Humming, the Vagus Nerve & Health
By activating the vagus nerve we can influence inflammation and the immune system. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body. It originates in the brain and travels all the way down to the digestive organs. Along the way it branches into the eyes, throat, vocal cords, carotid sinus, lungs, heart, stomach, spleen, liver, kidneys, and the intestines. The vagus nerve works through the parasympathetic nervous system, the 'rest/digest and conserve energy' part of the autonomic nervous system), of which the sympathetic nervous system is the 'fight/flight, ready for action' part.
The Carotid Sinus
The carotid sinus is a distribution of nerve tissues and is extremely sensitive to blood pressure. It normally causes the walls of the blood vessels to expand when blood pressure becomes high and this dilation lowers blood pressure. In Shiatsu we gently press on the carotid sinus area to stimulate it. It then sends impulses via the vagus nerve to the brain and on to other areas in the body, effectively influencing the lowering of blood pressure.
Vagal Tone
The Vagal tone of the vagus nerve can be measured by tracking your heart-rate alongside your breathing rate. Your heart-rate speeds up a little when you breathe in, and slows down a little when you breathe out. The bigger the difference between your inhalation heart-rate and your exhalation heart-rate, the higher your vagal tone. Higher vagal tone means your body can relax faster after stress, due to the parasympathetic nervous system coming into play more.
High Vagal Tone
High vagal tone improves the function of many body systems. For example, it causes lower blood pressure (remember the Shiatsu point stimulation of the carotid sinus which tones the vagus nerve), reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, improved blood sugar regulation, improved digestion through better production of digestive enzymes, and reduced migraines. Psychologically, higher vagal tone is also associated with more stress resilience, less anxiety and better mood.
Low Vagal Tone
Low vagal tone is associated with ,among other things, cardiovascular conditions and strokes, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, cognitive impairment and much higher rates of inflammatory conditions. These include all autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, autoimmune thyroid conditions etc).
The Vagus Nerve and the Gut
The vagus nerve reads the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is a collection of microorganisms that inhabit the gut, made up of communities of symbiotic, commensed and pathogenic bacteria. The vagus nerve initiates a response to modulate inflammation based on whether or not it detects an imbalance between the levels of pathogenic versus non-pathogenic organisms in the gut. In this way the gut microbiome can have an effect on inflammation in the gut and , in turn, on your mood and stress levels.
Humming to Increase Vagal Tone ! (and improve health)
Yep, that's right ! Remember that the vagus nerve is connected to the vocal cords ? Humming mechanically stimulates the vocal cords, thereby stimulating and toning the vagus nerve which is connected to the brain and internal organs. If you speak in a deep voice from the belly and throat this also stimulates the vagus nerve. There are several other ways to increase vagal tone. What do you think they might be ?
Here's a link to an article in which the author describes the experience of a woman who suffered from severe, debilitating rheumatoid arthritis and her eventual treatment with a device which minimized inflammation by simply stimulating the vagus nerve :
http://mosaicscience.com/story/hacking-nervous-system
The Carotid Sinus
The carotid sinus is a distribution of nerve tissues and is extremely sensitive to blood pressure. It normally causes the walls of the blood vessels to expand when blood pressure becomes high and this dilation lowers blood pressure. In Shiatsu we gently press on the carotid sinus area to stimulate it. It then sends impulses via the vagus nerve to the brain and on to other areas in the body, effectively influencing the lowering of blood pressure.
Vagal Tone
The Vagal tone of the vagus nerve can be measured by tracking your heart-rate alongside your breathing rate. Your heart-rate speeds up a little when you breathe in, and slows down a little when you breathe out. The bigger the difference between your inhalation heart-rate and your exhalation heart-rate, the higher your vagal tone. Higher vagal tone means your body can relax faster after stress, due to the parasympathetic nervous system coming into play more.
High Vagal Tone
High vagal tone improves the function of many body systems. For example, it causes lower blood pressure (remember the Shiatsu point stimulation of the carotid sinus which tones the vagus nerve), reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, improved blood sugar regulation, improved digestion through better production of digestive enzymes, and reduced migraines. Psychologically, higher vagal tone is also associated with more stress resilience, less anxiety and better mood.
Low Vagal Tone
Low vagal tone is associated with ,among other things, cardiovascular conditions and strokes, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, cognitive impairment and much higher rates of inflammatory conditions. These include all autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, autoimmune thyroid conditions etc).
The Vagus Nerve and the Gut
The vagus nerve reads the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is a collection of microorganisms that inhabit the gut, made up of communities of symbiotic, commensed and pathogenic bacteria. The vagus nerve initiates a response to modulate inflammation based on whether or not it detects an imbalance between the levels of pathogenic versus non-pathogenic organisms in the gut. In this way the gut microbiome can have an effect on inflammation in the gut and , in turn, on your mood and stress levels.
Humming to Increase Vagal Tone ! (and improve health)
Yep, that's right ! Remember that the vagus nerve is connected to the vocal cords ? Humming mechanically stimulates the vocal cords, thereby stimulating and toning the vagus nerve which is connected to the brain and internal organs. If you speak in a deep voice from the belly and throat this also stimulates the vagus nerve. There are several other ways to increase vagal tone. What do you think they might be ?
Here's a link to an article in which the author describes the experience of a woman who suffered from severe, debilitating rheumatoid arthritis and her eventual treatment with a device which minimized inflammation by simply stimulating the vagus nerve :
http://mosaicscience.com/story/hacking-nervous-system