The vagus nerve inerts much of our body, so that many define it as an engine, an internal channel that regulates rest and also disables the anxious responses of our body. Know how to stimulate yourself through exercises. like diaphragmatic breathing would certainly help us reduce many of the negative emotions that harass us every day.
Let us think for a moment in all these situations that generate anxiety, everything that causes fear, discomfort, disgust. . . We will visualize these vital moments and notice how, at any given moment, our stomach or intestine begins to have spasms, colic, to Shake with many angry butterflies inside. This sensation immediately activates the vagus nerve and sends a categorical message to the brain: “We have a threat. “
“Where the water reaches the deepest depth is where it remains calmer. -William Shakespeare-
Professor Wolfgang Langhans of ETH Zurich and his team discovered a few years ago that this fascinating structure of our body is intimately linked to our emotions, specifically to the feeling of fear or the need to escape. They have shown, for example, that people with chronic anxiety experience hypersensitivity in this nerve. In addition, and it is important to remember, the vagus nerve begins in the cerebellum and inerts the digestive and intestinal tract, respiratory tract, heart and liver.
Thus, a large part of our body is unbalanced when we are victims of anxiety: the heart accelerates, digestion becomes more difficult, is diarrhea born?However, one way to control the impact of much of our emotions is to “activate it. “”. Properly the vagus nerve. Although this structure responds to different parameters preconfigured by the body itself, there is the possibility of stimulating and improving its functioning to promote exactly the opposite effect: relaxation.
In 1921, a German Nobel Prize philosopher, Otto Loewi, discovered that during vagus nerve stimulation something very interesting happened: did the heart rate be reduced and the release of a very special substance, which he called, was activated?Vagusstoff? (in German, vague substance?) This vague substance was actually a very specific neurotransmitter: it is Acetylcholine, the first neurotransmitter identified by researchers.
Acetylcholine is one of the most important chemicals in our body because it is possible to transmit the nerve impulse, while the vagus nerve plays an essential and relevant role: it acts as an engine of the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for regulating our responses to rest, digestion, the need to escape or relax.
It’s like a game of strength, in which well-being is in homeostatic balance.
Is it like him? Yin Yang? Of our body, where the ideal point lies in the fact that we can benefit from a fair and adequate level of activation, in which there is no feeling of vigilance, nor a state of relaxation close to weakness, apathy or immobility. .
Clinical psychologists like Kyle Bourassa of the University of Arizona explain that something as basic as fostering a vague and healthy nerve connection between the gut and brain would help us, for example, to regulate much better the production of neurotransmitters like Acetylcholine and GABA (e. g. ) (gamma-aminobutyric acid). In this way, and thanks to these neurotransmitters, we could slow down the heart rate, lower blood pressure and the activity of organs overly stimulated by the effect of anxiety (could we sleep better, digest better?).
Next, we delve into these strategies to achieve this goal
It should be noted that some people manage to stimulate the vagus nerve thanks to a good physiotherapist specialized in the subject, thanks to a series of certain messages in the mouth of the stomach, it is possible to activate the action of the vagus nerve to feel a pleasant feeling of tranquility and thus alleviate the intestinal spasms associated with states of anxiety.
“A peace mind gives you inner strength and confidence, so good health is very important. -Dalai Lama-
On the other hand, a good way to achieve this is diaphragmatic breathing, this breathing acts as a good tool of daily relaxation, and if it is actually practiced every day, there are also less threatening sensations, better digestion processes, better internal balance and more. Restful rest. At the same time, there are many other strategies that, combined with deep or diaphragmatic breathing, can help us.
In conclusion, as can be seen in this list, there is one aspect that certainly catches our attention: the simple act of cultivating positive emotions, such as enjoying good social relations, having moments of leisure, laughter and relaxation also brings beneficial stimuli to our Onda nerve.
Keep in mind that 80-90% of Serotonin, the wellness hormone, is produced in the gut. Nor can we ignore the simple fact that we put a smile on the face, dance, walk, swim, etc. produces positive metabolic changes. It changes that huge nerve, doesn’t it?Wave? erratically through our body, it immediately activates to send a very precise message to our brain: “Everything is fine, we are fine”.