Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Do you get stressed out and anxious? Are you struggling to stay focused on the things you can control? This is an issue I faced growing up.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Stress And Anxiety

My dog Zach was so anxious; he would shake and tremble all the time. I found comfort in simply scratching his belly. It reminded me that some things just can’t be changed no matter how much we try, but finding solace in simple actions like this can make a big difference for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

And every single time, within about a minute, he would completely calm down. And I thought, wouldn’t it be great if we had a technique like my dog where we could just scratch our belly when we’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out and calm ourselves down? Vagal nerve stimulation is a viable technique that I encountered later in my career.

This modality has been used to affect changes in electrical and biochemical signaling pathways of the central nervous system. It can be used therapeutically for a variety of medical conditions, such as anxiety and depression for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

I’m a yoga teacher. In this brief article, we’ll demonstrate ancient yoga practices designed for Vagus Nerve Stimulation and help you find resilience in stressful times. These techniques can assist you in calming down and obtaining balance and peace. Just a quick disclaimer. If you’re suffering from a generalized anxiety disorder, clinical depression, or any serious mental illness, please check with your doctor.

What Is The Vagus Nerve?

I’m a yoga teacher with two decades of teaching and practicing yoga behind me, I’m excited to share my extensive knowledge regarding Vagus Nerve Stimulation with you. From breathing to postures and more, I’ll provide you with information that I’ve learned about the practice of yoga over the years. Let’s talk about Vagus Nerve Stimulation. What is it? Well, your vagus nerve is your 10th cranial nerve, and the name Vegas comes from the Latin root to wander like a vagabond.

Your vagus nerve wanders throughout your thoracic cavity and your nervous system. Of course, this is your body’s electrical signals and the vagus nerve innervates and also gives signals to lots of the most important functions of your body. Things like breathing and heart rate and blood pressure and orgasm so many different things.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

The vagus nerve is an essential part of the functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system. In this article, let’s explore how it plays a role in creating a healthy response from the body. In our body, we have different nervous systems, but your autonomic nervous system, is, like the name suggests, usually automatic.

And there are two main branches to your autonomic nervous system. One is called your sympathetic nervous system. That’s your fight-or-flight response. This exercise is for physical activity, to reduce stress and increase productivity, or to aid in the pursuit of games. Engaging in regular physical exertion works to bolster one’s overall health and well-being. And then you have your parasympathetic nervous system response for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

This is a time of relaxation, calmness, and clear thinking. Here you can take the time to be peaceful and appreciate love. With those feelings of coolness and being in control, you will begin to experience a deeper form of understanding and clarity. The reason I’m sharing with you, this is because our vagus nerve is largely responsible for our parasympathetic nervous system response. Now, our autonomic nervous system, in an ideal world, it’s automatic. During a given day, we may experience instances of the fight-or-flight reaction for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

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Clean the house, do the laundry, empty the inbox. At different times of day, we experience various states, such as rest, digestion, problem-solving, thought processing, emotion, and contemplation. In our modern life, it’s not really like that. In our modern life, you open up your phone and you’re bombarded by Crisis news. You go to work and you’re overwhelmed with more work than a person could really handle in a week.

Many of us are experiencing an extremely high level of stress, both through family life, work, and our lifestyles. Pollution from air and noise as well as processed food contributes to this unfortunate reality. It is clear that the effects of these are far-reaching and can lead to serious issues if left unchecked. It’s a lot to take in. And so our autonomic nervous system gets dysregulated. And many of us get stuck in a fight or flight response for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

That’s where at 11:00 at night, you’re feeling completely physically exhausted, but you’re mentally wired. You’re wired but tired. I’m sure you know the feeling despite all of your best efforts. You just can’t seem to self-soothe. Like my dog rubbing its belly for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

And this is where your vagus nerve can be really, really important. In these trying times, it’s common to experience the sensation of being exhausted despite having an abundance of energy. Fortunately, your nervous system is key to helping manage this state for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

High Vs Low Vagal Tone

More precisely, the vagus nerve plays an integral role in regulating fatigue and weariness. ‘Vagal tone’ might be a confusing phrase, but it refers to how efficiently the vagus nerve functions in calming one’s system down. But if you think about this vagus nerve and you think about its role in your rest and digestion response, when you have a high vagal tone, that means your ability to self-soothe is really high for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

