Easy ways to stimulate your vagus nerve!

[Colm]

Hi Stef,

Thanks for your reply.

I think your ideas above are very true and are definitely one element of why depression has kicked in at extreme levels on "some" vacations.

I'm also a long time married and am lucky to have two healthy children, now in their teens.

Without doubt, some of the holidays (such as you describe), like hot sunshine destinations (while other family like them) cause me a lot of problems due to sun aggravated dematitis and heightened sensitivity to sunlight.  So, while there are types of vacations I have been on that don't elicit as much depression, as quickly, I think there is perhaps a vagal or neurological element to this, or dopamine/seretonin elements. I haven't taken any meds over decades for this, as am choosing a balanced lifestyle, nutritional, exercise, mind/body approach to wellness.

I do think that on this occasion, due to nutritional strategy for the last year, that this year was actually 20/30 PC better (less speedy descent into a depressed state).

Appreciate your honest sharing and maybe Iceland or Greenland are our best destinations for R&R!

Also, I reslize I'm lucky to go on vacation but do have the memory of many years I couldn't do anything, due to depths of POIS in my 20's particularly. Am sure there's loads of guys here who don't or can't go on vacation, cause they are struggling to hold down a job. I know of this phase too.

Nice one outsider on the Paris/Mexico swop btw LOL !

[Outsider]

Hi Stef,

Thanks for your reply.

I think your ideas above are very true and are definitely one element of why depression has kicked in at extreme levels on "some" vacations.

I'm also a long time married and am lucky to have two healthy children, now in their teens.

Without doubt, some of the holidays (such as you describe), like hot sunshine destinations (while other family like them) cause me a lot of problems due to sun aggravated dematitis and heightened sensitivity to sunlight.  So, while there are types of vacations I have been on that don't elicit as much depression, as quickly, I think there is perhaps a vagal or neurological element to this, or dopamine/seretonin elements. I haven't taken any meds over decades for this, as am choosing a balanced lifestyle, nutritional, exercise, mind/body approach to wellness.

I do think that on this occasion, due to nutritional strategy for the last year, that this year was actually 20/30 PC better (less speedy descent into a depressed state).

Appreciate your honest sharing and maybe Iceland or Greenland are our best destinations for R&R!

Also, I reslize I'm lucky to go on vacation but do have the memory of many years I couldn't do anything, due to depths of POIS in my 20's particularly. Am sure there's loads of guys here who don't or can't go on vacation, cause they are struggling to hold down a job. I know of this phase too.

Nice one outsider on the Paris/Mexico swop btw LOL !

I had the same pb with sunlights all the summers
Buttons, excema, and urticaria
But with anti histaminic
I don't have them
It's a shame for me, i m from a hot country
Marocco..

[Stef]

"When we were in Mexico there were barracudas right where we were supposed to be swimming"

It sounds pretty good for me !!
that s exactly the kind of vacation i need.

The next you come in paris, i go to mexico !!!!

OK, Outsider. 

You take Mexico and the barracudas. We'll definitely take Paris! :-)

(Actually, Paris is on our list.)

Stef

[Stef]

I had the same pb with sunlights all the summers
Buttons, excema, and urticaria
But with anti histaminic
I don't have them
It's a shame for me, i m from a hot country
Marocco..

Outsider, Morocco sounds like a GREAT place for a vacation. Exotic!

Please advise -- what antihistamine works for the skin problems you get from sunlight?

Stef

[Stef]

Hi Stef,

Thanks for your reply.

I think your ideas above are very true and are definitely one element of why depression has kicked in at extreme levels on "some" vacations.

I'm also a long time married and am lucky to have two healthy children, now in their teens.

Without doubt, some of the holidays (such as you describe), like hot sunshine destinations (while other family like them) cause me a lot of problems due to sun aggravated dematitis and heightened sensitivity to sunlight.  So, while there are types of vacations I have been on that don't elicit as much depression, as quickly, I think there is perhaps a vagal or neurological element to this, or dopamine/seretonin elements. I haven't taken any meds over decades for this, as am choosing a balanced lifestyle, nutritional, exercise, mind/body approach to wellness.

