Have you heard about the Vagus nerve?
The Vagus nerve connects your gut and heart to the brain. The below picture comes to my mind every time I think about the Vagus nerve. ‘A’ in the picture is your brain and ‘B’ is your heart and gut.
So if the heart is palpating too fast, the Vagus nerve needs to convey this message to the brain that releases the hormone acetylcholine to slow the heart rate.
When you start eating and are full, the Vagus nerve transmits this signal to the brain which in turn releases the satiety hormone, signaling you to stop eating. Reduced sensitivity of the vagus nerve due to chronic junk food habits has been associated with obesity.
Damage to the Vagus nerve has been associated with not only irregular heart rate but also lower digestive juices in the stomach and irritable bowel movement.
You could be following the healthiest diet in the world, but if you have a clogged or underactive Vagus nerve functioning, you are really swimming against the tide to reach your goal.
Simple Vagus nerve stimulation exercises practiced every day can boost its activity though. By adding any of the exercises below, you will be surprised to see how much your gut health improves. Regardless to say you are also protecting yourself from long-term heart diseases.
How do I stimulate the Vagus nerve?
Slow breathing. Roughly 11 seconds per inhale-exhale cycle. three rounds of 8- 10 cycles.
Gargling. The Vagus nerve passes behind the throat. 20- 30 seconds of a few rounds of gargling every morning.
Chanting. I adore how religion and science merge here. Chanting stimulates your vocal cords that stimulate your Vagus nerve. Have you also observed how changing is a part of almost all religions across the world, be it Bhajans in Hinduism or choir in a Church.
OHMMMMmmmmmmmmm. Who would have ever thought that chanting ‘OM’ could have an effect on your gut and heart health. Don’t believe me? Here is a study to prove the same!
Are any of the above practices part of your lifestyle yet? Stop swimming against the tide to reach your goal and make them a part of your lifestyle already.
Loving you always,
Roshni Sanghvi.