The Importance of Vagus Nerve health

The vagus nerve is responsible for many functions in your body, primarily it activates the parasympathetic nervous system to help you switch off your stress response once it's no longer needed.

Unfortunately many of us are chronically stuck in sympathetic stress mode and have difficulty switching gears into the parasympathetic response which helps us to rest, digest, relax and repair. We also need to be in a parasympathetic state to go to sleep.

The higher your 'vagal tone' the better your Vagus nerve is able to function and allow you to recover following a stress of any kind (or to deal with on going daily stress without becoming flustered or overwhelmed).

If you become stressed easily or it takes you a long time to bounce back or calm down after something stressful occurs it could be a sign that your vagal tone could be improved.

Other signs of low vagal tone are digestive issues like bloating, reflux, heartburn or constipation.

Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, persistent fatigue and anxiety or depression can also be common signs of low vagal tone.

Because the vagus nerve is also important in reducing inflammation in the body, all manner of inflammatory conditions including headaches, joint aches and immune system issues can be helped through improving the tone of your vagus nerve.

How to improve vagus nerve tone? 
Breathing techniques are one of the most effective ways to work with your vagus nerve. Even starting with simple slow deep breathing done regularly can help.

If you'd like to learn a variety of techniques to work with your vagus nerve to reduce stress along with the other flow on effects of good vagal tone, there is a video of a class that I ran available to purchase and download for just $19 here: https://blossomwellbeing.com.au/meditations-breathwork/ 

The video is 58min in length and guides you through a variety of breath and other techniques to stimulate your vagus nerve to increase your resilience to stress.

Once you've watched it you'll be able to choose the techniques which appeal most to you and use them as you need them or you can continue to use the video as a guided class to do once or twice a week as part of your stress management and self care.

Find the Vagus Nerve class here: https://blossomwellbeing.com.au/meditations-breathwork/