The what? The vagus nerve.
It is basically a giant nerve that connects the brain to the rest of the body. Why should you care about some nerve you have never heard of? Because its function is linked to most organs and functions, including the lungs, heart, liver, ear issues, throat/larynx, blood pressure and gut/digestive system. Sounds important. Yep – read on.
So what does this nerve have to do with anxiety? When stressors are present, your fight/flight response is heightened and releases certain chemicals affecting the sympathetic nervous system, halting processes such as digestion and elevating your heart rate. The vagus nerve controls the parasympathetic nervous system – which is the “relax” system. If your body can’t switch on that relaxation mechanism, you basically stay in a state of high alert, leading to health issues – including anxiety (and potentially many other health problems such as inability to lose weight,inflammatory conditions and poor digestion).
What can you do? Breathe consciously. When stressed and anxious we tend to “chest breathe” – this is where you breathe in shallow breaths. What you need to do is sit (or lie) quietly and breathe consciously and deeply – so that you move your diaphragm (which is below your lungs). Put one hand on your chest and the other just below your rib cage. The hand on your chest should move the least when you breathe in. Doing this for 5 minutes, several times a day, can work wonders – and it certainly won’t do you any harm.
Nutrition, herbs and lifestyle changes can really have a big impact here. Stuck in a cycle of anxiety? Just can’t relax? Anxiety can have other causes, so assessment needs to be done on an individual basis – there is no one-size-fits-all. Book in for an appointment so we can work out the best way forward for YOU.