You take between 7-8.5 million breaths 💨 a year. And you have the power 💪 to make them support your well-being. You can make those 8 million breaths — most of them at least — healthy with a little conscious effort. Why wait?
The vagus nerve is the 10th and most wide-ranging cranial nerve branching out to the heart, respiratory system, and gastrointestinal tract. It sends nerve impulses to every major organ in the body and is connected to the parasympathetic nervous system — the rest and digest response.
On the other side is the sympathetic nervous system — the fight or flight response. The body, through its biological systems, is always trying to keep the two sides of the nervous system in balance.
Stress happens when this balance cannot be achieved due to a reason which can be anything from the loss of a loved one to reading the news to being stuck in traffic. Ideally, when the stressor is gone, the nervous system regains its balance. However, when stress is prolonged, the body gets overburdened trying to rebalance the nervous system.
This is where breathing comes in ⤵
The more you engage your diaphragm while breathing,
the more the diaphragm moves,
the more the vagus nerve is stimulated,
and the more your body can turn off its stress response and glide into relaxation mode.
And over time the vagus nerve becomes more efficient in switching off the stress response. This means ✨ the more you practice, the more effective healthy breathing becomes.
Make all of your 8 million breaths benefit your well-being!
Stay healthy, stay happy.