Vagus Nerve / Inflammation Connection

Fascinating piece connecting the vagus nerve and inflammation:

http://mosaicscience.com/story/hacking-nervous-system

Low vagal tone, however, has been associated with chronic inflammation. As part of the immune system, inflammation has a useful role helping the body to heal after an injury, for example, but it can damage organs and blood vessels if it persists when it is not needed. One of the vagus nerve’s jobs is to reset the immune system and switch off production of proteins that fuel inflammation. Low vagal tone means this regulation is less effective and inflammation can become excessive.

Plenty of meditation, please and thank you

Those who meditated showed a significant rise in vagal tone

Diaphragmatic breathing and exercising plenty too.

And apparently initiating the "diving reflex" strengthens the vagus too... simply immerse your face in cold water to trigger the reflex. Nuts

Columbo wrote:Fascinating piece connecting the vagus nerve and inflammation:

http://mosaicscience.com/story/hacking-nervous-system

Low vagal tone, however, has been associated with chronic inflammation. As part of the immune system, inflammation has a useful role helping the body to heal after an injury, for example, but it can damage organs and blood vessels if it persists when it is not needed. One of the vagus nerve’s jobs is to reset the immune system and switch off production of proteins that fuel inflammation. Low vagal tone means this regulation is less effective and inflammation can become excessive.

Plenty of meditation, please and thank you

Those who meditated showed a significant rise in vagal tone

Diaphragmatic breathing and exercising plenty too.

And apparently initiating the "diving reflex" strengthens the vagus too... simply immerse your face in cold water to trigger the reflex. Nuts

humming, talking with lower voice, and singing is promoting vagal tone as well. sometimes in the car, i am all voices...

Beebrox wrote:

Columbo wrote:Fascinating piece connecting the vagus nerve and inflammation:

http://mosaicscience.com/story/hacking-nervous-system

Low vagal tone, however, has been associated with chronic inflammation. As part of the immune system, inflammation has a useful role helping the body to heal after an injury, for example, but it can damage organs and blood vessels if it persists when it is not needed. One of the vagus nerve’s jobs is to reset the immune system and switch off production of proteins that fuel inflammation. Low vagal tone means this regulation is less effective and inflammation can become excessive.

Plenty of meditation, please and thank you

Those who meditated showed a significant rise in vagal tone

Diaphragmatic breathing and exercising plenty too.

And apparently initiating the "diving reflex" strengthens the vagus too... simply immerse your face in cold water to trigger the reflex. Nuts

humming, talking with lower voice, and singing is promoting vagal tone as well. sometimes in the car, i am all voices...

ha, cool.

saw a study on pubmed that showed humming releases nitric oxide in the nose and opens up the breathing pathways

What do you do if you're a man and have a penile nerve instead?

....ok bad joke carry on

Intersting article! I will look more into vagal tone.

I did read this from the article:

http://mosaicscience.com/ wrote:The strength of your vagus response is known as your vagal tone and it can be determined by using an electrocardiogram to measure heart rate. Every time you breathe in, your heart beats faster in order to speed the flow of oxygenated blood around your body. Breathe out and your heart rate slows. This variability is one of many things regulated by the vagus nerve, which is active when you breathe out but suppressed when you breathe in, so the bigger your difference in heart rate when breathing in and out, the higher your vagal tone

Back in the winter, I was heavy into correcting my breathing pattern, so I was using Frolov's Device along with an app called "paced breathing", which can be used to gradually increase exhale period from 10s to 20s etc.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apps.paced.breathing

I reached an exhale of 20s, and my attention span was just amazing. I also had a couple of months in which I was completely free of hairloss-worry, as it seemed I was shedding only 5-10 hairs daily.

This might be too out there, but I had a feeling that life happend between the breaths, My CP was so good, I could focus on whatever at hand, and only breathe when shifting thoughts. It was a pretty huge contrast from my usual constant breathing in and out.

I think the device strengthens the diaphragm, and makes it easier to control. But I am now thinking the vagal tone must have had a saying in it. I am starting with the device again, and have currently an exhale of 15s.
I think using the app while meditating might have a good effect, to control the breathing

Good stuff, Super. Going to give that breathing app a blast. A weak diaphragm must surely equate to poor breathing which creates a cascade of issues so I love your concept of exercising the diaphragm directly. Seems a smart move

I've found meditation to have a huge positive effect on my stress/relaxation levels, headspace.com is excellent.