That doesn’t mean you don’t get stressed out. That doesn’t mean you don’t get anxious or worried you will. But it does mean that you’re able to respond rather than react. That means when somebody cuts you off in traffic, rather than spinning out with anger for 3 hours, within a couple of minutes, you’re able to respond and collect yourself for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

Feeling confident in the potential of future events is a sign of internal strength and resilience. Though it’s human nature to be worried about the unknown, trusting that all will work out for the best is something to strive for. Cultivating this sense of hope allows you to rest easy at night and enter each new day with vigor and excitement for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

That would be indicative of a high vagal tone. In contrast, many of us have low vagal tones, which can result in various difficulties. Working to improve our vagal tone is an important way to help ourselves and improve our overall health. We’re not able to self-soothe. What happens is somebody cuts you in line at the grocery store and you’re angry and ruminating about it for the rest of your day.

When a vendor sends an angry email, it can be difficult to manage the emotions and professional obligations of the situation. It is important to process any feelings of frustration or resentment before responding in a measured and polite manner.

And it’s 11:00 and you’re spinning and spending and spending. This is a low vagal tone for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

Test Vagal Tone

To check in with your vagus nerve, to check in with your nervous system in general, there are a few techniques that can be really helpful. The nasal cycle test is the initial step in assessing the quality of a patient’s breathing. This involves performing a series of evaluations to confirm the proper functioning of their nose and sinus cavity with both nostrils tested for equal amounts of airflow for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

It is important to ensure that both nostrils provide an even amount of air before moving on to other respiratory tests. Some of you have done this with me before for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

This test has been found to be reliable and effective for many people. Take your index finger, and place it beneath your nose. Now, inhale three times through the nostrils. Try this technique and see if it works for you for Vagus Nerve Stimulation!

It’s important to determine which nostril is dominant, meaning it’s emitting more air. Is the right or left nostril the one that is allowing air to flow through freely? Your right nostril is indicative of a sympathetic nervous system state. Your left nostril is indicative of a parasympathetic state for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

Right nostril, fight or flight. Left nostril, rest and digest. Why is this relevant? It’s important to understand that the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are both vital for our health and well-being. In particular, the fight or flight response of our sympathetic nervous system can be beneficial in certain situations; nevertheless, the rest and digest response of our parasympathetic nervous system should still prevail in order to maintain an optimal level of health for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

Adequate circulation is necessary for the functioning of muscles, as well as the heart and lungs. We need to get things done for Vagus Nerve Stimulation. But there are other times when we need to be cool, calm, and collected. So if it’s 11:00 at night, like I mentioned before, and you’re wired but tired, and you’re in your right nostril, that’s indicative of low vagal tone. Let me give you another test for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

Now, this is a weird one. You need your phone. So hold up your phone and put on a selfie video. Stick out your tongue and make a Hassan like this.

And now take a look at the video. The uvula is a piece of soft, hanging tissue located at the back of the throat. There’s this thing, you’ve seen before when you’re brushing your teeth. It’s called your uvula. Your uvula is this little piece of tissue that hangs down the back of your throat.

Due to its far-reaching innervation, the vagus nerve is connected to your soft palate. Dysregulation of this nerve can result in deviation of the uvula (the cone-shaped appendage that hangs down at the back of your throat). Checking for such deviation is a simple test that can be done with a mirror or video recording and can indicate an imbalanced state for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

The third technique is subjective, but it works really well, too. What we’re looking to do is cultivate interception, understanding what’s going on inside your body, not just what’s going on in the news or in your environment. And a simple way to do that is to close your eyes and check-in. How are you feeling right now? Are you reflecting on events that took place earlier today?

Are you worried and anxious about things in the future? Do you feel like there’s a dark cloud of anxiety hovering over your head? This seemingly simple check-in can is an indication of one’s vagal tone. People with high vagal tones are often able to ‘let things go’, while those with low vagal tones may have difficulty regulating their emotions and stay out of balance.

