4 Easy Ways to Support Your Vagus Nerve Health
What is the vagus nerve?
The vagus nerve is the longest of the 12 cranial nerves, running all the way from the brain stem to the colon.
The cranial nerves come in pairs and can then be further divided into two components:
Somatic: sensations that can be felt on the skin or within the muscles
Visceral: sensations that can be felt in the organs of the body
Basically, the vagus nerve has two functions, sensory and motor.
Think about the vagus nerve as the main highway, and all the side streets are made up of nerve fibres that go through the facial muscles, inner ear, throat, lungs, diaphragm, and the whole digestive system.
Think about these sensory fibres as a messenger system, so as the nerve impulses are travelling down the highway, they are constantly reporting what’s going on back up the highway to the central nervous system.
Vagus nerve is sensitive, she feels everything. She likes a calm environment otherwise she can go a little haywire!
Why do I care?
Well, there are huge studies that have shown vagus nerve stimulation reduces depression, and more recently it has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory superpowers.
Pretty much everyone could do with reducing inflammation, we’re a hot mess - think of:
Chronic pain
Obesity
Diabetes
Lung injury (smoking)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Migraines
IBS
Mood disorders
Cardiovascular disease
Other symptoms of an unhappy vagal nerve:
Loss of voice or hoarse voice
Reduced production of stomach acid – reflux and burping
Nausea and vomiting
Loss of gag reflex
Difficulty swallowing
Ear pain
How to make your vagal nerve dance
Cats and cows!
For those non yogis who have no idea what that means, let me explain.
Start on your hands and knees, toes tucked under, shoulders in line with wrists and knees above hips.
As you breath in take your gaze up and arch your back, butt turns up.
Think about the top of your head touching your tail bone, keep shoulders down!
As you exhale, round your spine and curl yourself into a ball, you should feel nice stretch all around your shoulders.
Continue for about x10 rounds
It’s all in the eyes
Either in a comfortable sitting position or laying down with your eyes closed put your palms over your eyes.
Open your eyes and gaze clockwise from 12 o’clock, 3, 6, 9 then back to 12 o’clock.
Close your eyes again, take x2 belly breaths.
Open your eyes and take your gaze anticlockwise from 12 to 9, 6, 3, and back to 12.
Close your eyes again and take x2 belly breaths.
Repeat once more on both sides.
Stretch the neck, the bridge between mind and body
We hold a lot of tension in this area: sit up tall with a long spine, shoulders are back and down, ribs and abdomen engaged and drawn inward and upwards.
Take right arm to the side away from the body and place right hand to left ear (over the top, so right elbow is in the air).
Left shoulder is drawing down as you gently turn head on the side – right ear to right shoulder.
Hold for 5-8 breaths, for deeper stretch, turn your gaze and head towards your right armpit. Repeat on the other side
Gargling
Hold a small amount of water in your mouth turn your head up, open your mouth and make bubbles in your throat for as long as you can, repeat as you desire.