I do think that on this occasion, due to nutritional strategy for the last year, that this year was actually 20/30 PC better (less speedy descent into a depressed state).

Appreciate your honest sharing and maybe Iceland or Greenland are our best destinations for R&R!

Also, I reslize I'm lucky to go on vacation but do have the memory of many years I couldn't do anything, due to depths of POIS in my 20's particularly. Am sure there's loads of guys here who don't or can't go on vacation, cause they are struggling to hold down a job. I know of this phase too.

Nice one outsider on the Paris/Mexico swop btw LOL !

Colm,

When our son was a teenager (a VERY SURLY teenager!) the longest we'd spend at the beach during summer vacations with him was a long weekend (four days). Between our son and The Sun -- a weekend (3-4 days) was my limit! It helped to remind myself that if I was unhappy it would rub off on my family and ruin everyone's good time. So we learned to plan other types of vacations...and to also bring a friend along for him so that they could be surly together instead of with us.

(The only thing worse than a beach vacation was camping out at some God-forsaken campground for a week. My unsolicited advice to everyone -- don't even consider it!)

Funny about Greenland or Iceland, Colm!  To tell the truth, I think they'd make really interesting vacations. You'd all have to read, "Smila's Sense of Snow" before embarking.

Here are my non-scientific and final thoughts on this subject. (I'm sure the "final" part will come as a relief to all forum members.) Yes, you're lucky to be able to take vacations. And it sounds like the kids enjoy being in the sun at a beach area. But -- if one of your children couldn't tolerate the sun, if one or all of them would feel miserable after a few days of too much sun -- I'm betting you and your wife would find some other GREAT place to spend that precious vacation time. Your comfort and happiness are as important as everyone else's in the family. There's no question that they would agree!

You may be right about there being vagal or serotonin activity involved that brings on the depression symptoms. And it might not only be the sunlight -- boredom might play a role. But there may be ways to avoid or minimize it by steering clear of the types of places that seem to bring them on.

Stef

[Outsider]

Holiday depression & Vagus Nerve Connection?

Has anyone here a tendency to get increasingly depressed while on vacation?

Could it be linked to the Vagus Nerve theories? High or Low Vagal tones perhaps?

For some reason, which I am more now leaning toward a neurological  reason, since my teens and onset of POIS, I have always slid into a deeper state of depression, when I go on vacation. I now only ever plan short vacations because of this.

I am writing this 7 days into my annual vacation, but I am slipping into that heightened state but for no specific reasons, starting to feel really down.

When I am at home and working, it is keeping my mind/brain busy, and when away, without that work, something is slowing down in my brain OR my mind toward a depressed state, whether it be the low seretonin or dopamine or whatever else it is, it just kicks in no matter what nutritional or lifestyle approaches,  sustaining a good diet, no alcohol, taking my supplements etc.

I have now a year spent in commitment to a nutritional and supplements approach. My overall symptoms outside of POIS phase  are generally 20-30% better. Added to this, I can now more generally avoid the trigger factors at my age.

However, even on vacation, when I wake every morning, my neck and head specifically are in pain (is this also Vagal related), a headache that I can somewhat shake off (only if I get out of bed before 8 am, if I stay in bed later, I'm wrecked all day) through meditation, self neck massage, going for exercise, a run or a swim. Then a warm, followed by cold shower also helps reverse some symptoms.

SO My real question re; Vagus Nerve and this depression.
Anyone else out there find their POIS gets worse when on annual leave? I would sincerely appreciate any thought on how this could be related to the Vagus nerve theory.

I am looking forward to the ongoing results of this Dr.K & Dr. W's research.

Finally, good luck to the guys in the study, as things get to the business end of the research with heart monitors and FMRI.

Hi Colm,

First, I hope you're starting to feel better by now!

You're probably most interested in hearing back from your fellow POIS sufferers on this issue of vacation/depression/possible vagus nerve connection. 

While I can't offer any insights from a personal POIS perspective, I did have an immediate thought when I first read your post a few days ago. Am hoping that this doesn't sound really ridiculous. Here goes...

