Do you know which group of people studies and applies practices based on the intricacies of the nervous system?
Athletes.
Athletes, especially professional and elite athletes who are at the forefront in biohacking, are quite curious and knowledgeable about improving their vagal tone.
Vagal tone refers to the activity of the vagus nerve. This nerve is the key element of the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the rest-and-digest system, the one you want engaged most of the time. Its counter is the sympathetic nervous system, responsible for the fight-or-flight state.
Vagal tone is measured through the different things it affects, such as heart rate and heart rate variability. A slower heart rate and a greater heart rate variability indicate a healthier vagal tone and a better functioning vagus nerve. Your vagus nerve affects many many other systems and functions in the body….