There are so many digestive problems going on right now; cortisol levels are through the roof; high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes are rampant, and people are having a hard time calming down. Through it all, the vagus nerve, our parasympathetic nervous system, is being inhibited and, as a society, we are in a chronic state of the Fight or Flight plague.
The heart and brain have more neuronal connections to each other than any other systems in the body!1 From this we can know that the vagus nerve plays a major role in the communication between the two. Whether we choose to be in fight or flight mode, or calm and relaxed makes the difference between health and illness.
When we breath deep and then actually sigh out the breath from our mouth, we further stimulate the vagus nerve as it is vibrating from the vocal cords. The Vagus nerve follows the esophagus down to the stomach, diaphragm and all the digestive organs! As we do this we further relax the body and all systems within.
References:
1. R. McCraty, M. Atkinson, D. Tomasino, et al., “The Coherent Heart: Heart-Brain Interactions, Psychophysiological Coherence, and the Emergence of System-Wide Order,” Integral Review, vol. 5, no. 2: pp.10-115 (2009).
Till next time. Thank you,
