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Day 8: Sing, Gargle, Gag
#12daysofhealthyhormonehacks
Did you know that singing along to christmas carols or holiday songs can actually promote hormone balance? So can gargling water and initiating a gag reflex.
You’re probably wondering how in the heck these actions help to balance your hormones, but that’s what this 12 Days of Healthy Hormone Hacks series is all about!
Singing, gargling and gagging all stimulate and strengthen the vagus nerve which is the longest nerve in your body. The vagus rules important organ activity in the:
Brain (neurotransmitter hormones!)
Neck (thyroid hormones!)
Ears and Tongue
Heart and Lungs
Stomach
Intestines (more neurotransmitter, thyroid and other hormone activity!)
Liver (excretion of excess hormones!)
Pancreas (insulin and related hormones!)
Gallbladder and Spleen
Kidney (cortisol and DHEA hormones!)
And reproductive organs (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone hormones!)
Whoa, that’s a lot of organs producing important hormones and performing important functions in the body! Basically the vagus nerve is most important nerve in your parasympathetic nervous system.
If the vagus nerve is weak or not stimulated, that means it won’t be able to do as good of a job telling the rest of the organs in your body to do their job and therefore hormone production and balance will take a hit.
Your vagus nerve also translates information between the gut and the brain. If one of them is not getting the right signals, the whole ship can sink! Your brain or gut won’t be able to tell the body what it needs to do.
But don’t worry, it’s super easy to strengthen or keep your vagus nerve strong, especially during the holidays! Next time your favorite holiday (or other) tune comes on the radio, sing your socks off to stimulate that vagus nerve. This also correlates with yesterday’s (Day 6) tip about why you should incorporate Kundalini – chanting mantras has the same effect as singing!
You can also gargle water several times a day- your gargle should be long enough to make it feel challenging. Or the next time you brush your teeth, lay your toothbrush on the back of your tongue and push down to activate a gag reflex.
All three of these actions are like “doing push ups or sprints” for the vagus nerve as Dr. Kharrazian says in his book, Why Isn’t My Brain Working, and they are super simple acts you can incorporate into your day to support your hormones through the rest of the holidays!
Missed the previous tips for the 12 Days of Healthy Hormone Hacks for the Holidays series? No worries! You can catch the replays in this Facebook feed and comment with any questions you might have!
Head on over to my Facebook and Instagram or join my FREE group Sexy & Sassy Menopause to see what you might have missed AND to catch the rest of my 12 Days of Healthy Hormone Hacks for the Holidays
P.S. Turn on your notifications so you don’t miss a single simple tip to keep your hormones intact this holiday season, AND remember to save the posts for future reference!
xx Jeannine