Training the nervous system
Back in 2000, a couple of American psychiatrists proposed a new model for the link between the heart, central nervous system and our emotional state. It centered around the autonomic nervous system, a network of nerves including the vagus nerve, which links the major organ systems and handles all unconscious bodily functions, from heart rate to breathing.
The autonomic nervous system has three distinct divisions. The sympathetic nervous system activates the body’s “fight or flight” response in high-arousal or dangerous situations, increasing adrenaline, blood pressure and heart rate. The parasympathetic nervous system triggers so-called “rest and digest” functions, calming the body and focusing on processes such as digestion and waste management. Finally, there is also the enteric nervous system, the several hundred million nerves embedded in the gut wall.
According to Little, the learnings that have arisen as a result of that original 2000 paper have shown that there is a two-way relationship between breathing and the autonomic nervous system, which explains why shallow mouth breathing is suboptimal for our health.
“If we breathe through our mouths at a quicker, shallower pace, we activate the sympathetic nervous system that tells us we are under stress and there’s danger around,” she says. “Vice versa, if we breathe slowly and deeply through our nose into our belly, we activate the safe, and at-rest, parasympathetic nervous system.”
Just a few minutes of breathwork a day can make a significant impact on stress levels.
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