprising, very physical reason New Yorkers burn out at the end of the year:

Your neck is overwhelmed — and it’s dragging the rest of your system down with it

Stay with me. This is one of those things no one tells you… until someone finally explains it and suddenly everything makes sense.

Your Neck Is the Body’s Stress Thermostat

Every message between your brain and your body travels through a narrow, crowded highway: the muscles, fascia, and nerves of your neck.

When those muscles are relaxed and responsive, your brain gets clean, accurate information:

We’re upright We’re balanced We’re safe

But when the neck gets tight, compressed, or fatigued — which happens to almost every New Yorker by December — the brain receives distorted signals that feel like:

instability imbalance threat

Your brain can’t tell the difference between actual danger and postural danger, so it reacts the same way:

ramps up stress hormones tightens muscles everywhere decreases digestion disturbs sleep drains energy heightens pain sensitivity shortens your emotional fuse

This isn’t weakness.
This is physiology.

Why New Yorkers Are Especially Vulnerable in December

Let’s talk about the city itself.

1. The cold makes us hunch.

Our shoulders rise. Our chins jut forward. Small neck muscles fire constantly just to keep us from face-planting on an icy sidewalk.

2. Coats, scarves, and bags overload the traps.

You can spot a New Yorker by the way we carry tension like it’s part of our outfit.

3. Screens pull the head forward.

We go from our phones to our laptops to reading on the subway and back to our phones.

The neck never gets a break.

4. Holiday stress tightens the whole system.

The emotional load lands physically — almost always in the neck.

5. Fatigue makes posture collapse.

Posture collapse then creates more fatigue.

By mid-December, your neck is doing the work of three body parts:
a structural support, a stress barometer, and a personal assistant managing your entire sensorimotor system.

No wonder the rest of you feels fried.

The Symptoms You Feel Aren’t Random — They’re Neck-Driven

You might not think neck tension could affect your whole life experience, but here’s what the research — and what I see every single day in clinic — tells us:

Brain Fog

Tight suboccipital muscles (the tiny ones at the base of your skull) decrease blood flow and compress nerves.

Your clarity drops.

Your focus scatters.

Fatigue

If your neck muscles fire 24/7 to stabilize your head, your brain interprets it as ongoing threat.

Threat mode burns energy like a leaking battery.

Anxiety, Mood Shifts, Irritability

The neck houses the origins of the vagus nerve and multiple cranial nerves involved in emotional regulation.

Neck compression = emotional dysregulation.

Full-Body Pain

When the brain thinks you’re unstable, it increases tension everywhere else to “protect” you.

You feel this as global tightness, aches, or sensitivity.

Sleep Disruption

If your neck keeps telling the brain “we’re not safe,” the parasympathetic system struggles to turn on.

You fall asleep wired and wake up tired.

Almost no one looks at the neck and thinks:
“This is why I’m exhausted and moody.”

But once you understand the mechanism, the connection becomes obvious.

The Good News: Fixing the Neck Resets the System

Here’s the part that gives people hope:

When you work directly on the neck — the muscles, the fascia, and especially the nerves — the brain gets a new message:

“We’re safe now. You can stand down.”

And what happens next is remarkable:

shoulders drop jaw unlocks breathing deepens the mind quiets energy lifts pain decreases mood steadies sleep returns

It’s not magic.
It’s not woo.
It’s physiology you can feel in real time.

This is why one of the most powerful things I do in acupuncture sessions on the Upper West Side isn’t just the needles — it’s targeted, neurology-focused work on the neck.

When the neck resets, the whole body follows.

Try This Mini Neck Reset at Home

Here are two gentle ways to give your neck some relief today:

1. Suboccipital Release with a Towel

Roll a small hand towel tightly.

Lie on your back and place it under the base of your skull (not your neck).

Let your head rest heavy for 90 seconds.

This decompresses the tiny muscles that control head positioning and calm the brain.

2. The Deep Neck Nod

Sitting or standing tall, imagine you’re creating a tiny “yes” nod — one so small no one else could see it.

This activates the deep stabilizers that reduce strain on the bigger, overworked muscles.

These are tiny, but the nervous system responds beautifully to subtle cues.

If You Want Help Resetting Before January…

AB Acupuncture is open through December 23rd, and this is actually one of my favorite times of year to treat. The shifts people feel in just one or two sessions often carry them into January with a steadier nervous system and far more resilience.

If your body feels like it’s running on old software — or if your mood, energy, or sleep feel off — don’t wait for New Year’s resolutions.

Sometimes the fastest way to feel like yourself again is simply to help your neck stop shouting at your brain.

I’m here on West 72nd Street until the 23rd.

Come get a reset before the year resets.