Enhancing your body’s ability to rest & relax through vagal nerve support

Rest & Relaxation versus Fight or Flight. Your central nervous system has two networks devoted to each of these responses, the parasympathetic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system, respectively. A balanced nervous system is able to continually monitor for and respond to threats but is also able to allow the body to “rest & digest”. Chronic stress upends this balance, leaving you in a perpetual state of sympathetic dominance. The result is a myriad of physical and mental health issues including anxiety, difficulty sleeping, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, and impaired immune health.

Your Vagus Nerve: The Mind-Body Highway

The vagus nerve is one of your cranial nerves, meaning that it originates in your brain. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body and extends downward to your gut. Along the way, the vagus nerve has numerous, smaller nerve branches that regulate the sensory & motor functions of various organs such as your heart, lungs, skin, and digestive tract.

Your vagus nerve serves as a two-way highway between your brain and gut and vice versa. The sleepy feeling you get after eating a large meal is caused in part by the “rest & digest” signal that the vagus nerve transmits from your gut to your brain. Similarly, when under stress, your parasympathetic nervous system works to restore balance and calm back to your body once the immediate threat has passed.

Vagal Nerve Support: Restoring balance & calm to your body & mind

Chronic stress impedes the ability of your parasympathetic nervous system to return to a balanced state. If your chronic stress is not addressed, your mind and body experience a persistent state of fight or flight, leading to both mental and physical ailments.

Intentionally promoting a balanced nervous system requires supporting your vagal nerve function. Vagal nerve support involves stimulation of the vagal nerve through various actions, including:

• Singing or humming loudly
• Gargling vigorously
• Deep breathing
• TENS device

TENS Device: Stimulating the positive feedback loop of your vagus nerve

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) involves the delivery of an electrical microcurrent across the skin to stimulate peripheral nerves as well as a branch of the vagus nerve located in the ears. TENS stimulation of the vagus nerve branch targets the “rest & relax” parasympathetic nervous system fibers in order to promote a balanced and calm nervous system.

Incorporating vagal nerve support into your daily routine is a helpful way to promote relaxation build stress resilience and improve your overall health.
If you would like more information on how you can use vagal nerve support to improve your stress response, please contact us.

The contents of this blog are intended for educational purposes only. The information presented here is not a substitute for proper medical attention, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider before starting or making any changes to an existing treatment plan, exercise program or dietary regimen, and before using nutritional supplements.