Could it be that the types of annual vacations you take aren't the right type for YOU?

If I had to spend a week (or more) at a beach, as just an example, I'd get pretty miserable, pretty quickly. First I'd get bored -- very fast (despite the pina coladas). Then I'd become irritable because of the boredom, and would soon start complaining about having to repeatedly slather on sun protection. Then I'd feel guilty because I've ruined my husband's vacation by complaining and not being fun to be around. I'd also be afraid of possible sharks in the water. (When we were in Mexico there were barracudas right where we were supposed to be swimming!)

I can't say that I'd slide into a full-blown depression. But if I kept doing that type of thing for every annual vacation -- I definitely wouldn't be happy.

(The beach scenario has happened more than once -- so we no longer take beach/Caribbean Island vacations.)

As an aside, it's pretty much an established scientific fact that the vagus nerve can be directly involved in some cases of depression. But where or how that fits in to your own situation is a mystery for me.

Wishing you the best,
Stef

I was in iceland a couple years back
it s pretty good island but in the summer there s no night, sun, and sun and sun again sometimes it s pretty hot.
This things without night seriously perturbed me.I was like a baby sleeping at 7 pm and waking up early at 5h am

[Outsider]

I had the same pb with sunlights all the summers
Buttons, excema, and urticaria
But with anti histaminic
I don't have them
It's a shame for me, i m from a hot country
Marocco..

Outsider, Morocco sounds like a GREAT place for a vacation. Exotic!

Please advise -- what antihistamine works for the skin problems you get from sunlight?

Stef

yes stef,
my anti histaminic works pretty good against my sunlight allergy
but it seems like, the sunlight  doesn t play on my neuro, psycho, physical symp

[Outsider]

"When we were in Mexico there were barracudas right where we were supposed to be swimming"

It sounds pretty good for me !!
that s exactly the kind of vacation i need.

The next you come in paris, i go to mexico !!!!

OK, Outsider. 


You take Mexico and the barracudas. We'll definitely take Paris! :-)

(Actually, Paris is on our list.)

Stef

If you want to past vacation in paris,  i can give you some informations about the city.
You have also some pretty good place outside paris
like the forest and fontainebleau castle, and near this place,  barbizon, a small village kown for his artist paint history
the castle of versaille of course, from the king louis xiv

And morocco, like you said pretty exotic country
a lot of mountains, wild,  it s a hot country, the stuff, the food, the life are completly differents than europe or america.
And of course, beautifull beachs, but without sharks, or barracudas, i know, it s shame !!!!
I forgot the moroco tea, the traditionnal drink

[BluesBrother]

I can add some techniques to your list, if stimulating the vagus nerve helps you, because I must avoid those....hehe.  For example, spinning on yourself is excellent to stimulate the vagus nerve, through inner ear stimulation.  Do only 5 to 6 spins, and be sure to decrease spinning speed slowly on the last 2 to 3 spins, in order to avoid dizziness.  You can also gently massage the temples, doing a slow rotation with your fingertips, up and in front of the tragus of the ear, just above the bony protuberance found there. If I massage there, I feel nausea and "vagal" within 30 seconds!

I have had reduced to no symptoms when I ejaculated after a night out of dancing and drinking. So far, I thought that the alcohol might have inhibited an immune response, but what you wrote made me think that the dancing could have stimulated the vagus nerve - and that this inhibited an immune response - or maybe it is a combination of the two.

[CuriousCharacter]

I have had reduced to no symptoms when I ejaculated after a night out of dancing and drinking. So far, I thought that the alcohol might have inhibited an immune response, but what you wrote made me think that the dancing could have stimulated the vagus nerve - and that this inhibited an immune response - or maybe it is a combination of the two.

Interesting. I attended a 10-day meditation retreat, yanked a couple times in the bathroom stall, and experienced no negative symptoms the whole time I was there. Never felt better. Vagus nerve activators help me tremendously.

[lw]

One quick observation: provoking gag reflex might ease your symptoms please try and tell me if it works.