Nervous system and parasympathetic and vagal tone… oh my
It sounds a lot like lions and tigers and bears… oh my. This a complex topic that I will attempt to break down and simplify.
We now understand that our bodies reactions are a direct correlation triggered by our nervous system due to automatic (primitive) processes, past experiences and sensory feedback.
“Healing cannot begin when your body is in a state of fight or flight”
Let’s break this down & simplify.
Your autonomic nervous system is compromised of 2 parts:
🧠 sympathetic (fight or flight)
🧠 parasympathetic (rest & digest)
The vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve and represents the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest). The vagus nerve controls an array of crucial bodily functions, which we will discuss in greater detail and how physical therapy can help.
We just explored how healing cannot occur when the body is stuck in “fight or flight”. This is because your autonomic nervous system is turning on your primitive, sympathetic nervous system, automatically trying to protect you.
Let’s discuss what the vagus nerve controls?
🥗 digestion
🧠 Hypothalamic- Pituitary- Adrenal (HPA) Axis
😫 endocrine pathways (glands that secrete hormones) that respond to stressors
👃🏾 reflexes
🤧 coughing, sneezing or vomiting (motor responses that facilitate survival)
🩸 vasomotor activity (ability for the blood vessel to alter diameter)
👅 swallowing
🤤 ability for salivary glands to secrete
🫀 heart rate
🫁 respiratory rate
💛 Urinary sphincter
💪 nerve and muscle fibers
How does this relate to your joint pain, wound healing, inflammation & swelling, nerve pain and why it can take you longer to heal?
This will effect how well the body can:
• break food down and circulate stored fuel
• produce energy
• activate the immune system
• allow things to pass into and out of the intestines (intestinal permeability)
• release of cortisol (stress hormone and balance of melatonin for circadian rhythm, affects brain, bones, muscles and body fat)
• regulate anxiety
• secrete stomach acid
• breathe
• respond to heart rate
• control systemic inflammation
The body will normally limit the acute inflammatory response and prevent the spread of inflammatory mediators into the bloodstream. However, when the system is overwhelmed, it can lose control over local and systemic inflammation. This can delay healing, cause an increase of swelling and pain.
So how do we tap into our vagus nerve and strengthen the vagal tone response?
Your physical therapist (or integrative health practitioner) should help you formulate a plan that addresses the whole body (holistic). We already discussed how the vagus nerve has such widespread control so it’s important to retrain the nervous system.
Treatment approaches your physical therapist may incorporate:
💆♀️ craniosacral therapy
🛌 circadian rhythm
🏋️ resistance and strength training
🫁 proper breath work
🗣 stimulate the vocal cords
🧑⚕️ myofascial, cupping, soft tissue, dry needling or manual lymphatic massage
Things that should be discussed:
🥶 cold exposure
💪 exercise
🗣 vocal cords
🫁 deep breathing
💊 probiotics
🐠 omega 3 fatty acids
🧠 limbic system
Healing will occur when you can stimulate your vagus nerve and strengthen the ability to get into your parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest). You can quantitatively measure the strength of your vagus nerve with heart rate variability (HRV). For more information or coaching, please click the link below.
Ultimately, the nervous system is where all healing begins regardless of how minor (scratch) or major (toxic exposure or amputation) the injury to the body is.
I'd like to learn more about how to measure my vagal tone and strengthen the response
I'd like to learn more about how to measure my vagal tone and strengthen the response
You should always consult your healthcare practitioner(s) for medical advise and what is best for your care. The purpose of this blog is to centralize and share information while connecting with others.