You may have heard the term Vagus Nerve being thrown about recently and you might be wondering what it is and why you need to know about it.

The Vagus nerve (not Vegas – that’s a different kind of nerve ) is one of our most important assets when it comes to health and life optimisation, because essentially, it’s what controls and regulates the nervous system, and you know how passionate I am about nervous system regulation!

What is the Vagus Nerve?

Our bodies carry trillions of nerves that carry messages to different parts of the body, enabling us to use all the parts of our bodies that we need to at any given time.

At the back of the brain we have 12 pairs of nerves – cranial nerves – which transmit information between the brain and other parts of the body. The vagus nerve is the longest of these cranial nerves and begins in the brainstem. The vagus nerve is made up of a complex network of fibres that controls many of our organs such as the heart, lungs, digestive system and more.

What does the Vagus Nerve do for us?

The vagus nerve is essentially the nerve that regulates our autonomic nervous system, which means it pretty much controls our stress responses. It facilitates communication between the 2 branches of the autonomic nervous system – the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems; the first being responsible for our “fight or flight” response during times of stress and trauma, and the second being our “rest and digest” state where we’re more relaxed. In order to maintain wellness, we want to be able to get ourselves into the parasympathetic state as much as possible.

Why? Well, when we’re predominantly in sympathetic state, the body is releasing more cortisol (the stress hormone) and too much cortisol can lead to lower immune function as well as be responsible for other long-term health concerns.

The vagus nerve is also what connects the gut to the brain (the gut-brain connection), and researchers have clearly shown that the brain is fed by the gut and vice versa.

Now you can see how the vagus nerve is responsible for all our stress responses and gut health, it’s easy to see why it’s so important to keep it activated!

What is Vagal Toning?

In the same way that we tone our muscles, we must be toning our vagus nerve – exercising it, if you like. The more regularly we consciously work to “tone” the vagus nerve, the calmer, more productive, more efficient and healthier we’ll be.

Vagal toning exercises

• Breathwork

Simple diaphragmatic breathing takes the brain from sympathetic nervous state to parasympathetic, reducing cortisol levels instantly, enabling us to be more productive, have better focus and reduce stress. What I call “Balance Breathing” is a great way to start this. Simply breathe in through the nose for a count of 4, hold for 4, breath out the mouth for a count of 6, and hold for 4. Do this for 2 minutes at multiple points throughout the day to experience more calm

• Conscious Movement

Engaging in somatic exercises (like the ones I recommend here), yoga, pilates, walking in nature and dancing can help with Vagus nerve activation

• Singing, Humming, Chanting and Gargling

Because the branches of the vagus nerve pass through the muscles at the back of the throat as well as the ear canals, the vibration generated by activities such as singing, humming and loud gargling with water activate these branches and in turn are thought to stimulate the vagus nerve. These practices might not necessarily be appreciated by everyone else in your household but at least your vagus nerve will thank you for them!

• Infrasonic stimulation using the Sensate

The Sensate is a highly intelligent piece of health tech that uses infrasonic vibrations to activate the vagus nerve, thereby calming the autonomic nervous system. The Sensate has undergone many studies and is thought now to be one of the foremost ways to activate the vagus nerve and reduce anxiety. It also works to deepen meditation practice as a result of how it calms the autonomic nervous system. It connects with an app that plays hemispheric audios while you place the Sensate itself on your vagus nerve (over your sternum). I personally use it every night in bed while lying on my acupressure mat. You can get a 10% discount by using code LAUREN10 here.

• Cold Exposure

Cold exposure can help stimulate the vagus nerve by triggering the mammalian diving reflex, an innate physiological response. This response activates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve then sends a message to the brain that the body is in distress, which triggers the release of norepinephrine, a feel-good hormone. My advice is for women not to do this on or around their periods as cortisol levels could be higher, thereby triggering cortisol increase.

• Yoga and meditation

Yoga helps to reduce resting heart rate, breathing patterns and allows stress levels to lower. For these reasons, yoga may help in increasing resiliency to life stressors and self-regulation, thus increasing vagal tone.

• Laughing

When people laugh, the activity of the sympathetic nervous system tends to suppress, whereas the parasympathetic nervous system activity softens, expands, and relaxes. Laughter induces diaphragmatic movements that improve cardiac vagal tone by releasing anger and aggression and moving back into parasympathetic state.

• Exercise

According to a study, exercising and moving your body can impact your vagus nerve. You can improve your heart rate variability and vagus nerve activity by engaging in interval and endurance training. Exercise reduces sympathetic nervous system activity and regulates the parasympathetic response to help you maintain a healthy balance between your respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

I hope this has inspired you to start focusing on your vagus nerve to improve all-round wellbeing!

With love & gratitude,

Lauren ♾