The Subtle Power of the Vagus Nerve (& how to stimulate yours)

Keen to combat stress and anxiety? Looking for a way to fast-track your recovery from injury or illness? Want to do it by stimulating a nerve you (probably) haven’t even heard of?

For such an over-achiever, the Vagus nerve – the longest nerve in the body – doesn’t get a lot of air time. Which is weird, because when we get stressed out and our bodies get drenched in stress hormones (cortisol & adrenaline), the vagus nerve is responsible for telling your body to chill the f*ck out. Something, a lot of us seem to be rather rubbish at.

It also helps regulate your bodies immune response, strengthen your memories and aids with that gut/brain communication thingy I still don’t really understand (not that you’d know that based on all the half-eaten jars of kimchi in my fridge) and if it’s in good working order, can help us have a more positive outlook on life.

So, how do we go about stimulating this bad boy so we can get some high vagal tone of our own?

Some of the stuff recommended is standard procedure – exercise, meditation and Omega-3’s (which since watching ‘Seaspiracy‘ have probs taken a bit of a hit) – but there are also some lesser-known/easier ways to get it in shape (and I am assuming you don’t want the cold exposure/ice bath stuff all the wellness gurus are flexing about).

Start Breathing Properly: According to Dr. Katherine Rosa of the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine most of us are guilty of being chest breathers (rapidly breathing from the top half of our body). We would be much better equipped to deal with daily stressors if we practised belly breathing more (which stimulates our friend Vagus). To get into the habit of it, Dr. Rosa suggests a practice called “the mini” – every time you start to feel stressed/anxious, simply take three slow and controlled deep belly breaths. “It’s a simple act, but this interrupts the fight-or-flight response and puts it on pause,” says Dr. Rosa. “Over time, belly breathing can buffer your resistance to your fight-or-flight response, so you are not as sensitive to stress triggers.”

Added Bonus? For people (like me!) who find traditional meditation hard (thinking about not thinking is still technically thinking -am I right?), practising deep breathing at regular intervals during the day has a similarly positive effect. Which is good, as I imagine the people who struggle the hardest to meditate are probs the ones who need it most.

Sing, Hum and Gargle More: Because your voice box is connected to your vagus nerve, singing and humming naturally activate it. So, turn those tunes up and karaoke like you mean it, my friend! Whilst, gargling is usually only something we associate with fresh breath or sore throat remedies, it gets a look in here as it stimulates the muscles of the pallet which are fired by the vagus nerve. According to Dr Justin Hoffman, a naturopathic medical physician, “Typically patients will tear up a bit which is a good sign and if they don’t, we recommend that they do it regularly every day until they notice that they do start tearing up a bit,” says Hoffman. “This has been shown to immediately improve working memory performance.” Which explains why I am intermittently gargling from my soda stream as we speak (in the comfort of my own home, you’ll be reassured to hear).

Added Bonus? Singing releases feel-good endorphins which interact with the receptors in your brain triggering positive feelings in the body (similar to morphine) and even reducing your perception of pain. FYI – Dancing, shagging and scoffing dark chocolate are also endorphin-rich activities.

Do this (easy) ‘polyvagal’ exercise: Looking to calm your nervous system down? Psychotherapist, Shelly Treacher recommends sitting or lying comfortably. Now, turn your head to one side as far as is comfortable, turning your eyes as far as you can in that direction. “Stay there until you yawn, breathe deeply or sigh,” she says – and repeat on the other side.

Added Bonus? This is a good one to have up your sleeve for when you are having trouble falling asleep and are overthinking yourself into a frenzy (Hello, 3am – what a perfect time to over-analyze our life choices!)

What else? Having a good laugh, getting a massage (reflexology in particular) and thinking compassionately about the people you love all get the vagus-stimulating tick of approval.

This GET HAPPIER post is brought to you by someone who always wanted to be somebody, but now realises she should have been more specific.