How to Calm Your Nervous System Throughout Your Workday
Stress is sneaky. Many people do not recognize they are chronically stressed until their symptoms become life-disrupting.
The Cleveland Clinic shares that physical signs of chronic stress include:
Aches and pains
Chest pain
Racing heart
Exhaustion or trouble sleeping
Headaches, dizziness or shaking
High blood pressure
Muscle tension
Jaw clenching
Stomach or digestive problems
Frequent colds or flu
If you identify with any of the signs on the list, this blog is for you.
I'll start by sharing a quick overview of how your nervous system works. Afterwards, you'll learn evidence-based strategies to understand how to calm your nervous system regularly and tackle chronic stress.
Nervous System 101
Your nervous system is the master control centre for your body. It constantly takes in information from our internal and external environments and sends this information to our brains.
Simultaneously, it sends action signals from the brain, down the spinal cord, and peripheral nerves to target sites throughout the body, like organs and muscles.
All of this incoming information and outgoing signals effortlessly coordinate to maintain a state of balance in the body called homeostasis.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
Our nervous system has various subsections that all work together to keep us alive and well.
The ANS is the part of your nervous system that controls bodily functions that are not under our conscious control. Examples include heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and digestion.
The ANS is made up of three separate systems:
The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)
The SNS controls our "fight or flight" reactions, also known as our stress response.
In response to perceived danger (stress), the SNS speeds up our heart rate, pumps up our lungs, and redirects blood flow to our muscles. These processes cause a release of adrenaline and cortisol.
The SNS and its actions are necessary to keep us safe and help us navigate critical moments of stress. Still, it shouldn't be active for long periods.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS)
The PNS controls our rest and digest functions. It calms our bodies down by slowing our heartbeat and breathing rate, redirecting blood from muscles to organs.
The PNS and its actions are vital as it allows fundamental organs and systems to operate. You may notice that your digestion is off when you are under stress, as stress inhibits your PNS.
The Enteric Nervous System (ENS)
The ENS controls your gut. Your intestines are so vital that they have their own system dedicated entirely to their function. We could spend a whole blog talking about the ENS!
Returning to Your Parasympathetic State
Our bodies are not designed to be in a constant state of sympathetic arousal. It is crucial that after periods of stress, our bodies can tap back into a parasympathetic state. Unfortunately, many of us are chronically stressed, and even low-grade stressors can activate the SNS, changing our physiology.
In the sections below, you’ll discover three ways to bring your nervous system back to a parasympathetic state.
1. Stimulating Your Vagus Nerve
In Greek, vagus means "wanderer" or "traveller." The vagus nerve is the longest in the body, with an interesting path.
The vagus nerve's path begins in the brainstem. It then travels into the front of the neck and down into the torso. From here, it interacts with the cardiovascular system, the digestive system and reproductive system.
The vagus nerve is a part of our ANS, relaying information to and from our organ systems and brain.
Research shows that by stimulating the vagus nerve, we can tap into our parasympathetic nervous system and reap many physiological benefits, including:
Decreased blood pressure
Improved immune system regulation
Reduced inflammation (1)
Improvement of mood and overall well-being
Studies on the effects of vagus nerve stimulation observe patients with a vagal nerve stimulator (VNS) implantation. This electrical device is surgically implanted under the skin on your chest with a wire connecting to the vagus nerve. When activated, a VNS sends signals along the vagus nerve to the brain, producing the desired response.
VNS devices are used in patients with seizures, migraines, depression, bipolar disorder and obesity. This type of treatment could potentially help treat a wide variety of other conditions, including Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis.
Fortunately, there are also non-invasive ways to stimulate the vagus nerve that can benefit everyone.
Acupuncture, Acupressure and Ear Seeds
The vagus nerve has a branch that supplies sensory innervation to the skin of the ear canal, tragus, and auricle.
Hence, stimulation of specific areas of the ear can trigger a parasympathetic response via the vagus nerve.
In practice, I often use acupuncture points in the ear in addition to the body points to keep the mind and body calm during treatment.
Manual stimulation, acupressure, and ear seeds can achieve the same effect.
Figure 1: Jade Alexis Morter. (2021). How to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve. @plejieofficial.
Ear seeds are tiny plant seeds attached to an adhesive backing. We can stick them on designated areas of the ear to stimulate the vagus nerve. Ask me to try one when you are in for your next chiropractic visit - I love to share!
Once they are on, ear seeds typically stay on for 3-5 days and can be replaced once removed and used as often as necessary.
If you don't have ear seeds, manual stimulation of these same points also works well.
You can stimulate the vagus nerve by massaging the following areas on the ear (see Figure 1 for reference):
Tragus
Intertragic Notch
Concha
If using manual stimulation, you can squeeze these areas, moving your fingers in a circular motion.
Repeat this action for at least one minute.
2. Meditation
Mediation is another excellent technique that can help you tap into your parasympathetic nervous system.
A 2006 systematic review including 20 randomized control trials found meditation beneficial in treating certain illnesses, including:
Epilepsy
Symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Mood and anxiety disorders
Autoimmune diseases
Emotional disturbance associated with cancer (2)
Suppose you are new to meditation or find it challenging to get into a meditative state on your own. In that case, I recommend using a guided meditation.
Insight Timer is a wonderful, free resource with a diverse variety of meditation styles. My favourite practice to search for is Yoga Nidra.
3. Restorative Postures
The “Legs Up on the Wall” posture is considered a type of passive, restorative inversion. It's passive because the wall supports your legs and does not require a muscular effort. The inversion part means it's a pose in which we reverse the typical actions in our bodies from sitting or standing.
When you elevate your pelvis with your legs up the wall, lymph and other fluids from the lower extremities and pelvic area can flow in the reverse direction towards the heart.
This reverse in blood flow has many health benefits. Most notably, an increase in blood flow to the upper body and head can improve energy. This energy boost makes the pose great for a work break when you're feeling sluggish.
The passive nature of this pose allows for mind and body relaxation, encouraging a meditative, parasympathetic response.
How to Practice Legs Up on the Wall:
Using a prop under your sacrum, like a pillow or folded blanket, lay flat on your back
Swing your legs up the wall in front of you.
Depending on your hamstring tension, your bum can be right up against the wall or a few inches away with a slight bend in your knees.
Stay in this pose for 5-15 minutes to achieve the parasympathetic benefits.
Time to Implement
Now that you have three ways to tap into your parasympathetic state on the go, try incorporating them in your workday. Consider setting a reminder during slower periods in the day, or schedule 5 minutes on your break to practice even one of these options.
Let me know which practices help you feel the most relaxed by leaving a comment or sending me a DM on Instagram!
References
1. Pavlov, V. A., & Tracey, K. J. (2012). The vagus nerve and the inflammatory reflex--linking immunity and metabolism. Nature reviews. Endocrinology, 8(12), 743–754. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2012.189
2. Arias, A.J., Steinberg, K., Banga, A., & Trestman, R.L. (2006). Systematic review of the efficacy of meditation techniques as treatments for medical illness. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 12(8), 817-832. http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2006.12.817
