Practices to Promote Regulation in the Nervous System

It is no surprise that life will provide stressors at any time. While eliminating all stressors is

impossible and would be an extreme waste of your time, energy, and attention, there is one

practice that I have a lot of positive feedback from. As mentioned, you cannot just make the

stressors disappear, but what if I told you there are practices you can do so when something

comes up and your stress response is triggered, you can return to baseline quicker. Sounds

great, right? The secret is in daily practice of activating the vagus nerve. 

Let's start with a bit of background information. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your

body, traveling from the base of the brain all the way down to the bowel. This nerve plays an important role in shifting your body into and out of the flight or fight response, the stress

 response.

Activating or stimulating the vagus nerve will also stimulate the parasympathetic

nervous system, which then reduces your neurophysiological experience of stress. 

First - big red flag here, the expectation is not to feel any different right away or in the moment of doing any of these exercises. Some may provide relaxation or enjoyment and that is wonderful, please acknowledge the experience if you have it, but it is not the expectation. Much like you would not expect your bicep to be noticeably stronger after one or two bicep curls, you are not looking for immediate stress relief with any of these practices. With regular practice (the strategies are easily incorporated into the day), you will slowly begin to notice that when triggered by a stressor, you can return to your baseline calm more easily and more quickly. 

Now that you have a realistic expectation, let’s explore some ideas for you to incorporate into the daily routine that will help with your vagus nerve activation. 

One of the best, yet not always the most liked practice is spending the last 30 seconds or

last minute of your shower in as cold of water as possible. That little gasp you would do in

response to the cold will activate the vagus nerve. If that is terribly off-putting, you can instead

splash cold water in your face, put an ice pack to your face/neck, or submerge your tongue in cold water.

Slow, rhythmic breathing is another great practice. A longer exhale is the key component for best calming effects as well as vagal nerve toning.

Similar to breathwork, you can try humming. Specifically, the "vooo" and "om" sounds stimulate the vocal cords and promote long, slow exhalation. 

Gargling can activate the vague nerve by activating the muscles in the back of the throat and again practices long exhalation. 

My favorite practice - the belly laugh, that hardy laugh that comes deep from the solar plexus. Again, activates the vagus nerve and does wonders for your mood in general. 

Yoga can provide good practice specifically with how the practice helps you focus on breath. 

Mild exercise stimulates both gut flow and the vagus nerve.

Massaging the sides of the neck at the carotid sinus can stimulate the vagus nerve.

Adding probiotics into the diet improves the bacteria in the gut which can help with regulation.

There are many possibilities to help you start vagal activation exercises in your daily routine. Remember that the goal is not to feel an immediate positive change, the goal is for you to start to recognize that your nervous system starts to take less and less time to get back to a neutral baseline after being activated.

As always, I am here to help, simply reach out.