Polyvagal Theory AKA How Chiropractic Adjustments Help You To Be Calm

You may have heard the term polyvagal theory, or vagal tone, or fight / flight response - but do you know what they really mean? Or even better - how they can be improved with the help of chiropractic care? 

The vagus nerve is a big nerve that starts in your neck and works its way down your body. It’s involved in regulating heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digestion and more. In short it does a lot, and is a very important nerve! 

Chiropractic adjustments in Maylands

Polyvagal theory says that there are 2 branches of the vagus nerve: one that helps us respond to feelings of safety, helping us feel calm and connected; and the other that activates when our body perceives itself to be in great danger, causing us to disconnect and numb out, like a deer in the headlights. These might seem counterproductive, but the body is using it as a protective mechanism.

Neither of these are a “bad” state - we need our system to be flexible, to be able to move in and out of states so we can respond to our environment. A healthy vagus nerve calms the system, making the body feel safe. A safe body functions well! 

A “low tone”, aka poorly functioning vagus nerve, struggles to regulate the body’s fight flight response and restore calm, making it harder for the body to feel safe, meaning the body doesn’t function as well. 

This can affect all sorts of things, from digestion to immune responses, emotional regulation to breathing and blood pressure.  

Emerging research is showing that chiropractic care improves the function on your vagus nerve - chiropractic adjustments improve heart rate variability, which results in improved parasympathetic activity (the opposite of fight flight) and improved vagal tone.

This has then been linked to things like improved mood, enhanced brain function, and less fatigue. Who wouldn’t want that!

These are things we’ve observed clinically in our practice for years. It’s very exciting to see research emerging figuring out exactly why we see these changes.

Chiropractic care is very effective at reducing pain and improving function, but it goes far beyond that - improving the overall function of your nervous system, so your body can heal.

See you in the practice soon for your next adjustment!

References:

• DOI: 10.1155/2016/3704964

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2006.03.010

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