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Why does vagus nerve stimulation help a little?

A

Aerose91

Senior Member
Messages
1,401
It's a bit like waking my nervous system up a tad. If I take a cold fafe dunk when it's warm, or a hot shower when it's cold I feel slightly more aware and acute. The derealization thins a tad and the mental fatigue is a little better. Same with (believe it or not) gargling. It actually helps a little bit.

What's wrong with us where this helps?
 
ljimbo423

ljimbo423

Senior Member
Messages
4,705
Location
United States, New Hampshire
Cherry said:
Deep breathing with a slowed exhalation, humming, chanting, singing are a few.
Click to expand...

I do an hour of self-hypnosis almost every day, which is very much like meditation. Meditation is another good way to improve vagus nerve tone.

I also sing about an hour, 3 times a week, which should be helping my vagus tone too.

Meditation is very hard for me because I struggle to let go of thoughts. So the guided self-hypnosis helps me to stay focused and relaxed.
 
C

Cherry

Messages
65
I don't know why vagus nerve stimulation would reduce brain fog, unless the brain fog is somehow associated with anxiety.
Here's a list of what little I know about the vagus nerve and ME/CFS

The role of the vagus nerve in ME/CFS isn't fully understood. (by the way, there isn't just one vagus nerve, but they act together so they are treated as one)

Heart rate: While one system, the sympathetic nerves, cause your heart rate to increase, the completely separate vagus nerve causes the heart rate to slow down. So, if you have POTS, the vagus nerve may not be doing its job.

But its role goes beyond regulation heart rate. The vagus nerve can detect immune cells in your body and then relay that information to your brain. Then your brain may respond by making you feel tired and sick.

The vagus nerve also stars in a hypothesis that ME/CFS is caused by an infection in the vagus nerve.

We associate the vagus nerve with calm. It is therefore surprising that removing vagus nerve innervation of the stomach is a treatment for ulcers (though no longer common). But maybe not so surprising, since the vagus nerve stimulates digestion.
 
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