How to Activate Your Parasympathetic Nervous System

Do you ever have so much to do that you can’t focus on anything? Or how about lying awake at night unable to sleep because your mind is racing. Or when you’re run down and sore after a stressful day? There’s a biological reason for all of this. 

*Thank you to Apollo Neuro for providing this article*

Chronic stress strains the whole body by over-activating our sympathetic nervous system, commonly known as the “fight-or-flight response”. When your sympathetic nervous system is working overtime, you’re not set up for a happy, healthy life, and unfortunately, this is the baseline for many of us these days.

When the fight-or-flight response is engaged, it is physiologically harder to focus, relax, and sleep, because our body and mind are both signaling that we are under threat and need to escape danger. This is when the negative feedback loop begins: it feels impossible to make healthy decisions when we’re exhausted and unfocused. So, how do you bring your nervous system back to a balanced state, where the parasympathetic “rest and digest” response is in play?

Use Breathwork to Help Transition Into Sleep

When you’re stressed, sleep is the first thing to take a hit. Try using breathwork to shift yourself from a long hard day to a peaceful resting state. Deep breathing signals safety and control to our brains, reminding us that there is nothing threatening our actual survival when we’re lying in bed. Take long, slow, deep breaths to calm the mind and remind the body that we’re safe enough to fall asleep. 

Listen to Soothing Music 

You don’t have to listen to opera or smooth jazz; many people feel relaxed from different types of music. Think about what music helps you feel most calm and relaxed, set the mood, and relax. 

Engage Your Sense of Touch

A soothing touch from a loved one is one of the most powerful signals that we are safe and ready to recover. Skin hunger is real, so establish someone in your life (platonic or romantic or even a furry pet) who you can give a big fat bear hug. If no one else is around, try a warm bath  or give yourself a good squeeze, apply pressure to your chest or the vagus nerve’s afferent terminal [1].

Move in a way that feels good

Gentle movement is great to unwind from stress. Try basic stretching or yin yoga (don’t worry if you’ve never done yoga before), and pair your breath to your movements.

Get a Wearable Hug for Your Nervous System

Meet a new addition to your mental health tool box that helps you take back control, Apollo Neuro.

Worn on the wrist or ankle, Apollo Neuro uses touch therapy to deliver silent, soothing vibrations that help you feel safe and in control. With consistent use, Apollo Neuro trains your nervous system to manage stress better, going from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest.

Developed by physicians and neuroscientists, Apollo has been tested in multiple clinical trials and is proven to improve heart rate variability, a key biometric of resilience to stress. Apollo Neuro is different from other wearables. It doesn’t track your health – it actively improves your health in real time.

Visit apolloneuro.com/ruscio to learn more and receive a 10% discount on your purchase of Apollo!

Born in the Lab, Backed by Science

Apollo is scientifically validated in double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials and independent field studies. In studies, Apollo Neuro has been shown to help users experience 19% more time in deep sleep on average, 40% less stress and feelings of anxiety, and up to 25% increases in focus and concentration. 

Apollo is the first technology proven to increase heart rate variability (HRV) under stress. Apollo’s efficacy has been validated in a number of independent and university-led trials, and there are more studies in progress focused on sleep, ADHD, and PTSD. Apollo Neuro is a safe and non-invasive stress relief tool for both adults and children.

Melt Away Stress So You Can Sleep

In a real-world observational study, we looked at Apollo Neuro’s impact on sleep and cardiovascular metrics. What we learned was remarkable – those who use Apollo consistently (3+ hours a day, 5+ days a week, during the day and night) see big improvements in sleep and cardiovascular metrics. See the results: 

• 19% average increase in deep sleep
• 14% average increase in REM sleep
• 6% average increase in total sleep time
• 11% average increase in HRV
• 4% average decrease in resting heart rate

Find Your Zen

We all know meditation is one of the most highly touted keys to success by successful people. Both experienced and naive meditators achieve significantly deeper meditative states with Apollo.

Apollo Neuro empowers you to be the best version of yourself, by giving you the ability to shift your state and take charge of your own wellbeing. In other words: Less stress, more sleep. Less fatigue, more focus. Less of what you don’t want – more of what you do.