The Importance of our Rest, Digest, Repair State plus our Favorite Tips on How to Heal - Part 2

In Part one of this blog (last week), we laid out the basic ways in which our nervous system functions. We touched upon one particular pathway - the autonomic nervous system (ANS) - that is involved in our stress response. In many ways, it is one of the most sensitive and important ways in which we respond to any stress. This means that we are not only negatively affected by stress within our ANS (think chronic fight or flight response which feels like being on edge for much of the time) but it’s also here where we can change our response to stressors and engage in our rest, digest and repair response. This is the state in which you experience health and well being. We also hope that is what got many of you to think about your particular nervous system and its condition. The ANS is truly the gatekeeper when it comes to preventing and healing from most chronic diseases.

You see, our lived experience and our nervous system’s response to it is informing our body of where we stand in the world - quite literally. This includes both our external and internal environments.

We rely on our sympathetic nervous system, one pathway of our ANS, to survive. It may seem dramatic but it’s the truth. Since as a species we’ve stuck around, we’d say it is highly effective. Way back, our ancestors might have encountered a stressor, say a rustle in the bushes, and the sympathetic nervous system would kick in. With intense focus and after deeming themselves in a life threatening circumstance, they would either decide to fight that predator in the bushes or run and hide. Our nervous system would muster any and all support to help counter a threat to give the human the best chance at surviving. This meant a perfectly choreographed dance between all the parts of our nervous system.

Our fight or flight or hide response would allow for laser focus with dilated pupils, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, increased respiratory rate, decreased digestion capabilities and motility - who needs to digest if they are fighting for their life! - and freeing up of glucose for energy as examples. This is done in response to stimulatory chemicals that get released in response to an encounter and precise activation of neural pathways stemming from parts of our brain. If all goes well…the human will counter the threat successfully and the stress will be resolved. He or she will then go back to regularly scheduled programming of that time - whatever it may have been!

There wasn’t much of the experience which mattered except the outcome. He or she may have learned a thing or two from it such as maybe keeping a weapon closer at hand, but for the most part, he or she just kept on living. It’s safe to say a person was under threat at times and likely at differing frequencies depending on certain variables. The takeaway is that hopefully, a person spent most of the time in a rest, digest, repair and reproductive state. This is the state that has also propelled us as a species. It’s a big part of how we have adapted and come so far. Thank an ancestor!

But the dark side of this formidable, yet highly vulnerable, part of our nervous system is that it can get stuck in fight or flight overdrive. It can even wear this mechanism out in the sense that a person actually depletes much of their fight or flight and resort to hiding or freezing. This is when one lacks both the mental capacity and likely the physiologic energy to respond. Having a dysregulated ANS response is deleterious for many reasons including putting one at an increased risk of:

• Immune dysregulation anything from developing acute infections or perpetuating chronic simmering infections to reactivation of viruses, autoimmunity and even cancer
• Metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes
• GI disorders such as maldigestion, malabsorption and changes in motility
• Mood disorders such as anxiety and depression
• Oxidative stress which increases inflammatory processes and aging 

Perhaps most significant is that it prevents one from living a joyful, vibrant, peaceful life.

When our nervous system constantly perceives situations as stressful it keeps the fight or flight response engaged or “on'' in order to best support you - the gas pedal is being pressed. Your fight or flight response could have been primed in utero if your birth mother was chronically stressed for any reason. It could be from a grudge you've been holding for weeks, months or years or the stories you tell yourself (oh, the stories we tell ourselves!). It could also be from an abusive relationship. No matter how much you tell yourself that you can “handle” it, the body always knows and responds accordingly. We often “wear” our stress on our faces, on our body as in our posture and our demeanor and in our manner of speaking etc. You cannot fake anything. The body will always follow the mind despite what we tell it. This is why cultivating a self love practice is key for all scenarios. 

