Even though our bodies have a variety of different sectors all with their very own responsibilities does not mean that they stand alone. The different parts of our body are all in some way connected meaning that when one part of our body is hurting it can negatively impact another system in our body. The body contains twelve different cranial nerves which are responsible for connecting our brains to other essential parts of our body.
One of the nerves named the vagus nerve impacts many aspects of our body’s functions including our digestive health as it is the connection between our brain and our gut commonly known as the gut-brain axis. Learning how to best stimulate the vagus nerve can be beneficial in your overall health including your digestive process and mental health.
How To Stimulate The Vagus Nerve and Help Your Digestion
When we are constantly stressed our body turns to a fight-or-flight response or what is formerly known as the sympathetic nervous response to try and handle the situation, but constantly being in this state can be detrimental to our body’s systems including our digestive process. Stimulating our vagus nerve can help to trigger the parasympathetic response instead which helps to calm our bodies when it is under attack. It can help to reduce symptoms of stress and other ailments that being in a state of stress can cause. In addition to helping our digestive process, stimulating our vagus nerve can also help with our immunity levels, reduce inflammation, and lower your heart rate.
There are many ways to stimulate your vagus nerve including the following:
Meditation
Since stress is what triggers your flight-or-fight response, one of the best ways to bring your body down from this is by finding a way to relax. Meditating and getting in touch with your breathing is a great way to bring yourself to relax, because one’s body tends to forget to properly breathe when it is in a stressful state. If you want to stimulate your vagus nerve to reap its benefits, try to take some time each day to regulate your breathing in order to transfer your body’s focus from whatever is triggering your stress to the act of breathing instead.
Take a Cold Shower
Taking a cold shower or having some form of contact with cold water such as getting into the ocean can be a great way to stimulate your vagus nerve. The temperature of the water is what awakens the vagus nerve and has a calming effect on your body. This is a great way to end a stressful day, because it can help to regulate the different systems in your body while also preparing it for a good night’s rest.
Participate in a Form of Exercise
The act of exercising helps to lower your sympathetic nervous system’s response which means that if you consistently add it into your routine it can have a positive effect consistently throughout your week.
How To Further Support Your Digestion With A Consistent Vitamin Regimen
In addition to taking care of your vagus nerve and using it to better your overall health, it is wise to consider having a regimen that includes a vitamin that helps with bloating and that helps with other digestive ailments. Since the vagus nerve connects your brain and gastrointestinal system, it is important that you keep your digestive health strong in order to avoid experiencing the negative impact poor digestive health can have on your mental health/energy levels.
Using our 3-step wellness routine that contains three different supplements for bloating, and comes with a recommended schedule regarding how best to take the vitamins is a great way to ensure your digestive health stays intact. We recommend starting with Probiotic Renu first thing in the morning which works to balance the bacteria in your gut and can work to strengthen your immune system. We recommend taking the second vitamin named Metaboliz in the middle of the day to help you avoid any energy crashes and to help boost your metabolism. Our last vitamin named Sexy & Slim contains a digestive enzyme complex to help your body better digest the food you consume throughout the day and to help you relieve any bloating that might have occurred. This routine is a great way to ensure you are setting your digestive system up for success on a day-to-day basis.
How to Improve Your Mental Health When It Starts To Decline
While strengthening your vagus nerve and digestive system are great ways to work to protect your mental health, sometimes stress and negative emotions still manage to make their way through. Since the connection between our digestive system and mental health works both ways, actively taking care of your mental health is just as essential as taking care of your digestive process.
In our society it can become easy to get wrapped up in our responsibilities both in work and our personal lives that we tend to overlook our own mental health at times. Make sure you are separating time at least each week to look out for yourself and to check in with yourself. Practicing little acts of self-care consistently throughout the week is a great way to avoid stretching yourself too thin.
If you do find that your stress or unwanted emotions are overwhelming you be sure to reach out to your loved ones about how you are feeling. Sometimes support and a chance to reconnect with people who love us can be a great way to get our minds off of potentially stressful situations. Using a form of art such as painting or listening to music can also be great ways to work through certain emotions. Living a healthy lifestyle overall is also a great way to ensure all of your systems are in good standing including your mental and digestive health. A healthy lifestyle includes a well-balanced diet, participating in a consistent form of exercise, and finding ways to center yourself in times of need.