HACK your CALM (with the Vagus Nerve)

Ever wish you had a built-in switch to calm your anxiety, slow your heart rate, and feel more at ease, almost instantly?

Well, YOU DO!!! 

It's called the vagus nerve, and in this episode we are going to break down what this nerve is, why it matters and how you can start stimulating this nerve in simple ways.

https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/7787454a-c985-489b-95b7-8d048421caaa/

Transcript

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Today, we're going to talk about how to activate the vagus nerve, and then I'll explain what the vagus nerve is and why it's important. So I'm going to start with tools that you can use to activate your vagus nerve when you're feeling super overwhelmed, panicked, or if you're just really feeling out of control. These are super simple. You can use them every day if you want, and they're scientifically proven to calm your nervous system. So the first tool is humming. And how you're going to do this is you're going to put a hand at the base of your throat and really kind of on the top of the chest. And when you breathe in, take a normal inhale and on the exhale, slowly hum the breath out. You want to aim to feel the vibration underneath your hand. This technique works by stimulating the vagus nerve through the vocal cords and throat. And extending the exhale actually enhances the calming effect. The next tool that we're going to use is cold water face immersion. And don't worry if you're somebody who doesn't want to hold your face underwater, we have an alternative for you. So what you're going to do is fill a bowl with cold water. If there's ice in it, that's a bonus. So we're talking really cold. Hold your breath and submerge your face for anywhere between 10 and 15 seconds. Come up and breathe normally, and then you're going to repeat this one to two more times. As an alternative, if you don't like to hold your breath underwater, you can splash extremely cold water on your face repeatedly. This triggers the body's what scientists call dive reflex, which directly slows your heart rate and activates the vagus nerve. The third technique I'm going to give you is called the shoulder shrug. This one's super easy and can be done anywhere. So what you're going to do is you're going to inhale and shrug your shoulders up to your ears as far as you can and hold it there. It might be super uncomfortable. Hold it for anywhere between three to seven seconds. And then suddenly on the exhale, allow them to drop fairly quickly. So you're just going to kind of shrug them up to your ears and then drop them. Let your arms go completely loose. Allow it so that you're not holding your arms or your shoulders in any way. This is great for people who sit at the desk all day, who kind of have their shoulders all shrugged all day, anyways. And so if you want to take a minute, maybe every hour or every two hours, set an alarm, get up and do this. The contrast between the tension and release helps to discharge stored stress and it signals the body that it's safe to relax. So what is the vagus nerve? And why does it matter? The vagus nerve is one of the most important nerves in your body. It acts as a communication superhighway between your brain and all of your organs. It's crucial mainly because it helps regulate your autonomic nervous system, especially in the rest and restore. So in order to get out of fight or flight, activating the vagus nerve can help bring you back to a state of calm. The vagus nerve slows the heart rate and promotes relaxation. Strong vagal activity is linked to feeling calm and emotionally regulated. It supports your digestion. It sends signals from your brain to your stomach, helping control things like stomach acid and hunger. The vagus nerve also connects the brain and gut. It's a key part of the gut brain, meaning it carries information both ways. The vagus nerve regulates inflammation, it affects breathing and reflexes, and there's a mental health link. Lower vagal tone has been associated with anxiety, depression, stress-related disorders, and higher vagal tone is linked to resilience and emotional stability. The vagus nerve is important because it helps balance your body, both physically and mentally, and by coordinating internal organ function and calming responses. So give these three exercises a try, or just try one. Feel free to leave comments if any of these helped you. And you don't have to wait until you're super overwhelmed, or if you're having a panic attack, you can do these just to do them. When you wake up in the morning, your cortisol levels rise. This is to give you energy for the day. This isn't a bad thing, but you can also start your day with splashing cold water on your face. It'll lower those cortisol levels so that they're not so overwhelming in the morning. Or do the shoulder shrug while you're at work. And the humming can be super effective right before bed. All these tools can be used at any time during the day. Um, but give them a try. Let me know what you think. I hope everybody has a great week.