Vagus Nerve, Parasympathetic Nervous System, Fight or Flight, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Susan Morrison Vagus Nerve, Parasympathetic Nervous System, Fight or Flight, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Susan Morrison

CW Vol 2 Ed. 24 - 🧠 Why One Nerve Might Be the Key to Better Sleep, Less Stress, and Long-Term Health

When you think of improving your health, you might focus on diet, exercise, or hydration. But there's an unsung hero quietly influencing everything from your mood to digestion and even how well you recover from stress: the vagus nerve. This week, we’re highlighting insights from Dr. Navaz Habib, a functional medicine expert and author of Upgrade Your Vagus Nerve, who recently appeared on The Dhru Purohit Show to explain how this nerve could be the missing piece in your wellness puzzle.

🔍 What is the Vagus Nerve?

The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in your body, running from your brainstem to your gut. It’s a central player in the parasympathetic nervous system, a powerful communication superhighway between your brain and body that plays a major role in relaxation, digestion, and recovery. If your vagus nerve isn’t working well, you may feel burned out, anxious, inflamed, or stuck in “fight or flight” mode.

🚨 Signs Your Vagus Nerve Needs Attention

Dr. Habib identifies a few key warning signs:

  • Poor sleep quality or feeling unrested.

  • Bloating, indigestion or slow gut motility.

  • Anxiety, irritability, mood swings or brain fog.

  • Low energy or poor recovery from workouts.

🔧 What Disrupts It?

There are four types of stress that can overload your vagus nerve:

  • Physical (e.g., poor posture or injury)

  • Chemical (e.g., processed foods, toxins)

  • Emotional (e.g., chronic worry or grief)

  • Electromagnetic (e.g., too much screen time, poor sleep hygiene)

🛠️ How to Support Your Vagus Nerve

Here are a few simple ways to improve vagus nerve tone and reduce stress throughout the day:

☀️ Start with a Solid Morning Routine

  • Wake up at the same time each day

  • Get sunlight in your eyes within 30 minutes of waking

  • Avoid jumping into emails or social media first thing

🌙 Wind Down with Intention

  • Keep screens off for 1 hour before bed

  • Try nasal breathing or light stretching

  • Use a calming sleep environment (cool, dark, quiet)

Daily Nervous System Support

  • Practice slow, deep breathing

  • Gargle aggressively, hum, or sing (yes, really!)

  • Try a short meditation or gratitude journal entry

⏱️ Use Wearables Wisely

Dr. Habib breaks down how to interpret wearable data like:

  • Heart Rate Variability (HRV) – Higher HRV = better vagal tone

  • Respiratory Rate – Irregular patterns may signal stress

  • Sleep Cycles – Deep, restorative sleep is essential for healing

Even if you don’t wear a tracker, you can still tune in to how you feel after different activities—especially sleep, food, and stress exposure.

🧰 The takeaway? You don’t need a full lifestyle overhaul to feel better. Start with just one routine—like consistent sleep or a few minutes of deep breathing—and build from there. Your vagus nerve (and your future self) will thank you.

View this Newsletter and links to resources here!

The links are also provided here:

“The vagus nerve helps us shift from ‘fight or flight’ into ‘rest and digest’—but only if we create space for it.”

— Dr. Navaz Habib on The Dhru Purohit Show. Click here to listen.

Learn How To Exercise Your Vagus Nerve to Lower Stress and Inflammation here or scan the QR code.

6/11/2025

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Magnesium, Supplements, Food Is Medicine, Stress Reduction Susan Morrison Magnesium, Supplements, Food Is Medicine, Stress Reduction Susan Morrison

CW Vol 2 Ed. 22 - The Mineral You’re Missing: Why Magnesium Matters

For the job site, the office, and home—magnesium is a powerhouse nutrient you shouldn’t overlook. Whether you’re lifting rebar, managing logistics, or juggling work and family, magnesium plays a critical role in keeping your body and mind functioning at their best. Yet most Americans don’t get enough of it—and deficiency can quietly affect energy, sleep, focus, heart health and even mental health.

What Magnesium Does

Magnesium supports:

  • Muscle and nerve function (important for job performance and recovery),

  • Bone strength (especially critical in physical labor),

  • Heart rhythm and blood pressure,

  • Mood, stress response, and sleep; and

  • Cognitive clarity and memory.

Dr. Leigh Erin Connealy, a leading integrative physician, emphasizes magnesium’s essential role in mental wellness, immune strength, and disease prevention. She explains how it:

  • Regulates cortisol (your stress hormone),

  • Supports GABA, a neurotransmitter that calms the nervous system,

  • Fuels your cells with ATP, essential for brain energy,

  • Plays a role in cancer prevention by maintaining healthy cellular function and DNA repair.

She frequently recommends magnesium as part of a personalized wellness plan, especially for patients with anxiety, poor sleep, or high inflammation.

💧 Bath & Foot Soaks: Natural Stress Relief

Topical magnesium is a powerful and easy way to support relaxation. Dr. Connealy recommends magnesium baths or foot soaks as an effective method to absorb magnesium transdermally (through the skin), particularly for those dealing with stress, muscle fatigue or trouble sleeping.

Try This:

  • Bath: Add 1–2 cups of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) to warm water and soak for 20 minutes.

  • Foot Soak: Add ½ cup to a basin of warm water for a 15-minute calming ritual after a long day.

  • Magnesium Lotion: Products like Earthley’s Good Night Lotion combine magnesium chloride with soothing ingredients like shea butter and lavender to promote restful sleep and ease muscle tension—especially helpful for construction workers and busy people alike.

Types of Magnesium

And what they are best used for:

Magnesium Glycinate: Anxiety, sleep, muscle recovery. Gentle and calming—great for restful sleep and mental wellness.

Magnesium Citrate: Constipation, digestion. Can have a laxative effect.

Magnesium Malate: Fatigue, muscle pain, energy. Helps with chronic soreness or burnout.

Magnesium Threonate: Focus, memory, brain fog. Crosses blood-brain barrier—supports cognitive health.

Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt): Baths & foot soaks. Absorbed through skin or muscle relaxation and stress relief.

Magnesium Chloride: Topical sprays, soaks or lotions. Absorbed through skin for muscle relaxation and stress relief

How much? Dr. Connealy typically recommends 400–700 mg/day of elemental magnesium, with up to 1,000 mg/day used therapeutically under supervision, especially for patients with cancer, adrenal fatigue, or chronic stress. Higher doses are often split into 2–3 servings to improve absorption and reduce side effects. Her guidelines reflect functional medicine practices and are generally higher than the standard NIH recommendations. Work with your healthcare provider to determine the right amount for your individual needs.

Quality Supplements Matter!

Not all supplements are created equal—some contain fillers, low-quality forms, or inaccurate labeling. That’s where Supp.co helps.

🔍 Supp.co is a science-based tool (currently in Beta) that lets you:

• Check brand purity and potency

• See if a product is third-party tested

• Access user reviews and research links

Try it at www.supp.co—it’s free during Beta testing, as of the date of publication of this Newsletter!

View this Newsletter and links to resources here!

Or use these links to learn more:

  • How does magnesium help prevent Cancer? Read this.

  • Great discussion between Dr. Connealy and JJ Virgin on nutritional principles! Listen here.

5/22/2025

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