There are natural and, technological, device-based ways to boost your vagal tone. What we mean by vagal tone is the way people can stimulate vagus nerve for the associated health benefits.
Let us consider 5 ways that will tone our vagus nerve to maintain a healthier and younger body.
Electronic Device
By electronic device, we refer you to the tVNS Stimulator. This pocket-sized little marvel will, for just 15 minutes per day, stimulate your vagus nerve.
What is a vagus nerve? Well, also known as the 10th cranial nerve or the X cranial nerve, it is the longest and most complex of your cranial nerves. It runs from your brain, through your face and thorax, and to your abdomen. It is something of a mixed nerve that contains parasympathetic fibres. The vagus nerve regulates organ function, including digestion, respiratory and heart rates, reflex actions, and vasomotor activities. Your reflex actions include swallowing, vomiting, coughing, and sneezing. It is by stimulating the vagus nerve with an electronic device that you can potentially maintain the health and youth of your body.
With the better models of tVNS Stimulators, you can expect a gold-plated ear clip, along with some provided conductive paste for your comfort.
Learn Breathing Techniques and Meditation
Deep, slow breathing is the order of the day when it comes to relaxing and breathing in a way that will prove beneficial to your vagus nerve. This kind of breathing has been proved to relieve excess stress by reducing anxiety.
The average person, in the course of normal breathing, will take between 10 to 14 breathes per minute. However, by taking just 6 breaths over the same period, you can relieve stress. This is what we mean by slowing the breathing down, as well as deepening it, to achieve a state of relaxation and stimulate the vagus nerve.
The relaxation technique of meditation stimulates the vagus nerve. According to one scientific study, meditation promotes positive emotions and feelings and increases vagal tone. A different study showed that meditation increased vagal activity.
Cold Exposure
Sudden exposure to cold can be considered something of shock treatment. A cold shower or dip, however, can also be invigorating and something of a wake-up call in the morning. That is why we find many fitness enthusiasts and coaches recommending taking an ice bath, either by using a bath chiller from a company like soundhon or by taking a dip in ice-filled tubs.
By taking a cold shower and “shocking ourselves into action”, we can make ourselves more alert. At the same, time we are doing something that is considered to be of benefit to our vagus nerve, and so a vagal toning by the very nature of the activity. in other words, we stimulate our nervous system into functioning more efficiently.
Further, considering the health benefits of acute cold exposure in a more scientific way, and how it proves effective for vagal toning, is to discover that it activates your cholinergic neurons through their vagus nerve pathways. That is how it works.
Diet and Exercise
Omega-3 fatty acids are good for vagus nerves. They are essential to your body, anyway, because the body cannot produce these by itself. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in oily fish.
Exercise has been proven to stimulate the vagus nerve, which could also explain how it benefits mental health. Exercise is also, of course, good for the brain’s growth hormone and reversing cognitive decline. Exercise has more recently been seen to benefit mental as well as physical health and is now associated with vagus nerve stimulation.
Massage
Massage stimulates the vagus nerve, increasing vagal tone and activity. The types of massages associated with vagus nerve stimulation include foot massages (known as reflexology) and massages of the carotid sinus. This is on the right side of your throat.
Whether we stimulate our vagus nerve and tone up with an electronic device or adopt the other methods, or a combination of all these, we are going to be helping to keep our body looking and functioning younger than years might dictate. We can fight against aging if we are given the tools and techniques to help us. It is worth finding out about them and then putting your newly sourced information to good use and benefitting your health and appearance.