Drinking for Calm: Engaging Your Parasympathetic System

Today we are discussing how we can use our temperature preferences to access the parasympathetic nervous system for the purposes of emotional regulation. 

Transcript

Penelope Webb: 0:00

/welcome to The Exceptional Humans Podcast, where we discuss questions related to language, identity, education, and behavior. I'm your host, Penelope and I have a background in education, linguistics, and behavioral science. This is our first unscripted strategies discussion. Today we are discussing how we can use our temperature preferences to access the parasympathetic nervous system for the purposes of emotional regulation. As you're properly aware, most humans have a preference in terms of temperature. People will either prefer hot or cold temperatures depending on this personal preference. There are some strategies that we can apply in everyday life, whether that's at home, at work, or at school, to support emotional regulation through the use of our parasympathetic nervous system. Our parasympathetic nervous system is our rest and relax response, which can be used for maintaining emotional regulation and as a deescalation strategy. It offers us a range of easy to use strategies. Considering temperature preferences in daily activities it is easy to see that a range of emotional regulation strategies might be available. One strategy is applying our temperature preference to drinks. For example, if you have a cold preference, accessing a cold drink may help you engage that rest and relax response. To get the most out of it, we need to ask, does the drink need to be refrigerated, have ice, or some other frozen component like ice cream or sobe. People usually have a bit of a sweet spot with cold drinks. It's worth investigating if you prefer unprocessed sugars like those found in fruit juices, more processed sugars or drinks with artificial sweeteners, considering other health concerns. Another thing we can consider is the thickness of the drink. Some drinks like smoothies, thick shakes and milkshakes are thick beverages, and in order to drink them safely, we have to slow down. Think about whether or not a straw might be introduced to a drink. There's Debate about the environmental impact of disposable straws, but they can engage the rest and relax response. One of the first benefits of using a straw in a thick drink is it naturally slows down breathing. Another good thing about using a straw is that it provides oral sensory input. Although for those who chew on a straw, consider a silicon straw. These are chewable, but can be easily cleaned. If you have a hot sensory preference, you're probably going to be looking at whether lukewarm or steaming hot is most comforting. Obviously, safety is a concern with hot drinks, so it is wise to avoid consuming drinks over 70 degrees Celsius. Hot drinks offer Different sensory inputs that can be very regulating. like Physical warmth of the container holding the drink and the smell of the drink. Just think about freshly brewed coffee. The best thing about this strategy is that consuming drinks. Both hot and cold is a socially acceptable behavior at home, school, or work. Nobody has to know that we are feeling vulnerable and tapping into our parasympathetic nervous system. So stay hydrated and please let me know what you think of today's strategy and if you would value another episode. The Exceptional Humans Podcast is written and recorded on Kabi Kabi and Jinibara lands. We would like to pay our respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today.