These are notes I took from reading the book and in preparing for my podcast interview with Dr. Navaz Habib below (on Youtube, my podcast page, or any podcast player).
I. Science
What is the VN?
out of the 12 cranial nerves, the Vagus nerve stuck out. it is the only one that passes out of the head
Vagus nerve is the a nerve that begins in the brainstem and processes and regulates autonomic function of the body. vagus comes from the Latin word meaning wanderer.
80% Afferent - toward the brain - and 20% Efferent - brain to body.
Where is it?
brainstem stemming from 4 different nuclei. There is a R and L VN
Functions
The conductor of the human body
Sensing Skin of the 👂
Allowing Food to be Swallowed 👄
Managing airways and vocal chords 🧣
Controlling Breathing 🌬️
Heart Rate 💗
Maintaining Optimal Blood Pressure 🆎
Liver functions
Gall Bladder Emptying 💩
Managing Hunger and Satiety
Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels 🍬
Release of Digestive Enzymes from the Pancreas
Gut Motor Function
Immune System Activity
Managing Inflammation in the Gut
Relaying Information from the Microbiome
Allowing us to create memories
How it manages it all
for a neuron's signal to affect the intended cells:
The neuron needs to send an electrically charged signal throughout its entire length
It needs to release a protein called a neurotransmitter into the space between itself and the cell it wants to affect
It must fit into a protein receptor on the surface of , and elicit activity within, the next cell.
II. What could go wrong?
In this section Dr. Habib compares the charging wire of a cell phone to the VN, which I find interesting especially since there are various comparisons to cell phones with meditation - can a damaged VN affect practicing meditation?
Going on this analogy, how do you help your clients - or how do you determine - if it is a physiological problem, the wire - like an unoptimal VN - or a software problem, the phone?
Dysfunctional Breathing 🌬️
hand on belly and chest - did tummy expand or did the shoulders rise to accommodate the expansion of the lungs
The correct way is: diaphragm must contract and the belly expands. Diaphragmatic breathing is the process of using this major muscle rather than accessory muscles for breathing.
because it is not attractive to expand our abdomen, we mistakenly learn to breathe with accessory muscles - back up muscles that are more important and useful during times of stress (p.67)
We are training the nerves to send signals to the bicep, not training the bicep
→ Epigenetics - reminds me of the studies with playing piano and lifting
where you send flow is where you send function is a great adaptation of where you place your attention is where you place your energy
Dysfunctional Airways 👃
associated with dysfunctional breathing = the nasal, the larynx, pharynx, and trachea
Dysfunctional Digestive Sequence
Counting the number of chews for each bite of food and how long you sit to eat
🚗 🚿 analogy deliberate and slow
16-20 hour digestive sequence
Science of chewing and digestion p. 77 small morsels activate taste buds 👅 and the taste sigals the brain to determine the amount of macros are present
I wonder if saying the bracha (hebrew for prayer) for certain foods sends a signal to the brain about which foods to break down
Dysfunctional Dietary choices
Real food, not too much, mostly green
Green, Clean, and Lean
the environment in which you eat determines the ability to train your VN to send these signals to your brain
Ch 7 Dysfunctional Microbiome
Ch 8 Chronic inflammation and immune activation
Autoimmune conditions
Chronic inflammation of the gut
Inflammation due to physical and emotional trauma
Ch 9 Dysfunctional Heart Rate
Ch 10 Dysfunctional Liver Function
Ch 11 Chronic Stress
it is not the stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it - Hans Selye
The strength of the brain is based on the strength of the nerves
Testing
Ch 12 Dysfunctional Sleep and Circadian Rhythm ⌚ 🛏️
Deep restorative sleep is the gym for the VN
If you don't train it, you drain it
III. Activating Your Vagus Nerve
Measuring VN Function:
HRV 💗
the measurement of time, in milliseconds between successive pumps of the heart - time from the end of one lub-dup to the beginning of the next one
⬆️ Active VN ⬇️ the heart rate, and the more variable the time between pumps of the heart
Heart Rate ♥️
Breath Pattern 📈
Bowel Transit Time ⏲️
Exercises to activate the VN
Breathing
Sleep Tape📼: when we breath through the mouth it is harder to practice diaphragmatic breathing, but through the 👃 it is natural
Sleeping on the R side promotes better sleep p 140
When lying on the back the airway is more likely to close as the 👅 can fall back due to gravity
Practices that support VN activation
❄️ Cold Exposure
Humming and Chanting
Gag reflex
Gargling
☀️ exposure
Omega 3s
Yoga & Pilates
Mindfulness & Meditation
💊 Supplementation
Probiotics
5HTP
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