The following techniques all safely stimulate the vagus nerve, but people with severe asthma, sleep apnea, or heart conditions should use caution with any electrical forms of VNS.
1. Practice long, slow exhalations. Slow breathing helps activate the vagus nerve. Simply slowing the breath and increasing the length of your exhalations can stimulate the parasympathetic response.
2. Immerse your face in cold water. When you plunge your face into cold water or splash some on your face, it stimulates a natural reflex called diver’s reflex, which slows the heart rate.
3. Hum, chant, sing, or gargle. Try gargling water for 30 seconds in the morning and evening, right after you brush your teeth. Activating the muscles around the vocal cords can stimulate electrical activity along the vagus nerve, says functional-medicine provider Navaz Habib, DC.
4. Use an isometric hold. Isometric holds can act as a kind of nervous-system reset. “Holding a lunge or a squat, strongly gripping the hand, or doing a Valsalva maneuver [bearing down while pushing breath out against your sealed nose and mouth] can quickly release and calm the nervous system,” says functional neurologist Jeremy Schmoe, DC, DACNB.
5. Try transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulators. Handheld or wearable tVNS devices specifically include the Pulsetto and Truvaga. Some are designed for use on the ear; others target one or both sides of the cervical branch of the vagus nerve in the neck.
6. Apply transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators. TENS units are typically used to treat pain by delivering electrical currents to targeted areas, but they can be used off-label to stimulate the vagus nerve. Follow the guidance of a health professional to ensure safety.
7. Get ARPwave. This is a type of neuromuscular electrical stimulation mainly used by physical therapists for pain relief and muscle re-education. These are typically found only in therapeutic settings.
8. Explore implanted vagus nerve stimulators. Surgically implanted stimulators are FDA-approved only to treat epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression. Research is ongoing to explore their potential for several other conditions, including migraine, rheumatoid arthritis, and IBD.
Habib recommends practicing some method of VNS twice daily — upon waking and right before bed. “I like bookending the day with it,” he says. “It’s great for helping people become alert and in a state where they can handle things in the morning. And it’s wonderful for helping people sleep, [and] sleep is the gym for the vagus nerve.”
In short, a VNS practice can help you keep calm and carry on. Who among us doesn’t need a little more of that?
Your Vagus Nerve
Stimulating the vagus nerve can relieve stress and anxiety, as well as depression, physical pain, inflammation, digestive distress, insomnia, and more. Discover tools and strategies that make relief accessible to anyone. Learn more at “How to Reset Your Vagus Nerve — and Find Calm,” from which this article was excerpted.
The post 8 Ways to Activate the Vagus Nerve — and Relieve Anxiety appeared first on Experience Life.
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