Improving Mood

ROLES OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 

  • The sympathetic nervous system is activated in response to threat, danger or stressful situations to trigger the fight or flight stress response, increasing the release of stress hormones (adrenalin and cortisol) and speeding up bodily functions to help protect us, e.g causing us to run from a tiger.
  • The parasympathetic nervous system counterbalances the sympathetic nervous system by exerting  a relaxing effect on the body.  It’s the state we need to be in for our body to digest and absorb nutrients from our food, for our body to heal, regenerate and become stronger an detoxify and eliminate toxins from our body.
  • Anxiety can result if your body is too much under the influence of the sympathetic nervous system and creating strategies to encourage parasympathetic involvement is the key. 

Importance of the Vagus Nerve 

  • A major part of the Parasympathetic NS is the Vagus Nerve – the longest nerve in the body – running from our brain down through our eyes, ears, vocal cords and down to all our major organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, kidney ad gut – affecting every bodily function.
  • It acts as a switch helping us to move from back and forth between the two nervous system states, switching off our sympathetic stress response and returning to the parasympathetic rest and digest state when stressful events have finished.

What can damage the Vagus Nerve and impair the PNS activation: 

  • Poor diet high in processed foods
  • Lack of sleep
  • Overstimulation from screens
  • Being constantly on the go
  • Stress; including health, financial, family concerns.
  • Shift work

Sympathetic Nervous System Dominance Symptoms 
Low vagal tone and Sympathetic NS  Dominance suppresses our immune system.  It negatively affects our health and can contribute to and cause numerous symptoms and conditions including:

  • Muscle tension, especially around neck and shoulders
  • Increased pain and inflammation
  • Increased heart rate
  • Easily raised fever
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Elevated blood sugar and blood pressure
  • Impaired digestion and digestive issues like nausea, bloating, gas , diarrhoea and constipation
  • Poor Sleep and insomnia
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Weight gain
  • Increased anxiety, stress and depression
  • Headaches, migraines and dizziness 
  • Frequent Infections
  • Difficulty focusing and remembering things
  • Impaired mood
  • Cardiovascular problems
  • Hormone imbalances
  • Autoimmune Conditions

The Healing Power or the Vagus Nerve – Benefits of Parasympathetic Nervous System Stimulation

There are lots of things we can do to stimulate the vagus nerve, switch off the sympathetic nervous system and activate our parasympathetic nervous system.  Improving vagal nerve tone and parasympathetic nervous system activation calms the whole body and has been shown to improve physical and mental health and ease symptoms such as the above mentioned.

Exercises to improve vagal tone

Improving vagal tone and parasympathetic nervous system activation doesn’t need to cost money or require lots of time and effort. You can naturally stimulate them quickly and easily at home with the below 11 exercises. As the vagus nerve runs down the body and goes through the vocal cords, anything that vibrates this nerve such as gargling, humming, singing loudly etc is beneficial!

    • Gargling
    • Humming/Singing
    • Slow and deep breathing
    • Yoga
    • Cold Exposure
    • Prayer & Meditation
    • Acupressure & Acupuncture
    • Massage

    BREATHING
    Try some of the following to help balance the parasympathetic nervous system

    Box breathing 

    4/7/8 breathing

    Alternate nostril breathing

    Not Sure How to Meditate or Do Breathing Exercises?

    We highly recommend the Gupta Program as the only science backed program to help you rewire your brain and overcome anxiety, panic attacks, adrenal fatigue, burn out and many more health conditions. It teaches you specific proven mediation and breath work exercises that use neuroplasticity to help you retrain your brain. The program can be followed via their app or a computer.

    Sign up for their 28 Day Free Trial. Learn step-by-step how a science-backed neuroplasticity & holistic health program can help you improve your mental and physical health.

    More Tips for Healthy Mood

    • Ensure adequate sleep for cellular repair, achieving approximately eight hours of sleep each night. 
    • Engage in regular physical activity to improve fitness, health and wellbeing, and reduce stress.
    • Yoga and Pilates are known for their benefits in stress reduction. Try this easy series 
    • Find a form of meditation that helps you calm your brain

    If meditation is not for you – try some of the following forms of mindfulness :

    • Gardening
    • Listening to soothing music
    • Reading a book
    • Talk a walk in nature – research now confirms that nature is one of our best stress relievers 
    • Mantras and oms. – you can listen or try and vocalise them yourself – om is a particularly powerful instigator of the parasympathetic nervous system. As the vagus nerve runs at the back ofthe throat anything that vibrates it such as humming, “om” loud singing, gargling etc can improve vagus tone and therefore stress and anxiety. 

    The trick is to make the above your habit – try not to rely on them during periods of high anxiety – these practices are far more effective if you practice them regularly and in times of quiet as well. 

    What Supplements Can Help My Mood?

    Many supplements for mood are based around having an anti-inflammatory action as inflammation affects your brain, as well as having a calming effect on your nervous system.

    NOTE: to purchase these items online you need to be registered for our online store. REGISTER HERE FIRST