The vagus nerve governs many physiological processes on which health and well-being depend, including the relaxation response. Navaz Habib, expert in functional medicine and author of the book the vagus nerve (Ed. Urano), explains why the vagus nerve is so important, its relationship with stress, anxiety and inflammation, as well as the keys to activate it and promote a better response to stress and a greater balance between the body and the mind.

The vagus nerve directs many functions in the body

Without you stopping to think about it, Your heart will beat 100,000 times today. You will breathe 23,000 times. Your blood will circulate through your body three times a minute, and your liver will continually cleanse and detoxify that blood. The bacterial population will work symbiotically with your digestive tract to break down the food you eat and assimilate the nutrients that each of your cells requires to function.

Have you ever wondered How does all this happen in the absence of conscious control?? How do all of these systems work collectively? The answer is in you autonomic nervous system.

This system constitutes an evolutionary marvel. It is the part of the nervous system that, put simply, is responsible for the control of bodily functions that are not consciously directed.

Our body is designed to live and survive without the need for conscious thought. The vagus nerve is the conductor of the symphony orchestra of the human body.

As humans evolved, our ability to think consciously increased exponentially, because systems to survive were regulated subconsciously or automatically.

Balance between calm and activity

The autonomic nervous system consists of two branches which, automatically controlled, intervene in this survival:

• He sympathetic It increases heart rate and breathing rate, sends blood flow to the muscles, and dilates the pupils. By doing so, allows us to fight against stressors or “run away” and get away from them.
• He parasympathetic It allows us to relax and recover from the tension of daily tasks, and reduces heart and respiratory rates so that we breathe more deeply and fully and enter rest mode. Its control depends on the vagus nervecrucial for health.

Avoid chronic stress and inflammation

The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body. Gives sensitivity to the ear, allows you to swallow food, controls the respiratory tract and your vocal cords, control your breathing, heart ratemaintains optimal blood pressure, liver functions, activates the gallbladder, controls hunger and satietyblood sugar and insulin levels, the motor function of the intestine, the activity of the immune systemintestinal inflammation, or transmits information from the set of intestinal bacteria, from the microbiome.

If we give our body the opportunity to recover, it can fight inflammation, obesity, improve diabetes, digestive problems or autoimmune diseases.

It can be said that Vagus nerve balance is essential for a full life and satisfactory.

• Its chronic imbalance leads to illness and dysfunction. When stress levels remain too high for too long, the parasympathetic system loses its ability to function.
• The opposite can also happen, since overactivation of the parasympathetic system can slow the ability to cope potential stressors. The body, under constant levels of stress, produces high levels of inflammation and does not have the opportunity to recover.

The vagus nerve, key to combating anxiety and other disorders

Our body has not yet developed the ability to distinguish between different types of stressors, so Mental and emotional stressors provoke the same response as the presence of a liona tiger or a bear.

We stress ourselves by eating highly processed products, while spending time indoors, away from nature. We care about our loved ones and we forget to take care of ourselves.

If we give our body the opportunity to recover, it can combat inflammation, obesity, improve diabetes, digestion or autoimmune diseases.

Foods that help the vagus nerve balance body and mind

Control inflammation It is one of the important functions of the vagus nerve. Inflammation is an important response to keep us safe from invaders such as viruses or bacteria.

When inflammation levels are not controlled and become chronic, The effects can cause physical and mental health disorders.

The state of brain fog may indicate the presence of inflammation in the brain, caused by a malfunction of the blood-brain barrier and, therefore, a malfunction of the intestinal lining or leaky gut.

Some food choices They can help reverse inflammation and help improve the function of the brain, nerves, and even the vagus. They are summarized in:

• Eat real foodssuch as fruits, vegetables, cereals or quality eggs.
• Do not eat too many. If you eat slowly, you can enjoy every bite and feel fuller by eating less.
• Mainly plantsapproximately 75%, like fruits and vegetables, prioritizing those free of pesticides.

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How to activate the vagus nerve?

1. Deep, relaxing breathing

The first and most effective step to positively stimulate your vagus nerve is learn to breathe correctly. Rapid and shallow chest breathing is a sign of stress that activates the sympathetic branch, while slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing is a sign of relaxationwhich activates the vagus nerve.

Breathing slowly and deeply with your diaphragm is a sign of relaxation that activates the vagus nerve. It also helps balance heart rate and ward off chronic stress.

Practice this exercise will help you activate it:

• sit up straight without resting your back against anything and exhale completely to expel all the air from your lungs.
• Rest your right hand on your chest and the left hand on the belly, just above the navel.
• Take a deep breath through the nose for 5 to 7 seconds, letting your belly expand alone (feeling that only your left hand moves).
• Hold your breath between two and three seconds.
• Exhale through your mouth six to eight seconds, letting your belly contract (feeling that only your left hand moves).
• Hold your breathwithout letting air enter your lungs, for two to three seconds.
• Repeat Steps 4-7 as many times as is comfortable for a period of time.

2. A little cold activates the vagus nerve

Periodic exposure to cold is one of the most effective methods of activate and balance a dysfunctional vagus nerve.

The simplest way to incorporate this into your life is in the shower, letting the cold water hit the head and neck in the last minute of the shower. At first, the system will be shocked and alter the way you breathe. Your goal in those moments is to strive control your breathing and breathe deeply as many times as you can.

When this minute is easy for you to bear, you can add one or two minutes of exposure to the cold per week. This way your vagus nerve will be strengthened.

3. Keys to activate it even more

These are other practices that help you take care of the vagus nerve:

• Heart rate. Various studies indicate that slow breathing exercises (such as the one in the previous section) are very effective in improving heart rate variability. The lower your resting heart rate, the stronger your vagus nerve.
• Yoga, pilates... they help to calm the mind, focus on breathing and regulate it.
• Hum, hum and recite to activate the muscles, make them vibrate and stimulate the centers of the brain stem. Thus, at the same time, we stimulate the vagus to send signals.
• Sleep on your side. Sleep hygiene is vital: you have to eat little and early dinner, turn off the screens and not skimp on hours of sleep. But also, if you sleep on your side (preferably on the right), the tone of the vagus improves because it is easier for the airways to remain open for breathing control.
• Mindfulness. Before undertaking a task, do you take a moment to sit quietly, close your eyes, and focus your attention? When you rest, do you take a moment to be grateful for what surrounds you? Practice it a few minutes a day and you will see the results in your mind.