Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is actually a set of nerves (right and left vagus nerve) that starts at the brain stem. It then meanders through the body, touching the vital organs, and ends in the gut. This connection from the brainstem to the gut and other vital organs in the body allows the transmission of information between these organs. The Vagus Nerve plays a part in the Parasympathetic Nervous System (rest and digest state of the body) by stimulating the release of acetylcholine to reduce the heart rate (in relaxation). The Vagus Nerve sends signals to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to begin producing gastric juices to prepare for digestion, along with many other essential processes relating to effective digestion. Lastly, one of the most amazing functions of the Vagus Nerve is that it can prevent inflammation. When the Vagus Nerve senses inflammation (by the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines for example) it stimulates the release of anti-inflammatory neurotransmitters to regulate the immune system.

Vagal tone is essentially how healthy or “toned” the vagus nerve is. The higher the vagal tone, the easier it is to get into a relaxed state. It has been shown that there is a positive feedback loop between high vagal tone, good physical health, and good emotional health. The reverse is also true; the better your physical and emotional health, the better your vagal tone.

Stimulating the vagus nerve and increasing vagal tone brings about the following benefits:

• Improved digestion
• Creating of new brain cells (neurogenesis)
• Neural plasticity
• Better memory formation and retention
• Better sleep
• Increased human growth hormone
• Reduced inflammation
• Decreased incidence of allergies and intolerances
• Reduced anxiety and depression
• Decreased stress hormones
• Decreased insulin resistance
• Lower blood pressure

You can stimulate the Vagus Nerve through various exercises and activities including:

• Cold therapy – end your showers with cold water (you work your way up to totally cold with no hot water at all for 30secs), or start with splashing cold water on your face and neck. This is especially beneficial after exercise. You can also take this a step further and do cold plunges in streams and rivers to also get time in nature. You don't need to do ice baths or cryotherapy to get benefits and there may be some detriment to these stresses, particularly if you haven't built up a tolerance first - you can not run a marathon without training first. 
• Breathing – deep breathing induces relaxation and deep relaxation stimulates the vagus nerve increasing its tone. It is important to ensure you are breathing correctly normally and you can also incorporate various breathing exercises or techniques for extra vagal stimulation.
• Chanting, singing or humming
• Laughter – watch a comedy, hang out with friends that make you laugh, try laughter yoga
• Gargling or gagging – Gargle plain water every day for a few minutes or use a tongue depressor to set off your gag reflex (not so much that you vomit of course!)
• Yoga, Tai Chi or Qi Gong
• Strength training
• Meditation or prayer
• Acupuncture, massage or chiropractic
• Grounding
• Fostering relationships where your nervous system feels safe

Since there is the positive feedback loop between high vagal tone, good physical health, and good emotional health, it is important to have healthy lifestyle practices in all areas of life – including a diet rich in nutrients (particularly b vitamins and zinc for vagal tone) and fixing any leaky gut or gut microbiome issues (remember how all things are interconnected?). 

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