The Vagus Nerve is a large nerve that stems from the brain down through the spine and innervates essential organs like the gut and heart. This nerve is a primary neural pathway for the parasympathetic nervous system aka the nervous system responsible for healing, rest, and digestion.
Before we dive more into the Vagus Nerve it's important to know why I'm even bringing it up to begin with...
When clients come to me struggling with 7/10 levels of stress, period pain, stomach issues, headaches, feeling tired but wired, anxiety, and feeling out of body I am going to start with addressing the nervous system. These symptoms are all signs that the nervous system is chronically in the fight or flight state that, overtime, can increase risk of burnout.
Chronic stress takes the body away from that parasympathetic state of relaxation and keeps you in the sympathetic nervous system of elevated stress hormone as your body continues to get the signal of a threat. The body is meant to have rest after signals of stress to help counter act the negative impacts stress can have on the body.
Humans need a little stress to help with growth, a sense of fulfillment, and to help with overall happiness. However, it's when you don't get a break from it where it becomes a big problem!
Chronic stress can disrupt the overall health of the body and can essentially minimize the tone/ integrity of the Vagus Nerve.
Other conditions that can negatively influence the Vagus Nerve include regular concussions and traumatic brain injuries, infections, surgeries that might impact the Vagus Nerve, and conditions such as diabetes.
The good news, there are simple exercises that can be integrated on a regular basis to help soothe the nervous system, activate the Vagus Nerve, and get your body into a more restful state.
Humming, Singing, and Sighing: Have you ever noticed yourself singing or humming more when stress becomes elevated? Or you continuously let out a big sigh when you have a lot on your plate. All of these activities are a response from your body trying to regulate itself. This can be a fun one to incorporate for my high achieving clients to allow them an easy and fun way to soothe some stress. I typically recommend when they are in their car putting on their favorite song and belting out some singing, or humming their favorite song in between meetings or while they are working on back end items in their business.
Gargling: Similar to humming and singing, gargling creates a vibration that helps activate the Vagus Nerve. This can be easily integrated into your routine after you brush your teeth AM & PM. About 20-30 seconds can be helpful!
Belly Breathing: When you are in chronic stress the breath is often shallow and in the chest. Shallow breathing may also be your default breathing pattern that in turn, signals to the body to stay in a stressed state. It's important to bring awareness to your breath throughout the day. The more you can breathe deeply in the belly, integrating diaphragmatic breathing, the more you can signal saftey to your body and stimulate that vagus nerve.
Massage: Whether you're a fan of face rollers, Gua Sha, or rolling your hands around your face doing "facial yoga" these are all wonderful practices to help stimulate the Vagus Nerve and create a calming effect throughout the body. I also love using a Vagus Nerve massage where you put two fingers behind your ears and glide them down toward your throat. This can help alleviate tension in the jaw and be a simple way to soothe in between busy tasks of the day. (By the way if you haven't downloaded my Restore Your Spark Guide be sure to do that as I also give my favorite ear exercises that soothe the nervous system as well!)
Other ways to help stimulate the vagus nerve include:
Cold exposure- this isn't something I recommend regularly for my menstruating clients because it can sometimes cause additional stress to the system- especially if doing a prolonged ice bath. However, it can be a beneficial resource at certain times of the year like in the heat of the summer and during certain times of the menstrual cycle like during the follicular phase.
Regular exercise- movement does wonders! I'm not talking intense exercise here but rather gentle movement that help you get into your body and alleviate stress.
Time in nature- nature is potent medicine that can help soothe the nervous system, clear the mind, and allow you to get into the present moment.
The thing to remember when it comes to supporting the body through stress is that little shifts done consistently overtime can yield tremendous results!
With my 1:1 clients I always start with approachable recommendations that are easy to integrate to start creating safety within the body first. From there we can make further adjustments that can help you continue to feel good and flourish in all areas of your life!
Was this helpful? Let me let me know in the comments!
Ways to work with me:
Feminine Vitality Online Course: For better periods in 5 weeks & a comprehensive guide to supporting your hormones for LONG TERM.
Nourished Nervous System Assessment: 1:1 support to discover your body's unique needs and give you a comprehensive roadmap with customized recommendations to help you alleviate symptoms and feel good in your body!
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