7 Ways to Support the Vagus Nerve and Improve Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
The vagus nerve is a cranial nerve that activates the parasympathetic nervous system and increases levels of oxytocin and the calming neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Supporting the vagus nerve and thereby improving parasympathetic tone promotes relaxation, sleep, digestion, and healing.
Activating the parasympathetic nervous system dials down the sympathetic nervous system or fight-or-flight response. In that way, the vagus nerve acts as a built-in “stress-reset button.”
Help for Hormonal Sleep Problems
Can’t sleep? It could be your hormones.
Sleep disturbance is common during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle and is usually the result of dropping progesterone or a histamine or mast cell reaction.
Sleep disturbance can also occur during perimenopause and menopause.
Diet and Natural Progesterone for Heavy Periods
Successful treatment of heavy periods relies on identifying an underlying cause such as hormone imbalance (low progesterone), adenomyosis, or thyroid disease.
Treatment for heavy menstruation is to treat the cause as well as use general period-lightening strategies such as natural progesterone and a dairy-free diet.
The 5 Best Types of Natural or Non-Hormonal Birth Control
Natural or non-hormonal contraceptive methods include fertility awareness-based methods, the diaphragm, condoms, and the copper IUD or Paragard.
Why a Vegan or Plant-Based Diet Can Be Bad for Periods
A vegan or exclusively plant-based diet can make periods lighter and less painful, which is good. Over time, however, an exclusively plant-based diet can cause irregular or heavy periods due to impaired ovulation and low progesterone.
The main problem with an exclusively plant-based diet is that it cannot provide an adequate supply of nutrients such as zinc, iodine, iron, vitamin A, and taurine.
The Curious Link Between Estrogen, Mast Cells, and Histamine
Headaches, anxiety, insomnia, brain fog, hives, and nasal congestion. These are just a few of the symptoms of mast cell activation or high histamine.
Histamine symptoms are more common in women and often track with the menstrual cycle, occurring when estrogen is high at ovulation and about a week before the period.