The Vagus Nerve - your secret weapon to fighting stress
The vagus nerve may be the most important nerve in the body, impacting multiple systems and playing a key role in our bodies’ response to stress. Dubbed the 'super-highway' of the body, it's involved in nearly every physiological action in the human body, and harnessing its power can have an immediate and dramatic impact on your wellbeing.
The vagus is the tenth cranial nerve, originating in the brain stem at the base of the skull and travelling through the face, neck, lungs, heart, diaphragm, and abdomen, including the stomach, spleen, intestines, colon, liver, and kidneys. Vagus is Latin for “wanderer,” an appropriate name for the longest cranial nerve in the body. Ever wonder why you get aroused when someone passionately kisses you? Thank the vagus nerve for that one! ;)
It is vital for helping to manage your mood, immune response, digestion, and heart rate.
As well as transporting important information between your brain and your internal organs, it detects signals from your breath rate and heart rate and talks directly to your nervous system - signalling necessary responses to keep you safe from harm.
Physical movement wise - it continuously reads where your limbs are in space so that you can move, act and react accordingly.
In simple terms, the vagus nerve is blummin' important and I want you to know all about it; in turn using this knowledge to boost your health and wellbeing!
So why am I talking about it right now?
Well, with everything that's happened over the last two years and from talking to soooooo many people from all walks of life, I'm discovering that for most of us, our nervous systems are in a pretty poor state right now. After spending time studying the affects of trauma, I feel it's my duty to help you as much as I can to fight the negative effects the pandemic has caused - physically and mentally.
Have you ever heard of “fight or flight?”
When we experience sudden, high stress, our fight or flight response is automatically activated, preparing the body ready to either run away or fight - perfect for our cave man days when we had to go out hunting for food. In our everyday experience of stress, there is no real need to run or hide - it's more likely a demanding job role or a few sleepless nights causing our stress rather then meeting a tiger in the street!
During periods of chronic high stress, the body remains in high gear, with stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol surging through the body. This creates wear and tear on the body and mind, and over time can create a number of health problems such as chronic pain, anxiety, mood swings, gut inflammation and many more.
The good news is that our bodies contain their own superpower that can assist with decreasing our fight or flight response.
The vagus nerve system acts to counterbalance the fight or flight system and can trigger a relaxation response in our body and one of the main ways to do this is using our breath (a reason breath work practise is often a big part of a Yoga class!) Deep, slow, 360 degree breathing is where it's at. You can learn to use breathing exercises to shift your focus away from stress or pain. The human mind processes one thing at a time; if you focus on the rhythm of your breathing, you're not focused on the stressor.
The moment we anticipate stress in any form, most of us tend to stop breathing and hold our breath. Breath holding activates the fight/flight/freeze response; it tends to increase the sensation of pain, stiffness, anxiety, or fear. To practice deep breathing inhale through your nose and exhale through your nose or mouth.
Let's pause for a moment and try it...
Sit comfortably and take a deep breath in through your nose
Pause at the top before really slowly letting the breath leave your body
Inhale again - think about expanding your abdomen and widening your rib cage as you inhale - and even breathe into the back of your body
Exhale longer than you inhale - it’s the exhale that triggers the relaxation response.
Over the next few weeks, in classes and here, I'm going to talk more about this, covering subjects including The Polyvagal Theory, Trauma and its long-lasting effects (yes, the pandemic has caused trauma in all of us,) The Window of Tolerance, and most importantly, how Yoga, Movement, Breathing and Meditation can help you with ALL of it.
For now though, know that you can take control of your stress levels yourself - without medical intervention if you wish and at a very low cost. You just have to be willing to put in some time and commitment to your health. (Remember my ONE intention for this year? It was to put my health at the top of my priority list - and it's working so far, very well. Now, I'm sharing what I'm learning with you so you can do the same.
Set an intention now to practise this breathing routine above just once every day - maybe when you first wake up, or before you drift off to sleep. Set a timer on your phone to do it for two minutes - JUST TWO MINUTES!!
Brownie points for anyone that does it during the day when you notice the stress levels increasing.....
Let me know how you get on.
Kate xx