A New Method for Sportive Performance and Recovery: Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (Review)
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: T oday, sport is one of the most important social activities that are followed with great interest by a wide audience and performed by most of us personally.Even in today's world countries, sports have become the way for countries to show strength to each other.As such, it is not just an athlete who is involved in physical activity.The capability of athletes, who function as modern-day gladiators in the arena, to perform at their best for themselves, their teams, and their countries involves numerous variables.This encompasses the duration, frequency, and intensity of training, along with the athlete's adequate and balanced nutrition, sleep patterns, equipment utilized, training conditions, and the subsequent rest periods.The process of preparing for the next activity requires a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach.It is only possible for athletes to increase their performance, to reach the optimal level, and to maintain this level for a long time, by operating in perfect harmony with so many variables.In addition, the short recovery time is very important for the athlete to be ready for the activity again.During sports and exercise, the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, musculoskeletal system, nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system play an active role.With the start of exercise, sympathetic activity in the body increases and parasympathetic activity is suppressed.With the end of the exercise, sympathetic activity decreases, whereas parasympathetic activity increases and contributes to the recovery process of the individual.The contribution of the parasympathetic system to the restructuring/recovery during the rest period is important in terms of reducing the fatigue of the athletes and enabling them to recover in the early period.Stimulation of the vagus nerve, which is the main branch of the parasympathetic system, can affect many cardiovascular, pulmonary, and metabolic parameters both during rest and exercise.Our article aims to evaluate the potential benefits and effects of using auricular vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for sports purposes on the recovery and performance of athletes in light of the literature.Recovery after exercise can be accelerated with auricular VNS.The negativities caused by overload and excessive training can be reduced.Thanks to better rest and early recovery, the performance in the following training program can be increased.Injuries that may occur due to insufficient recovery can be prevented or injuries can be reduced.We can expect that the auricular VNS method will be used soon in light of sufficient scientific data due to its effects that cannot be considered doping.
Source: BAU Health and Innovation
Author: Ali Veysel Özden
Institutions: Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul University
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4405947250