Exploring the Vagus Nerve: A Key to Wellness
Given our fast-paced lives, discovering methods to handle stress and promote general wellness is paramount. That is the place the vagus nerve is available in. This nerve performs an important function in regulating our physique’s response to emphasize, influencing every thing from coronary heart price to digestion. Understanding its impression can empower us to make higher decisions—for our psychological and bodily well being. With this in thoughts, I tapped an skilled within the subject to delve deeper into the connection between the vagus nerve and holistic well-being.
Meet Brooke Taylor. She based The Highway—an Austin-based haven for all issues beauty acupuncture and pure options for skincare (and past). Taylor is our go-to useful resource for harnessing the facility of holistic modes of therapeutic. With Taylor’s steering, I obtained the 411 on all issues vagus nerve. We dug into its impression on stress, digestion, and psychological readability. With Taylor’s steering, I realized activate this nerve to usher calm into our each day lives. Scroll for her deep-rooted knowledge.
Brooke Taylor LAc, MAcOM
Brooke created The Highway in Austin, Texas to share her expertise in holistic skincare, acupuncture and Chinese language drugs to nurture our personal innate therapeutic responses. Beforehand an esthetician and international skincare educator and model supervisor, she pursued her masters in Chinese language drugs to assist heal others on a deeper stage.
What’s the vagus nerve?
The vagus nerve is the superhighway of your physique. It transports very important info between your mind and the remainder of your inner organs. The vagus (or vagal nerve) originates within the brainstem and extends by means of the face, neck, lungs, coronary heart, diaphragm, and stomach. It reaches a slew of organs: the abdomen, spleen, intestines, colon, liver, reproductive organs, and kidneys—its impression is profound!
Taylor talked about that though communication flows each methods, most indicators journey from the intestine to the mind—fairly than the reverse. For this reason we regularly confer with the “gut-brain connection” or the thought of “listening to your gut reaction.”
“Vagus” is Latin for wanderer, a becoming title for the physique’s longest cranial nerve.
How does the vagus nerve affect our parasympathetic nervous system?
Vagal nerves are the primary nerves of our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). This method controls our involuntary features (e.g., digestion, coronary heart price, temper, and sexual arousal). Taylor likened the PNS to a symphony conductor—it orchestrates the tempo and depth of your nervous system. It helps sluggish issues down after stress, reducing your coronary heart price, aiding digestion, and selling a relaxed, balanced state. It’s generally related to the rest-and-digest perform. Naturally, it’s the counterbalance to our fight-or-flight response—aka the sympathetic nervous system.
How are you going to observe your vagal tone?
You possibly can observe your vagal tone by measuring your coronary heart price variability (HRV). This reveals how a lot your coronary heart price hurries up and slows down once you breathe. Increased HRV often signifies a more healthy vagal tone, which means your physique handles stress and leisure properly. Taylor defined {that a} larger vagal tone signifies a faster restoration post-stressful or traumatic occasion. If in case you have an Oura Ring, Whoop, Garmin, or Polar watch/sensor, you should utilize it to trace your vagal tone.
Indicators of a Sturdy Vagal Tone
Based on Taylor, when our vagal tone is powerful, we expertise a way of general well-being. We reply to stressors with resilience and preserve a well-functioning immune system. It additionally helps us regulate blood glucose ranges extra successfully!
Indicators of a Weak Vagal Tone
On the flip facet, a weak vagal tone inhibits our means to handle and recuperate from stressors. It’s been linked to larger ranges of irritation, digestive points (together with meals sensitivities), fatigue, and temper issues. There are additionally hyperlinks between a weak vagal tone and sure illnesses like cardiovascular situations and autoimmune situations.
By the Numbers
For adults, the next HRV usually ranges from 60-100 milliseconds or extra, whereas a decrease HRV (under 50 milliseconds) might recommend stress or decrease vagal tone. Nevertheless, HRV is extremely private! It’s greatest to trace your baseline over time.
What on a regular basis habits weaken or strengthen the vagus nerve?
From aware consuming to buzzing, you’ll be able to considerably enhance your vagal tone with easy habits.
Correct Diet
Taylor emphasised a food regimen wealthy in important fatty acids, B nutritional vitamins, and zinc. Adaptogens may also help, too! Nevertheless—much more necessary—is chewing your meals. Decelerate, eat mindfully, and take a look at to not multitask. Enjoyable reality: chewing totally engages the vagus nerve. This assists the ‘digest’ in relaxation and digest. Taylor stated, “Have your tongue meet the soft palate on the roof of your mouth as you swallow. If you practice with saliva, you might find you feel like yawning—an indicator that it’s working!”
