Originating in the brain stem, the Vagus Nerve runs your autonomic nervous system functions–like digestion. It also directly communicates with the immune cells in your gut through the neurotransmitter, Acetylcholine. Consequently, the Vagus Nerve has the power to promote both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects depending on the state of your physiology. 

When you learn how to shift your nervous system into a parasympathetic state, your Vagus Nerve can produce immunomodulatory effects. This means that through shifting your nervous system into a parasympathetic state, your body is able to achieve homeostasis in the immune system. Consequently, your immune system is able to self-regulate & adjust immune responses to adaptive rather than maladaptive levels using regulatory T cells, cell signaling molecules, and so forth. 

When the Parasympathetic nervous system is activated, it slows down your entire body and puts you in a state of relaxation. It slows your heart rate, breathing, lowers your blood pressure, and promotes digestion. This parasympathetic state helps our bodies recover. The more time we spend in a Parasympathetic State, the healthier we are.
 

Now that you’re aware of how beneficial slowing down your nervous system can be, let’s dive into a few ways that you can achieve a parasympathetic state to promote healing. 

Reduce Stress

Stress, while a necessary & sometimes positive part of our lives, can wreak havoc on our nervous system. That’s why it’s so important to try to reduce toxic stress as much as possible if you want to enter a parasympathetic state. Reduce whatever stressors you can control & be mindful of your reactions to stressors that you cannot control. 

Meditate

Because it’s not possible to remove all outside stressors from our lives, meditation is an amazing way to improve your body’s reaction to stress. This is because meditation slows down our bodies in the same way that entering a parasympathetic state does. 

Massage

Massages are great for entering a parasympathetic state because they relax your mind & body in the same ways that meditation do & help retrain your body to move more readily into a parasympathetic state. 

Breath Work

When we slow our breath, we are essentially telling our body that it is safe. When our bodies feel safe, they are more able to move into a parasympathetic state. 

Eating Well

Because our goal is to enter a more relaxed, healthy state, it is best to follow a balanced diet with nutritious whole foods that nourish us while also avoiding caffeine and stimulants as much as possible. 

Sleeping Well

Without sleep, we can’t have a healthy nervous system. Sleep allows our bodies to rest & recover. Be sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night so that your body is well rested and relaxed. 

I hope that this information on the Vagus Nerve and The Parasympathetic Nervous System help you heal & reach a parasympathetic state. If you need more help understanding how to nourish your nervous system, be sure to check out my Nervous System 101 program as well as my Resource Library. 

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