In today’s high-pressured world, it is important for us to learn how to handle stress effectively and optimise our physical and mental wellbeing. One way we can do this is by developing our understanding of how our brain and body work together to help us.
Learning more about our vagus nerve is a great place to start. This nerve is known as a superpower in helping us facilitate our mind-body connection and it plays a critical role in how we develop a healthy stress response and become resilient.
What is the Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve is the longest and most complex nerve in the body. Its name comes from the Latin word, vagus, for “wandering” and it runs from our brain stem to our digestive tract, connecting many other organs along the way. The vagus nerve regulates our heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, digestion and emotional state among other functions. It also helps to connect our brain and gut.
Our gut has been estimated to have around 500 million neurons and is known as our “second brain”. The vagus nerve plays a key role in facilitating two-way communication and we experience this when we have a “gut feeling” or get “butterflies in our stomach”. Our brain is sending signals to the gut and our gut is sending signals to the brain.
How does the Vagus Nerve help with Stress?
The vagus nerve acts to down-regulate our response to threat to enable us to experience a sense of safety which our body needs for repair and growth.
Our body’s sympathetic nervous system prepares the body to deal with perceived danger by initiating the fight-or-flight stress response. Conversely, our parasympathetic nervous system (which the vagus nerve is part of) calms the body and supports the relaxation response (also called the ‘rest and digest response’).
The vagus nerve helps our body exit its fight-or-flight mode by carrying signals from our brain to other parts of our body, such as our heart or intestines, to let us know that we are no longer in danger. It also stimulates the output of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin and GABA which are linked to motivation, positive mood and relaxation.
Improving our Vagus Nerve Response
The health and function of our vagus nerve is described as ‘vagal tone’. When the vagus nerve is working as it should, a person is said to have ‘high vagal tone’. This tone allows our nervous system to ramp up quickly as conditions demand (such as a sudden need to flee a dangerous situation) and to settle down after an experience of stress. When our vagus nerve is working well, it is more responsive allowing us to recover from stress more quickly and as a result, people with high vagal tone are healthier, happier, and more resilient to stress.
When we are under chronic stress, however, our body is in constant flight-or-fight mode leading to chronically increased cortisol levels which can interrupt the vagal tone. Unfortunately, when vagal tone is low, we are more easily stressed and have trouble calming down after experiencing stress.
6 Tips for Strengthening your Vagus Nerve
Reducing stress and improving your sleep can help to keep vagal tone high and keep you healthy. Below are 6 other simple, but powerful, activities you can also do to improve vagal nerve tone –
1. Singing (or humming)
Singing is one of the best brain-boosting activities, and in fact, is one of the few things you can do that activates every known part of the brain. Singing at the top of your lungs works the muscles in the back of the throat to activate the vagus nerve. If you ever needed a reason to sing in the shower, this is it! Speaking of showers….
2. Cold Water
Studies show that when your body adjusts to cold, your fight or flight system declines, and your rest and digest (parasympathetic) system increases. Cold water is one of the simplest ways to stimulate your vagus nerve and improve your vagal tone. Try taking a cold shower or having a warm shower with 30–60 seconds of cold water at the end, or even just washing your face with cold water. Drinking an ice-cold glass of water also helps.
3. Gargling
Gargling with water also stimulates the muscles of the pallet which are fired by the vagus nerve.
4. Yoga
Moderate exercise of any kind can stimulate the vagus nerve, but yoga is particularly helpful. Numerous studies demonstrate that yoga increases parasympathetic nervous system activity. Yoga not only improves vagal tone, but also increases the release of GABA, the neurotransmitter of relaxation.
5. Breathing Deeply and Slowly
One of the quickest and most effective ways to reduce stress and bring us back into balance is to take control of our breath. Focusing on your breath and breathing in slowly to the count of 4 secs and then making your exhalation longer by breathing out to the count of 6-8 secs for only 2 mins engages the vagus nerve.
6. Laughter and Love
Laughter is another great way to stimulate your vagus nerve and bring your energy up. You can obtain an added benefit by laughing with friends! Vagal stimulation causes the release of oxytocin (known as the ‘love hormone’ and ‘the molecule of ‘trust and connection’) so you can choose to double dip when you combine laughter with loving positive social relationships.
Make a commitment to build one or two of the above ideas into your daily routines to strengthen your vagal nerve and increase your resilience and deal more effectively with stress.
To learn more from neuroscience about thriving and wellness and our Gamechanger program, contact Anne on 0417 231 494 or email anne@rtpeople.com.au
