You’ve heard the saying: “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Well, there’s a part of your body, the vagus (pronounced just like “Vegas”) nerve, whose functions do not stay within the limited lane of a random nerve in your body.
What’s the vagus nerve ?
The vagus (or vagal) nerve is the 10th of 12 paired cranial nerves and is the longest nerve in the human body. Its name is rooted in the Latin word “vagus,” which means “wandering.” Quite appropriate, because the vagus nerve wanders throughout your body, traversing an area from your brain stem right down into the organs in your abdomen. It forms more than 75 percent of the nerve tissue in your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which is responsible for helping you enter the “rest and digest” mode, rather than stay in “fight or flight” mode when you face a stressful event. The vagus nerve transports signals from your brain to your heart or intestines, for example, to initiate that calming response.
What happens when the vagus nerve works well?
The vagus nerve is a key player in how various systems in your body operate, whether it’s your digestion, your heart rate, your blood pressure, your stress response, or your breathing.
When in peak form, your vagus nerve serves as an air traffic controller in your body, helping your brain to inform your body how to regulate such functions as taste, speech, mood, mucus and saliva production, urination, and immune response.
When health practitioners refer to “healthy vagal tone,” they’re saying that your vagus nerve is helping you be emotionally resilient, your connections with others are strong, and your physical health is optimal. So, maintaining the health and proper functioning of the vagus nerve is vital for peak physical and mental health and wellness.
What happens when the vagus nerve is out of sync?
Vagus nerve dysfunction can result from nerve damage, inflammation, and chronic stress. Conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and cardiovascular disease can also negatively impact the vagus nerve, but don’t discount lifestyle factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and chronic sleep deprivation as causes of vagus nerve dysfunction.
Here are some potential signs that your vagus nerve is out of whack:
- unexplained weight loss,
- loss of appetite and feeling full after eating very little,
- abdominal pain and bloating,
- hoarseness and difficulty swallowing, and
- dizziness and nausea.
These symptoms might, however, indicate other illnesses, so it’s important to follow up with your doctor to clarify their root cause.
What can you do to improve vagus nerve function?
Depending on what is triggering vagus nerve malfunction, doctors might recommend antidepressants, physical therapy, or even surgery.
Of course, there are more natural methods to bring the vagus nerve back into order, such as meditation, breath work, and acupuncture. They help support the body as it heals naturally, all the while creating balance and energy in the body.
Even more effective are techniques like gargling, humming, singing, and even being exposed to cold.
However, let’s not underestimate the role of a healthy, whole-foods-based diet; moderate exercise; and sufficient rest and relaxation in resetting the vagus nerve and restoring good mood.
There’s evidence of a strong link between a healthy gut microbiome and a healthy vagus nerve, so consuming prebiotics and probiotics to boost the gut–and, by extension, the vagus nerve–is a wise move. In addition, cutting back on gluten consumption can lessen gluten sensitivity, reduce inflammation in both the body and brain, strengthen the gut biome, and increase vagal tone.
A vagal nerve exercise
Here’s my favorite exercise to reset my vagus nerve. It’s simple and effective, and the results are immediate.
- Lie on your back.
- Interweave the fingers of both hands and place them behind your head.
- Without turning your head, look as far to the right as you can.
- Keep looking to the right without turning your head until you spontaneously yawn, sigh, or swallow.
- Return to the neutral state with your head and eyes facing straight ahead.
- Repeat the exercise, this time looking towards the left without turning the head.
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