Stress, breathing and the vagus nerve

Stress makes you stupid. It puts you in adrenaline-mode, which only offers two solutions, “Fight or Flight”. And let’s face it; we are all stressed now.

To balance that we need to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which enables you to “Rest and Digest”. This sends calming signals down the vagus nerve - the second largest nerve in the body - to every internal organ. It even calms the immune system.

Breathing exercises do this – that’s the benefit of prayer, meditation, chanting, and most relaxation techniques. It’s probably why cats purr too.

We also use a vagal stimulator. These used to be unpleasant, giving you an electric shock, but we now recommend one called a Sensate that is much more pleasant. I use it myself, once or twice a week.

Treatments

• Breathing exercises
• Vagal stimulus
• Circadian optimisation
• Heart Rate Variability