Your Body's Key To Relaxation
The vagus nerve has been a subject of curiosity throughout human history. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed it helped regulate breathing and control the voice. During the Middle Ages, it was believed to be a spiritual link between body and soul. It wasn’t until the 19C that we began to gain insight into its functions. ✨
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What is the vagus nerve? 🧠
The vagus nerve is a crucial part of the parasympathetic nervous system—the system responsible for relaxation and digestion. It originates in the brain and travels down through the neck, branching into the chest, heart, lungs, and abdomen.
Divided into two branches (left and right), the vagus nerve essentially helps your body enter a "rest and digest" state by slowing the heart rate 🫀, increasing digestion 🥗, dilating blood vessels 🩸, and relaxing muscles.
How to know if your vagus nerve isn't working well? 🤕
When the vagus nerve isn’t functioning properly (‘abnormal vagal tone’), health can suffer in many ways.
An over-active vagus nerve (when it's too responsive) can cause things like fainting, decreased heart rate and nausea 🤢.
An under-active vagus nerve can lead to rapid heart rate 💓, decreased digestion and gastroparesis - a condition that keeps the stomach from emptying properly.
Abnormal vagal tone (activity of the vagus nerve) can also lead to:
○ Dizziness 🌀
○ Abdominal pain
○ Acid reflux 🌶️
○ Difficulty swallowing
○ Loss of appetite 🍔
○ Weight loss
○ Migraine attacks 😩
○ Anxiety
○ Depression 😞
○ Speech difficulty or hoarseness
○ Changes in blood pressure 🩺
○ Epilepsy
○ Abdominal pain
○ Acid reflux 🌶️
○ Difficulty swallowing
○ Loss of appetite 🍔
○ Weight loss
○ Migraine attacks 😩
○ Anxiety
○ Depression 😞
○ Speech difficulty or hoarseness
○ Changes in blood pressure 🩺
○ Epilepsy
Since the vagus nerve is so intricately tied to mental and physical health, improving vagal tone can address these issues at their root.
It's especially important in cases of anxiety and depression, where stimulating the vagus nerve has been used as a treatment method to "reset" the body after stress and bring it back to a balanced state.
If you are in a constant state of ‘fight 🥊 or flight’ 🏃♀️, stimulating the vagus nerve can be very helpful. It’s also useful in shifting the body out of the "freeze" state.
Vagus nerve exercises
Vagus nerve exercises can improve vagal tone, activate the parasympathetic nervous system and make you feel more relaxed by stopping the body from being in a stressed state 🧘♂️.
Deep Breathing 🌬️
The breath is a powerful tool for stimulating the vagus nerve, slowing heart rate 💓, and lowering blood pressure. The key is to take deep, belly breaths rather than shallow chest breaths.
This can be practiced by lying down, placing a hand on your belly, and making sure it expands when you inhale and contracts when you exhale. You also want to make sure to exhale longer than you inhale.
This can be practiced by lying down, placing a hand on your belly, and making sure it expands when you inhale and contracts when you exhale. You also want to make sure to exhale longer than you inhale.
Try breathing in through your nose for a count of four and exhaling through your mouth for a count of eight.
Vocal Sounds 🎶
Humming, chanting, and singing can also stimulate the vagus nerve by activating throat muscles connected to it.
These vibrations increase heart rate variability (HRV), which is an indicator of good vagal tone. Higher HRV means the body is more capable of adapting to stress, so keep singing your heart out!
Cold Exposure 🥶
Cold exposure triggers an inborn physiological response known as the mammalian diving reflex. This response activates the vagus nerve, slows heart rate, and calms the body.
Ways to practice cold exposure include:
○ Cold plunges 🛁
○ Cold showers 🚿
○ Placing an ice pack on the neck ❄️
○ Submerging the face in a bowl of ice water 🧊
○ Submerging the face in a bowl of ice water 🧊
Exercise 🏋️♀️
Physical activity naturally stimulates the vagus nerve and improves vagal tone, offering a wide range of mental health benefits.
Massage 💆♀️
Massaging the head, neck, or feet can activate vagal sensory neurons and engage the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to deep relaxation.
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The vagus nerve is a key player in our body’s ability to relax, digest, and recover from stress 🌱. If you're dealing with anxiety, migraines, or any of the other symptoms mentioned above, give vagus nerve exercises a try. They could make a real difference in how you feel! 🌈