vagus nerve

[abynormal]

Dear Brooke,
How can the vagus nerve be stimulated?  Perhaps sports?  I like to golf and was wondering if the finishing twisting move on a golf swing can stimulate this nerve???  I hope so, cause I haven't golfed for a week and my PVC's have dimished significantly.... Please let me know....

Thanks, Abynormal

[littlegreenman1]

I wouldn't count on it.
Swelling AND irregular heart beat might be symptomatic to the overally root cause though.
Maybe. And that opinion is worth all the money I spent on Med school.

[StJacques]

Can severe swelling of the salivary gland put pressure or have an effect on the vagus nerve. would it be possible to cause an irregular heartbeat or fainting?

[LindaTX]

Well that is very interesting...and makes sense.  Do you  practice it or have you ever been influenced by yoga?

[no_fate]

i don't have too low heartrate anymore since i learned to breath differently.
i still breath abdominally but instead of focusing on the breath 100% - i now focus on different parts of my body all at the same time, while still watching the breath (for example: my legs, my feet, or simply the whole body at once)

if u have 100% focus on the breath then u will alter the rhythm,
and make it go slower/faster/deeper or more superficial than it would happen naturally.

[LindaTX]

If I eat something small, say a little muffin that probably contains preservatives, within 5 minutes it will start throwing me into a-fib.  I feel so helpless.  I wish there was something I could do to ward it off.  I've tried deep breathing, doesn't help.  What about holding my breath?  Or what's that about rubbing your eyes?

[CFS56]

Ok, I have a question.  If vagal nerve stimulation slows down your heartrate and gagging stimulates your vagus nerve, why when I  vomited, did it throw me into afib?  And I was able to stop it with vasalva.  That doesn't make any sense to me.

[AplusD]

I'm actually writing a paper on Vagal nerve stimulation.  Can anyone explain to me how masssaging the eyelids can do this?  

[mikehope]

thats quite interesting, because im having a siumalr problem,
but i had panik attacks so i practiced the breathing techniques to relax alot, so you could be right to say its due to the vagus nerve, im too having a lower pulse rate tyhen normal and  get weak dizzy.

[chicky2001]

Would you see a neurologist for this condition?  Are there tests for this problem?

[no_fate]

i also think that the abdominal breathing MIGHT have caused me to have many extra pvc's the past few months, but i'm not sure about this at all it is just a thought i have!

besides,
what doesn't work for me, might work for other people!

[no_fate]

abdominal breathing stimulates the vagus.

i've been breathing this way for many months,
but the past few months the vagus stimulation has been so intense that i feel faint/dizzy and have pale and cold hands and feet sometimes, all because of a lowered heartbeat.

i'm not sure of how common it is for people to have this problem,
i don't think it's very common because the internet is full of people who support the abdominal breath for many reasons.

[mikehope]

i'm looking for help on this too, after a physio therapist (a had a whiplash injury a year before affected my back neck and upper chest on the right side) did some kind of popping techniques top to bottom on my back, a week later i had many one sided symptoms and, 10 months later imleft with slower heart rate and slighly lower bp, get alot of stomach spasm and indgestion issues, balancing problems, weakness.

i too want to know how to get Vagus Nerve checked for damage and irritation, what are all the tests that can be done for this. im going back to my physio therapist soon, i heard a chiropractors a good proffessional to speak to.

[questionnone]

what kind of doctor would you see if you wanted to find out if your vagus nerve was damaged or being irritated? are there any tests that don't require operating? xray or something?

[Skippi]

vagus nerve = connected to a lot of parts in our body, hence my theory that - for some of us anyway! - if we have an upset stomach, we get the skipped heart beats. If we are stressed, we skip, if we think too much about our hearts (i.e. get too anxious), we skip. etc etc It would make sense to me, that it's this nervy nerv who causes my problems. And if it's the nerv that causes all these problems, it's also very hard to find a cure, as it is connected to so many things (brain, heart, stomach). So try and "calm" this nerv in any ways possible :)

[Brooke_38]

Hello...

Coughing or gagging may stimulate your vagus nerve. It will not cause your heart to stop. However, if you hyperstimulate (over stimulate) the vagus nerve than yes, you could cause your heart to stop. This is why it is recommended that only trained professionals perform a carotid massage.

Please don't worry about this. :)

[crystalhanzelka]

So you are saying that if we cough too much or gag too much our hearts can stop??

[Brooke_38]

Hello...

The Vagus nerve, 10th cranial nerve, is the only nerve that starts in the brainstem. From there is travels down the head branching into the Left&Right Vagus, continuing down the neck into the chest and abdomen.

Vagus nerve is responsible for heart rate, contraction of stomach muscles that aid in digestion, sweating and movement of the muscles in your mouth that allow you to speak.

The Left Vagus stimulates the AV Node whereas the Right Vagus stimulates the SA Node.

[Bon-Bon]

By the way, I've wondered quite often, where is the Vagus Nerve located?

Thank you.

[Brooke_38]

Hello...

Vagal stimulation slows the heart beat, and excessive stimulation can stop it entirely.

Vagal maneuvers are used to try to slow an episode of fast heart rate. These maneuvers stimulate the vagus nerve, sometimes resulting in slowed conduction of electrical impulses through the atrioventricular (AV) node .
Vagal maneuvers that you can try to slow your fast heart rate include:

Gagging.
Holding your breath and bearing down (Valsalva maneuver).
Immersing your face in ice-cold water (diving reflex).
Coughing.
Putting pressure on your eyelids.
It is important to have your health professional show you how to do these procedures correctly.

Glad to hear that your PVC's have diminished :D I posted a reply to cathyw911 (Constant PVC's for over a week) on Dec 2nd about PVC's and a study that was done regarding yoga breathing and it's affects on decreasing PVC's...check this out and see what you think about that.