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When you are experiencing a racing heartbeat or tightness in your chest when reading about the pandemic, or something stressful going on in your life, it is because of something called “the sympathetic nervous system.”
When our brain senses that there might be an emergency on hand, it sends out signals to increase blood pressure and prepare us for fight-or-flight mode. Learning how to stimulate the vagus nerve to lower heart rate can be beneficial for one’s wellness routine.
The idea behind “sympathetic” means relating directly from one part of an organism (in this case, your mind) into another through nerve impulses. Your parasympathetic nervous system is your ally in moments of danger.
When you are running from a grizzly bear, for example, they calm the parts of you which would otherwise be fighting or freezing with fear-they allow relaxation and peace to return so that we can think more clearly when faced with threats like these.
So, what are the benefits of having your vagus nerve activated? This article aims to provide all the necessary information on how to activate your vagus nerve to have a stress and anxiety-free lifestyle.
Understand The Lion Inside
The vagus nerve is the brain’s way of controlling our heart rate, regulating digestion and breathing. It also helps regulate inflammation by telling white blood cells to attack harmful substances in the body, like bacteria or invasive cancerous tumors.
But what happens when someone has lower levels? You might experience symptoms such as fatigue or difficulty sleeping.
Though maybe not right away because this condition can take months or even years!–to develop fully. Let’s start by answering the question “What is the vagus nerve?” first.
The vagus nerve is the brain’s way of controlling how we feel about things, and it has many effects on our bodies.
The word “vagus” means wanderer because this is not just one single traveling nerve but rather an extensive network that extends throughout your whole body with essential roles in all aspects from speech production to heart rate.
The Vagus Nerve is a vital nerve that connects the brain to many different parts of one’s body, including the gut (intestines and stomach), heart, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, kidney, ureter, spleen, lungs, sex organs, neck, ears, tongue, etc.
It can be thought of as being more important than any other in relation. Because not only does it affect these various systems, but also influences how you feel about yourself mentally through hallucinations or just feeling out-of-this-world.
Activate The Lion Inside
Vagus nerve stimulation is a treatment that will help many people with health conditions. These include but are not limited to anxiety disorders, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.
The vagus nerve is a fascinating structure that runs from your brain to your abdomen. It has been said to be the essential nerve in connecting all of our organs and systems.
But what do we know about it? The first step towards better health for this superconductor-like organ starts with stimulating its power source–you. Here are 5 ways you can exercise and stimulate yourself:
1. Listening to Music
Listening to a specific type of music can provide your body with stimulation. As mentioned, the vagus nerve interferes with parasympathetic control.
And this leads you to feel calm while doing something like taking care of household tasks or just relaxing in general.
The more we listen, the less stressed out for whatever is going around us currently because our bodies will have an easier time calming down due to how stimulating it was from listening to these songs, which affected us throughout each day.
2. Cold Showers
Cold showers are a great way to reset your body’s natural thermostat.
Your sympathetic nervous system is reduced when exposed to the cold, which helps keep it running smoothly by increasing parasympathetic activity and slowing down your digestive process with less stress on organs like the heart or lungs (which would otherwise overwork).
Other options include dipping face in water immediately after exiting from an outdoor rink. Drinking fluids that have been refrigerated before consumption (like milk) will also do this trick.
3. Singing or Chanting
Singing, humming, or mantra chanting can increase heart rate variability (HRV) in different ways.
Soul-singing at the top of your lungs makes you work muscles at the back of the throat, which helps activate the vagus nerve while singing less gets the same result with another type of music through brain waves instead.
Humming is good for regulating emotions because it triggers emotional responses from yourself by producing sounds similar to vowel intonation patterns, found naturally occurring melodies heard among animals when communicating distress signals such as alarms during emergencies.
4. Yoga
Yoga can help improve your mood and anxiety levels because it increases the production of GABA. The neurotransmitter associated with these two conditions, which is called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), is shown in several studies as well as clinical trials to reduce stress responses such as increased blood pressure or heart rate. When we feel stressed out, practicing yoga will make us less anxious without making those feelings go away completely.
5. Deep Breathing Exercises
Yoga is a great way to turn your mind off and relax. A 12-week study of people showed that they had improved moods, lower anxiety levels with the help of this activity.
GABA neurotransmitters are associated with both stress or happy feelings, so it makes sense why those who performed yoga experienced an increase in happiness as well.
Try also the Breathwrk app for free guided breathing exercises that can help normalize breathing and calm the nervous system.
Be Happy With Your Lifestyle
If you want to feel better, then your body must be in the best shape possible. Your state of digestion and recovery are all mediated by one nerve – The Vagus Nerve.
So follow these exercises for an enjoyable experience with life as well-controlled nerves will allow us more energy while no negative surprises arise along our journey through this world.
Neuvana creates a vagus nerve stimulation device to meet your vagus nerve music needs. With their unique product and app, they can increase wellness for both your mind and body.
