As reported by Lifehacker, blocking your air passage with your thumb then exhaling activates your vagus nerve, which is spread throughout your body. Research shows that stimulating your vagus nerve can decrease your heart rate and blood pressure, making you feel more relaxed.
To aid in relaxation, apply slight pressure to the center of your palm with your opposite thumb and hold for at least one minute. Practicing this technique each day can help balance your core self and can help you to deal with daily stress effectively.
Since your thumbs are nowhere near the vagus nerve, it might seem odd that they have anything to do with this, but they can help stimulate the vagus using the right technique.
Research suggests that being touched can also lower your heart rate and blood pressure, lessen depression and anxiety, boost your immune system, and even relieve pain. Simply put, being touched boosts your mental and physical wellness.
Pressure Point Extra-1 (Yin Tang) Pressure point Extra-1 is also called Yin Tang. It is at the midpoint (the center) between your eyebrows (see Figure 1). Doing acupressure on this point can help with stress and anxiety.
The '5 senses' technique is a coping tool for stressful situations. Also known as the '5,4,3,2,1' technique, it helps to ease anxiety by encouraging you to focus on the present moment. The technique works by connecting you with each of your five senses: sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste.
In a vagus nerve massage, moderate pressure is applied to the area between the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles in the neck/shoulder area and at the muscles below the base of the skull, with twisting or stroking motions [1].
Loud gargling with water or loud singing activates our vocal cords which in turn stimulates the vagus nerve. Foot massage: gentle or firm touch can assist in stimulation the vagus nerve. Cold water face immersion: immerse your forehead eyes and at least 2/3 of both cheeks into cold water.
Hold the index finger for Anxiety or Fear. Hold the middle finger for Anger. Hold the ring finger for Grief. Hold the little finger for Low Self-Esteem or Trying Too Hard.
To find the Hegu point , locate the webbed area between the thumb and index finger. Then move the fingers slightly down so that they are between the base of the thumb and index finger. Acupressure devotees say that Hegu can help with: anxiety.
“Pressing on your thumb and chin to 'switch off' your gag reflex, is basically an elaborate placebo, which may work as a mild distraction and trick some people into relaxing while they eat a banana,” Dr McKay told Junkee. “Overall the TikTok method is a safe, cheap, quick, easy, and totally useless therapy.”
When you blow air from your mouth onto the hand, it feels warm. This is because the temperature of air around you is less than the temperature of your breathe. Therefore, in winter blowing air on our hands makes them warm.
However, chronic stress can impact the vagus nerve in a negative way. 2 This can lead to problems such as anxiety and depression. It can also make the body more susceptible to infections and diseases. 3 Therefore, it is important to manage stress in order to maintain a healthy vagus nerve.
Some of the side effects and health problems associated with implanted vagus nerve stimulation can include: Voice changes. A hoarse voice. Throat pain.
Gargle, Sing or Sigh Loudly: The vibration of your vocal cords and throat stimulates the vagus nerve to soothe your parasympathetic nervous system. These may seem weird but notice that we tend to sigh (or sing) when we are stressed, which makes us feel better.
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a surgical procedure that can be used to treat those with treatment-resistant depression. A pacemaker-like device, implanted in the body, is attached to a stimulating wire that is threaded along a nerve called the vagus nerve.
False anxiety occurs when a stress response is precipitated by a seemingly benign aspect of modern life, like a blood sugar crash or strong coffee. At these times, our minds are all too happy to swoop in with an explanation.
This technique asks you to find five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Using this with someone who feels anxious will help to calm them down and reduce their feelings of anxiety.