Stress comes hand in hand with motherhood. The constant mental load can ultimately make you feel depleted. 

You may have also noticed when you're more stressed, your gut function changes. Stress and your mood, including anxiety has a direct impact on your gut health!

How does Stress Impact Gut Health?

When you are stressed, you may notice symptoms that indicate changes in your gut health including constipation & diarrhoea, reflux, abdominal pain, bloating and even a loss or increase in appetite. You are also likely to have  difficultly absorbing  nutrients like zinc, B6, magnesium and protein which are all essential to support a healthy stress response. 

 

What is the Vagus Nerve? 

The changes in your gut that you might have noticed when your stressed, is due to something called the gut- brain connection which is linked by the Vagus Nerve. The vagus nerve is major nerve in your parasympathetic nervous system responsible for major body functions such as mood regulation, digestion, heart rate and even immune function. 

A strong, healthy vagus nerve helps to regulate the parasympathetic nervous system, improve mood, reduce anxiety, improve gut barrier function and support digestion of essential nutrients. 

What happens to the Vagus Nerve when you are stressed? 

In periods of acute stress, chronic stress, extreme exhaustion or "postnatal depletion", your parasympathetic nervous system can begin to have trouble functioning optimally and your vagus nerve looses its strength or "tone". This means that you may have trouble regulating both your emotions & stress as well as your gut health. 

 

How can you strengthen your Vagus Nerve? 

The good news is, that simple exercises exist that you can implement into your daily motherhood routine to help strengthen and tone your vagus nerve. 

By no means do you need to do all of these, choose 1 that resonates with you and then practice this daily. You will notice great improvements with your stress levels and your digestion. Win win!

1. HUMMING 

Create the "OM" sound with your mouth. Slowly hold the 'o' for 5 seconds, then follow with the 'm' for 5 seconds. Repeat up to 10 times, 3x daily. 

2. DEEP BREATHING 

Deeply inhale through your nose into your belly for 5 seconds then exhale slowly through your mouth for 10 seconds. Repeat up to 10 times, 3x daily. 

3. GARGLING

This is a great one to do first thing in the morning. Take a large sip of water and gargle this in the back of your throat for 20 seconds, before spitting out. Repeat 3x times. 

4. COLD WATER

Cold water helps to wake up the vagus nerve. You can either have a cold shower or splash your face with cold water 3-5 times. This is a great one to do when you are feeling particularly overwhelmed, stressed or anxious.