Your Wellbeing Weapon - The Vagus Nerve
As the class draws to a close, we lay silently in savasana our final resting pose. Drawing our attention inwards to the body and the breath we practice pranayama - breathing techniques along with a full body scan to fully acknowledge how the body feels.
We listen to the sounds around us and when the mind starts to wander we gently bring our attention back to the breath. I feel calm, warm and content, not dissimilar to the feeling after a reflexology session, but what causes this feeling of peace and tranquility after a yoga class or massage? Let's look at the science..
What is the Vagus Nerve?
The Vagus nerve is the longest and most complex of all the cranial nerves. It controls your inner nervous system (the parasympathetic nervous system) and runs from the brain, through the face and thorax to the abdomen.
Our nervous system is built around the balance and harmony of two opposing activities;
The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is associated with the fight or flight response.
The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is associated with relaxation, digestion, and regeneration.
When these two parts of our autonomic nervous system work in harmony this supports healthy rhythms of alertness and restfulness maintaining optimum physical and mental health. However, unresolved trauma and chronic stress can disturb the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic functions of the nervous system.
Our sympathetic nervous systems are often overstimulated and activated, so to maintain balance in the body we need to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system daily.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
A treatment called Vagus nerve stimulation where the nerve is stimulated with electric pulses is sometimes used for patients with epilepsy or depression where other treatments have been unsuccessful and has also been explored for treating Alzheimers disease and migraine.
Stimulating the Vagus Nerve Naturally
It is also possible to stimulate the vagus nerve naturally to increase vagal tone and ease symptoms of depression, reduce inflammation in the body, lower blood pressure, improve mood, strengthen memory, tell your body to relax after stress and even increase stomach acid and digestive enzyme production, ensuring the proper and sustained absorption of vital nutrients. This proper regulation of the immune system means hormones and enzymes like oxytocin and acetylcholine are stimulated, improving general health and psychological wellbeing.
Yoga & Pranayama
The Vagus nerve is connected to your diaphragm therefore the belly breathing or diaphragm breathing that we encourage in Yoga is said to be one of the most effective ways to stimulate the Vagus nerve by activating your parasympathetic response. Particularly extending the exhale longer than the inhale. Try inhaling for the count of 3 and exhaling for the count of 4 for just a few minutes and observe how differently the body feels.
Reflexology
The main effect of Reflexology is deep relaxation, helping to maintain homeostasis or balance in the body. It is possible to stimulate the Vagus nerve via the vagus reflex in the foot. Combined with endocrine stimulation results in calming and relaxing the whole body. This can be felt after just one treatment but most effective after a course of treatments.
Meditation
Mindfulness meditation optimises functional connectivity in the brain and increases parasympathetic activity in the body, lowering inflammation and improving the brain's ability to manage stress and anxiety. The Vagus nerve sends messages to the brain helping the body to switch from fight or flight mode to rest and digest, slowing the heart rate and reducing your blood pressure
Balancing Gut Microbiome
The Vagus nerve is the biggest nerve connecting the gut and brain, this communication system is called the gut-brain axis. There are 100 billion neurons in the brain and 500 million neurons in the gut. The Vagus nerve sends signals to and from both organs so by eating well and ensuring we have a gut full of healthy bacteria we are able to ensure optimal brain health. Eating more fibre for example stimulates vagus impulses to the brain slowing gut movements and making us feel fuller after eating.
Other Ways to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve
If all of the above feels like too much effort there are other ways to increase vagal tone, like humming, singing or loud gargling with water, immersing your face in cold water and having a good old belly laugh!
Your Wellbeing Weapon
Remember YOU are in control of your vagus nerve, don't let stress control you. Use it as your wellbeing weapon to send a message to your body in times of stress, telling it to relax.
Improving your vagal tone will lead to long term improvements in your overall wellbeing by enhancing mood, pain management and resilience in the body.