This is a cool trick my friend taught me. If you're prone to anxiety or panic attacks and your heart rate gets going and you want it to slow down, there is an easy way. The carotid artery is a major supplier of blood to the head and neck. It's hidden behind the sternocleidomastoid which is a muscle that runs from the sternum (sterno) and the clavicle (cleido) all the way to the jaw (mastoid). It's also known as the 'swimmmers muscle'- you can feel it bulge out when you turn your head side to side.
This is a really interesting part of the anatomy because it has a lot to do with your blood pressure and heart rate. Your body is able to change the blood pressure and heart rate depending on a lot of things- including your posture. If you are standing or sitting your muscles are in different amounts of tension and compression, telling your brain and heart how to behave.
You can lower your heart rate by simply massaging the sternocleidomastoid. This is kind of like a manual over-ride to the system. By massaging this muscle you start sending signals to the brain telling it to slow down the heart rate. Not sure why it does it- but it seems like a pretty cool thing to be able to do. I'm not really prone to anxiety or panic attacks- but if you are, give it a try and let me know how effective it is.
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