The problem is over time so many other issues brew and crop up causing even more discomfort and dis-ease. Knowing this and prioritizing a flexible stress response via the autonomic nervous system is the first step toward healing. Learning techniques to help us be able to put the brakes on our fight or flight response when not needed; to invite rest, digest and repair, is key. Doesn’t that sound awesome? Well, that's because it is actually awesome that our miraculous bodies, in their never ending quest for homeostasis or balance, have a built-in brake called the vagus nerve.

Once you learn and practice some of these vagus stimulation techniques, you will feel like a changed person. That’s because you literally will be. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It emerges from your brain stem and drapes your head, neck, torso, abdomen and pelvis like a net. It innervates these areas both lightly and deeply where needed, such as in our abdomen, to affect the complex web that is responsible for gut function called the enteric nervous system. It is known as “the wanderer” because it covers so much of our bodies. Many of us walk around with a vagus nerve that isn't used to being engaged, so it’s quite literally out of shape or damaged under certain chronic conditions such as diabetes or PTSD. Focusing your attention on helping improve the function of the vagus nerve can often be what moves your needle.

So here are our top 10 favorite ways to stimulate your vagus nerve. You do not need to do ALL of them. The point is to try one or some at a time and see how you feel. We’ve received lots of great feedback from all of these!

1. Intentional breathing – this is golden! We love a “twice the exhale breath”. You can do a 4/8 breath which is a 4 count inhale with an 8 count exhale or a 5/10. Try this for 3-5 rounds. Don’t be surprised if exhaling for twice as long is challenging. When we are in fight or flight we hold our breath or rely on short inhalations so exhaling is actually new. It’s a great way to let go of that carbon dioxide and tap into that vagus nerve. Your body senses safety because you wouldn’t be able to exhale for twice as long if your life was in danger necessitating a fight or flight state.
2. Diagonal and Down Eye Gazing – this is a very effective way of engaging the vagus nerve. You can do this lying down or sitting up with arms relaxed - you can even clasp your hands gently behind your head at the area where your neck and skull meet - this also helps stimulate the vagus nerve. With eyes open, shift your gaze to the left and downward and hold for approx 30 secs. Return to a neutral eye gaze in front for 15 secs and then repeat eye gaze to the other side for 30 secs. You can try this for 3-5 rounds and see how you feel.
3. Ear Massage - The area at and around our ears is highly innervated by your vagus nerve - that’s perhaps, to some, why ear massage feels so calming. You can massage the entire ear gently to induce calm or alternatively take both hands and separate your middle and ring fingers so your finger pattern forms a V. Then take this form and place it on either side of your ear and gently slide your hand up and down. This engages the vagus nerve and can induce a state of calm.
4. Prayer Position - Rub your hands together vigorously then place your hands in prayer position with active arms and elbows extended to each side. Take a deep inhalation in through your nose and exhale fully then hold your breath there - while holding your breath push your hands together, in prayer position firmly -firmly enough to create some shaking. Hold this until you need to take another breath. Then breathe and release the prayer position. Try this 3-5 times and see how it goes.
5. Abdominal Massage - Take your thumbs and place them just below the last bony part of your central chest, the sternum on your uppermost abdomen. You can practice massaging this area. You may even notice that it is tight which happens when the vagus nerve isn't being engaged often. Apply light pressure here with your thumbs -inhale and on an exhale aim to press gently down and back toward your spine. This can take some practice but eventually this rhythmic gentle pressure will engage your vagus. This is great for anyone who suffers from digestive and/or motility issues.

There are a plethora of other ways to stimulate your vagus nerve including:

• Singing - Yes! This is your invitation to belt a tune out…anywhere!
• Chanting or yodeling - check it out - tap into your inner child here.
• Gargling - preferably with warm salt water. We don't need all those commercial mouthwashes! They alter your oral microbiome for sure but ultimately not in a positive way.
• Dipping your hands in very cold water or running very cold water on them.
• Taking a walk in nature
• Or on the beach.
• Appreciating beauty as in art, flowers, nature.
• Connecting with family and friends and pets!

Getting to know the state of your nervous system will yield major health benefits. Prioritizing and strengthening its flexibility just might be what is missing on your healing path.