Protect your heart: Nervous system regulation techniques for heart health

Are you stressed by relationships, school, and commitments? Here are some regulation techniques and why we use them for heart health.

Photo by Haley Scull/The Barnard Bulletin

By Jing Huang

April 14, 2026

With final exams around the corner, you may find yourself staying up late studying at Milstein, running on little sleep, and then waking up early for an exam. I, myself, have done this way too many times to count. It could be the quiet pressure in Butler at midnight or the racing thoughts before a presentation that leave your chest feeling tight and your heart beating a little faster than usual. If that is the case, here are some techniques to regulate your nervous system and why you can use them for heart health. 

Deep breathing

Deep breathing is often incorporated in yoga practices and qigong exercises, but it is not limited to them. Deep breathing can be done anywhere and anytime, whether that be your bed or on a yoga mat at the LeFrak Center. 

Start by getting comfortable, which can be standing, sitting with the torso upright, or lying down on your back. Then, start slowly inhaling through the nose and drawing that breath deep into the belly, allowing your abdomen to expand, followed by the natural inflation of your lungs and chest. Slowly compress air out through either the nose or mouth. Repeat this cycle of inhaling and breathing out five to ten times or as often as you wish. 

Why does it work? Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve, which signals the brain to lower heart rate and blood pressure, as well as reduce stress hormones like cortisol. 

Vocalizing

Vocalization can be seen in chanting exercises, such as mantra chanting and kirtan, which are yoga practices that use sounds or chants — often in Sanskrit — to promote calm and relaxation of the nervous system. Vocalization can also include humming or singing. 

To hum, inhale deeply for three to four seconds, then exhale for up to ten seconds while making a long “mmmm” sound with the lips closed. Think of it as turning your body into its own low-budget sound bath with no playlist required! 

Similar to deep breathing, vocalization activates the vagus nerve as the humming vibrates the vocal cords and pharynx, where the branches of this nerve are. Vocalizing also releases feel-good hormones, like endorphins and dopamine, that reduce anxiety and increase feelings of safety. 

Self-havening

Self-havening is often used in therapy as a psychosensory technique to help treat trauma or anxiety by using gentle, rhythmic touch on areas like the shoulders, arms, and face to create a sense of safety. This process helps separate emotional distress from traumatic memories by promoting calming brain activity and reducing overactivity in the amygdala, which processes emotions.

A simple version you can try on your own is the self-havening hug: cross your arms and touch your shoulders down to your elbows with both hands, as if giving yourself a gentle hug. 

Self-havening works because social touch releases serotonin and oxytocin, which reduces the stress hormones like cortisol. Moreover, a nurturing touch can lower blood pressure and increase heart rate variability, or in other words, the heart is able to adjust easily to what your body needs like rest, movement, or emotions.

During any exam season at Barnard, academics can feel overwhelming, and these small moments of regulation matter. Deep breathing, vocalization, and self-havening offer simple ways to reset your body during a stressful day. Furthermore, the LeFrak Center, FITBear classes, and even just quiet corners of campus offer students more opportunities than one might think to pause and take care of both their minds and their hearts.