The vagus nerve doesn’t typically get a lot of attention in conventional medicine, despite it key and varied roles in orchestrating your body’s response to events, stress and inflammation.
The vagus nerve helps regulate heart rate, breathing, digestion, and even aspects of immune and inflammatory responses. When it is functioning well, it supports a calm, steady internal state. However, when it is under active or overwhelmed, the body can stay stuck in survival modes rather than returning to balance.
What are the possible survival responses?
These survival responses are often described as fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. In a fight state, the body prepares to confront a threat—heart rate increases, muscles tense, and stress hormones rise. In flight, the body gears up to escape, often leading to restlessness or anxiety. Both of these responses involve an activation of the sympathetic nervous system. The freeze response is more of a shutdown—low energy, numbness, or feeling “stuck.” The fawn response involves people-pleasing or over-accommodating to stay safe. These reflect an activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.
The vagus nerve plays a central role in shifting between these states. A well-regulated vagal system allows the body to move out of survival responses and back into a state of safety, connection, and healing. Shifting out of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn states, in the simplest terms, is about helping the nervous system feel safe enough to return to regulation. Since the vagus nerve is a key pathway for calming the body, there are many supportive strategies that gently stimulate or “tone” this system.
However, poor vagus nerve tone can influence your overall quality of life. Let’s take a look at the role of the vagus nerve and how you can optimize your vagus nerve response.
Signs of Vagus Nerve Dysfunction
“Vagus” is derived from the Latin word for wandering, perhaps because it’s the longest cranial nerve and “wanders” into many parts of the body. As a result, it influences many bodily functions. Damage to your vagus nerve can impact your digestive system. An overly sensitive vagus nerve can also lead to fluctuations in blood pressure or heartbeat with the result of fainting.
Other signs of vagus nerve problems include:
- Bloating
- Unexplained pain in the belly
- A hoarse voice
- Nausea
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Vomiting
- Fainting
- Acid reflux
- Feelings of dizziness or vertigo
- Loss of appetite
- Memory loss
- Fatigue
- Muscle or joint pain
Natural Ways to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve
Regularly stimulating the vagus nerve maintains a crucial balance between our parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. This balance influences heart rate, digestion, stress response, and inflammation levels, promoting overall well-being. By fine-tuning this balance, vagus nerve stimulation fosters a calmer nervous system, reduces stress, improves digestion, and supports mental and physical health.
Here are some natural ways to improve vagal nerve tone:
1 – Deep breathing
Every deep breath sends a signal to your parasympathetic nervous system. Try to develop a pattern where your exhales are twice as long as your inhales – two counts in, four counts out, for example.
2 – Meditation
The relaxation response triggered by meditation stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn helps the vagus nerve.
3 – Try a cold plunge
A dip into a cold lake or pool can have positive effects on your nervous system. If you don’t like the idea of a chilly swim, ending your shower with a minute or two of cold water has a similar effect. Some people should avoid the shock of cold water, so clear this with a healthcare practitioner first, particularly if you have heart problems.
4 – Lose any excess weight
Carrying extra pounds can have a detrimental effect on your vagus nerve. This can be a bit of a Catch-22: poor vagus nerve function can make it harder to realize you’re full, which can lead to overeating.
The best approach is a natural foods diet that doesn’t stress your body and is sustainable over the long haul. I/We can help you find an approach that works for you!
5 – Eat the right foods
Studies have found that foods high in tryptophan can help reduce inflammation in the nervous system. Good sources of tryptophan include nuts, turkey, leafy greens, and bananas. Excess sugar consumption can trigger inflammation and hurt nerve function, so work to reduce sweets from your diet (and that includes sweet drinks!)
Because of its role in the gut-brain axis, a healthy balance of gut bacteria helps support your vagus nerve function. Fermented foods like sauerkraut and natural yogurt contain beneficial probiotics your gut needs to thrive!
6 – Try intermittent fasting
Research shows that restricting meals to certain windows can improve vagus nerve function. It’s important to work with your healthcare practitioner to determine if fasting works for you.
7 – Gargling or singing
Activities that involve the muscles in the back of your throat, like gargling or singing, activate the vagus nerve, contributing to its stimulation and relaxation response.
8 – Therapies
Therapies like massage or acupuncture can trigger the vagus nerve by stimulating specific pressure points, contributing to relaxation and improved mood.
Don’t overlook the importance of your vagus nerve in maintaining overall wellness! Its role in regulating your body’s nervous system is key to managing stress, digestion, inflammation, and more.
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