A short YouTube video by Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes explaining three simple ways to stimulate the vagus nerve to trigger the relaxation response: (1) slow abdominal breathing, (2) chewing gum (facial vagus stimulation), and (3) massaging inside the ears. The speaker briefly explains the physiological aim—signaling safety to the brain—and gives each practical tip as a quick self-help technique.
Hey there, everybody. It's Doc Snipes. And today we're going to talk about three ways to trigger that vagus nerve. Your vagus nerve is a nerve that is responsible for helping you trigger the relaxation response. So when you get distressed, one of the things that you can do is try to trigger that nerve and get it to send the signal to your brain that, hey, there's no threat here. So, three ways to do it. One is to slow your breathing. When you slow your breathing, it triggers the abdominal vagus nerve. You can chew gum. That triggers the vagus nerve in the face. You can also massage on your ears, like right inside your ears, in order to stimulate that vagus nerve.
