How Vagus Nerve Stimulation Can Help Lower Your Stress Levels

glamour.com:

floating around the internet, which ones are actually effective? According to experts, vagus nerve stimulation really is a great way to lower your stress levels.“The vagus nerve starts at the brain and runs through the face and thorax (which holds the heart, major blood vessels and lungs) to the abdomen,” says osteopath, . “It’s a major part of our parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with the ‘rest and digest’ response, plus it also helps counteract the sympathetic nervous system’s ‘fight or flight,' or stress, response.” In addition, it controls several muscles in the throat, which are involved in speech and various One of the easiest ways to ?

By humming. “It’s like going to the gym for the vagus nerve. The more often you hum, the more you strengthen it and increase vagal tone,” Alibhai says. “This activates the parasympathetic nervous system and helps the body to relax faster after stress, while allowing your body to rest, recharge and recover.”She recommends trying the “voo” method: a powerful technique that can feel for some, but stimulating for others – if you feel a calming effect while trying the below, repeat.

But if you feel activated, stop doing it and try it another time.Super easy (and free!) to do, the “voo” method can also be alternated with gargling or singing. “As the vagus nerve innervates parts of the throat, gargling can also help increase vagal tone,” says Nadia. “Try 10 to 30 seconds of loud gargling with water, two to three times a day.”They may not be the most social of (should your colleagues be irked by you bursting into song), but they work.