Singing, Humming, Chanting and Gargling The vagus nerve is connected to your vocal cords and the muscles at the back of your throat. Singing, humming, chanting and gargling can activate these muscles and stimulate your vagus nerve.
Loud gargling with water or loud singing activates our vocal cords which in turn stimulates the vagus nerve. Foot massage: gentle or firm touch can assist in stimulation the vagus nerve. Cold water face immersion: immerse your forehead eyes and at least 2/3 of both cheeks into cold water.
While sitting on the floor or in a chair, come into a twist. Place your right hand on the outside of your left leg and place your left hand behind you. Gaze over your left shoulder. Lengthen your spine on your inhale, and on the exhale, deepen the twist.
Open your Heart: You can gently stimulate the vagus nerve with yoga postures that open across your chest and throat. Try this gentle seated heart opening practice by bringing your hands to your shoulders. Inhale as you expand across the front of your chest, open your elbows wide, and lift your chin.
Conclusions: Right lateral decubitus position leads to the highest vagal modulation in the controls, whereas the supine position leads to the lowest vagal modulation in the CAD patients.
Based on research results and clinical experience, cervical region tightness can be considered to cause stomach problems through the vagal nerve, and soft tissue relaxation of the cervical region can be a promising treatment method for stomach symptoms.
The vagus nerve is connected to your vocal cords and the muscles at the back of your throat. Singing, humming, chanting and gargling can activate these muscles and stimulate your vagus nerve. And this has been shown to increase heart-rate variability and vagal tone (12).
Vasovagal syncope occurs when a vagus nerve to your heart overreacts to certain situations like extreme heat, anxiety, hunger, pain or stress. Blood pressure drops very quickly (orthostatic hypotension), making you feel dizzy or faint.
Any form of moderate massage to the neck and shoulders can help improve the functioning of your vagus nerve. A painful form of massage may not be a great choice because muscle pain may trigger the sympathetic nervous system, causing a “fight or flight” response.
What the wellness community recommends for stimulating the vagus nerve—eye movements, meditation, massage, cold-water immersion, and singing and humming—, if it works, is likely to be beneficial through a very simple concept: relaxation.
There are two main causes of vagus nerve dysfunction: previous infection or inflammation and physical or psychological stress.
The left vagal nerve runs down the left side of your neck, and the right vagal nerve runs down your right side. This nerve extends all the way from your brain to the large intestines: down your neck, through your chest, around your heart, around your lungs, and through your abdomen and intestines.
When the vagus nerve itself gets damaged, you'll obviously deal with some pain in your neck - but other weird symptoms will present themselves as well. You'll notice issues with your voice, problems with your throat, an increased heart rate, brain fog, excessively high or low blood pressure, and gut problems.
Eat foods rich in tryptophan.
Dietary tryptophan is metabolized in the gut and may help the astrocytes—cells in the brain and spinal cord—control inflammation, which may improve communication from the gut to the brain via the vagal messenger pathway. These foods include spinach, seeds, nuts, bananas, and poultry.
Reflexology involves massaging the feet to stimulate various areas of our bodies. Foot reflexology has been shown to stimulate the vagus nerve. It's also useful for lowering blood pressure, which is one function of the vagus nerve, and the effects occur in both healthy people and those with cardiovascular disease.
Research shows that reflexology (a kind of massage) can increase vagal tone and even decrease blood pressure. “Massage can reduce some of the heightened activity in the vagus nerve,” says Dr. Estemalik.
Nutrients that support the vagus nerve include: Choline (to make acetylcholine, our main neurotransmitter) Vitamin B12. Magnesium.
Something calming and easy that's not vigorous, like taking a walk, is a great way to destress and also help your vagus nerve. People who engage in regular walks see a significant reduction in anxiety and perceived stress, as well as a better overall mood and physical health.
Aim to get in five minutes a day, throughout the day of the below vagus nerve exercises.