Okay, now that we understand what the vagus nerve is, and its role in your parasympathetic nervous system, now that we have a few techniques for checking in with our nervous system and checking in with our vagal tone status for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve

Let’s take a look at three simple, weird techniques for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

Remember, we’re looking to do what I used to do with my dog scratching its belly to make it relax. These techniques there are lots of different techniques for stimulating your vagus nerve. These are weird ones. You probably haven’t seen them before, but they’re very, very effective and they’re pretty well-researched for Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

Bhramari Practice

The first one is a yoga technique called Bhramari. The humming bee technique utilizes a resonant, low-frequency hum that is used to vibrate the back of the throat, working on the vagus nerve. This nerve runs down each side of the neck and is enveloped in a cartilaginous tube. This tube also contains the jugular vein and carotid artery in addition to the vagus nerve. Vibrating the back of the throat allows for stimulation of this nerve, resulting in relaxation.

Looks kind of funny. Sounds kind of funny. If you’re embarrassed, just go into the bathroom and close the door. I’d encourage you to do 10 rounds of Bhramari. Slow, low, oscillating exhale that will massage your vagus nerve. It also has an added bonus, helps to release nitric oxide in your perinasal sinuses, which is a vasodilator and a bronchodilator, really helpful for your cardiovascular health, but also helps to relax you as well.

Triangle Breathing

One of the most effective and consistent techniques for stimulating the vagus nerve is pranayama, also known as yoga breathing. Pranayama consists of breathing exercises, which when done regularly can have a profound effect on both body and mind. If you’re looking for an easy yet powerful way to stimulate your vagus nerve, this could be a great option for you. This practice has a couple of important elements, and one of them is the chin lock.

In yoga, this is called Jalandarabunda. We’ll use the chin lock at the top of the breath to hold our breath, and when my chin is locked in towards my chest, it puts pressure on that carotid sheath where my vagus nerve is, and again, will help to massage the vagus nerve.

The second step in my relaxation technique will be to practice taking slow and deep breaths. In fact, I will exaggerate my diaphragmatic breathing. Your vagus nerve passes through the opening of the diaphragm, so when you do exaggerated diaphragmatic breathing, it massages your vagus nerve. It helps to relax you as well. We get a double-whammy effect.

It’s called triangle breathing because we breathe into the count of four, one side of this triangle. We’ll hold each position for four counts, pausing to release and exhale as we move down. Let me show you how it works. I will be utilizing a traditional pranayama mudra with my right hand to regulate breathing.

To do this, I must first inhale and then close my nose, lock it, and hold it. Then, lift your chin slightly before exhaling. That’s triangle breathing. It’s four on the way up. Lock and hold Jhal and Dharabandha, the chin lock for four, and then exhale for four. I’d encourage you to do 10 rounds and see how you feel. It’s a very, very effective practice.

Ear Massage

The last item on the list is certainly one of the most peculiar. If you take your index finger and your thumb and you make Pirates of the Caribbean earrings for yourself by placing your index finger inside your ears and let’s massage by making small, gentle circular motions forward, one, two, three, four, five, and now backward, five, four, three, two, one.

Very gentle. Let’s go forward. One, two, three, four, five, and now backward, five, four, three, two, one. I previously mentioned that your vagus nerve is a vagabond. It goes all throughout your thoracic cavity. It also goes up into your neck. It also goes up near your ears, your auricular branch, and your ear branch of the vagus nerve goes right up here.

This massage technique may not be for everyone, but it can be quite effective for some. Not only that, this method of stimulation can be practiced discretely; you can do it while at work, in a car, or even on an airplane. Our main goal is to activate the parasympathetic nervous system through vagus nerve stimulation – ultimately allowing users to better manage and mitigate any tension or stress they may feel.

Great to have you here. I hope you find that helpful. Here’s what we cover. We talked about how our modern lives just are a constant onslaught of stress, mental, emotional, physical, and all of the above.

We talked about how very often we get stuck in our fight or flight response and we lack the tools and the ability to automatically self-soothe. So like my dog scratching its belly, we can use these techniques like Bhramari, like triangle breathing, and like this ear, massage to stimulate our vagus nerve. And if you have questions, I answer all the comments down below.