hacks – The Movement Paradigm

Do you want to do my favorite neuroscience hacks that can help improve your memory, retention, and overall cognitive health? If you’re like me and you’re constantly trying to learn new things, these can be invaluable.

Rather watch or listen?

5 Neuroscience Hacks

1. Taking a 10 Second Pause

Studies have shown that taking a 10-second pause, interspersed with trying to retain new knowledge, can help you to get a 20-fold replay. In other words, whatever information you are trying to retain, you could learn that 20-fold by taking very intentional 10-second pauses. How does this happen? It’s will affect your hippocampus and your neocortex which is critical for memory and retention.

2. Listening to White Noise

Although some people may be distracted by white noise, many individuals that suffer from ADHD or ADD can benefit greatly too. White noise can help increase dopamine which can help with working memory. It can help tune out the background noise and help you to focus on the task at hand.

3. Wearing Blue Light Blockers

We are stimulated by blue light all day long. However, after seven o’clock when your circadian rhythm is beginning to shift and you plan to use electronics, blue light blockers can be very helpful. It is one of the simplest things that you could do that can improve the quality of your sleep, thereby improving memory and retention.

4. Crossing Midline

Crossing midline is a great way to connect the right and left hemispheres of our brain which is connected via the corpus callosum. When you cross midline, you’re improving coordination and communication between hemispheres, which can ultimately help you improve your learning. Something as simple as bringing your knee to your opposite elbow either in the sitting or standing position can be a great way to wake up your brain!

5. Movement

Movement is key for learning. Sitting all day while trying to learn something new is not the most ideal way to optimize your retention. Aim to move every 30 minutes and also try moving while simultaneously learning, like walking while listening to an audiobook.

Of course, that’s not all of the amazing things that you can do to help improve your cognitive health, memory, and retention. See what resonates with you and see if that can be integrated into your life.

We are happy to help, so please reach out. We do virtual and in-person consultations, so we’d love the opportunity to help you on your journey. If this was helpful, give it a share and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.

Need help? Reach out for a 15-minute FREE discovery session to see how we can help you on your journey.

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Top 5 Vagus Nerve Hacks to Help You Relax and Restore

Do you know how important the vagus nerve is?

The vagus nerve is our wandering nerve that originates from the brainstem. It is one of the longest cranial nerves and innervates the muscles of the face, throat, respiration, digestion, and heart. It has such a profound impact, and it is 80 percent of our parasympathetic nervous system. This is important because it can allow us to fully relax, restore, recover, and digest. It can also help us become socially engaged, connected to the greater world, connected to ourselves, and be more mindful, joyful, and grounded.

Rather watch or listen than read?

Here are five vagus nerve hacks that you can do to bring you back to this parasympathetic state; to the state of relaxation and social engagement.

1) Humming

Singing is a great way for us as humans to communicate and be connected to the greater world. Humming is a means of vocalization that has an extended exhale. When this happens, we are releasing a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which will stimulate the vagus nerve and create this relaxation response. Additionally, when we are humming, the vibration of humming oscillates the air and causes the nasal cavity to release nitric oxide, which thereby increases vasodilation and circulation. Lastly, it can create a co-regulation with other humans. This creates a safe place for us and that brings us back to that state of social engagement.

2) Sternal Release

The vagus nerve innervates the SA node of the heart, which is also referred to as our pacemaker. It also sits inside of the lung tissue and passes right through the diaphragm. You have baroreceptors in your aorta and carotid which detect pressure changes, especially blood pressure changes. When we are stimulating these things, we can induce a relaxation response.

To do the sternal release, place a soft ball under your sternum, inhale through the nose, and pretend to cough, but don’t actually cough. So, you’re breath-holding and then slowly exhaling. Perform this for 10 to 20 minutes.

3) Neck Release

Release the areas around the carotid artery, which moves into the carotid sinus, and is innervated by the vagus nerve. As we move through the tissues, we are moving, compressing, lengthening, and shearing all of these tissues around the vagus nerve.

You’ll start just below your ear by compressing and twisting the ball gently as you shear across the tissues. Gently lengthen the neck by turning your head in the opposite direction. Go slowly and carefully over the trachea, hyoid, and larynx in the center, because they can be a little bit more sensitive. After performing the neck release, you should feel warmth in the neck and perhaps even your face. You might even be able to use your senses a little more clearly; sight, sound, and smell. It might just feel like your face softens afterward as well.

4) Probiotics

The enteric nerves from the gut and the vagus nerve are connecting the gut and the brain, which is referred to as our gut-brain connection. Think of this as a highway, a beautiful bi-directional communication. This can be greatly impacted by our HPA axis, hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, referred to as our stress pathway. This can be influenced by probiotics. The two primary strains of bacteria that have been shown to impact mood, behavior, depression, anxiety, also referred to as psychobiotics are lactobacillus rhamnosus and bifidobacterium longum. Both of these strains have been shown to have improvements in anxiety and depression-related behavior, but they can also impact GABA, which in essence, inhibits feelings of fear and anxiety. This can have a profound effect on mood and behavior.

5) Visceral Release

We tend to hold a lot of tension in our abdomen. It is important to remember that 80 percent of our vagus nerve is sensory indicating that it is providing information back up to the brain. The vagus nerve is innervating our gut, so if we’re holding tension here, we are signaling “tension” or distress to our brain. It’s really important to create these relaxation responses of the organs, tissue, fascia, and skin by stimulating the vagus nerve.

For the visceral release, lie on a ball or even a rolled-up towel or blanket on your side, and gently guide the tissue, skin, fascia, and organs over the ball. Breathe diaphragmatically, starting on your left side and then moving to your right.

These are five of many different vagus nerve hacks, but please follow us (@themovementparadigm) on TikTok, IG, and FB, for more health tips to help you feel great again!

Reach out for a 15-minute FREE discovery session to see how we can help you on your journey.

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Tag: hacks

Top 5 Neuroscience Hacks