Releasing Neck Pressure
Decreasing neck stress is useful, as tightness within the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle can limit the vagus nerve alongside the facet of the neck. In case you have a tendency to carry stress on this space, studying to stretch and therapeutic massage your neck may also help launch it. In flip, you’ll help optimum vagus nerve tone.
Get Vibration Going
Different methods to tone the vagus nerve embody purple gentle remedy, therapeutic massage, and craniosacral remedy. Based on Taylor, chilly remedy is nice as properly. Her favourite trick? Buzzing, chanting, and singing. All of those get vibration going! She additionally inspired motion (tai chi, qi gong, yoga, and dancing) and 4-7-8 breathwork. Lastly, she talked about the facility of meditation, journaling, and listening to binaural beats.
How does acupuncture work to stimulate the vagus nerve?
Based on Taylor, acupuncture excels at safely and successfully treating the vagus nerve. “The shift is often noticeable in the first session, even within minutes—a new sense of zen, feeling ‘back in your body,’ and less emotionally reactive.” Research present that acupuncture can cut back irritation, enhance coronary heart price variability (HRV), and regulate autonomic perform. Taylor relayed that mixed with natural drugs, acupuncture can deal with different situations associated to vagus nerve dysfunction. She additionally highlighted auricular acupuncture for vagal tone well being (this is the reason ear seeding has turn into so common!).
Anything in regards to the vagus nerve that you just want extra folks understood?
“The vagus nerve is often overlooked, yet it connects our mind and body in ways that profoundly impact our overall quality of life,” Taylor famous. “While we work with this system regularly in all modalities of Chinese medicine, I hope more people become aware of all the tools they have at their disposal to regulate this system. From breathwork to massaging acupressure points, to humming, and more, you can self-regulate and take back control in minutes.”
Camille’s Suggestions: What’s Serving to Me Assist My Nervous System
To carry this full circle, Camille lately wrote about how she’s focusing extra on nervous system regulation. She’s been constantly integrating practices to stimulate the vagus nerve—a reminder that small steps and consistency make a big effect on well-being. Beneath are her go-to instruments:
Omnibiotic Probiotic
This probiotic is efficient for stress aid and therapeutic intestine dysfunction. Within the lab research, 83% of their probiotics attain the intestine alive and energetic (versus a mean of seven% in main U.S. manufacturers!). She’s been taking this primary factor each morning.
Breathwork
Methods like diaphragmatic respiratory and the 4-7-8 respiratory activate the parasympathetic nervous system, selling leisure. Camille likes to do the periods from Conscious in Minutes. (Kelly’s podcast is superb, too.)
Yoga Block
Camille likes to take a seat cross-legged on this easy yoga block so she will be able to have a cushty posture whereas she does her breathwork and journaling within the morning.
Vagus Nerve Stimulator
She purchased this gadget that strengthens her vagal tone over time, selling rest-and-digest and general well-being.
Juna Nightcap Sleep Gummy
Good sleep is necessary for a well-functioning nervous system! Based on Camille, this gummy is such an excellent combo of botanicals, magnesium, and microdosed phytomelatonin.
Calm music
Auditory stimulation has a large impact on our nervous system—and calm music reduces stress and anxiousness virtually immediately. She loves the Spiritune app, which mixes music remedy with neuroscience that can assist you loosen up. She’ll do 5-10 extra minutes with the Vagus Nerve Stimulator at night time whereas she listens to music and reads.
Important oil
Important oils—like lavender and chamomile—calm the nervous system. She retains this attractive oil on her bedside desk and rubs it on her and her husband’s wrists after they get in mattress.
Weighted blanket
Camille loves how a weighted blanket feels, however since she’s a sizzling sleeper, she’ll often curl up with one whereas she reads at night time—after which ditch it when it’s time for sleep. The light strain stimulates deep contact strain receptors which sends a message of safety and luxury to the physique.
Discovering Your Supportive Rituals
In the end, the inspiration of this work comes from inside—offering area in our each day schedules for prayer and mindfulness, and prioritizing good sleep. No merchandise or fast fixes can substitute these necessities. That stated, the fitting toolkit can help your nervous system as a lift to your different foundational efforts. Cheers to supporting a wholesome vagus nerve, one deep breath at a time.
