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— By Dr. Sandip Roy.Vagus, or the “wandering nerve,” is a very long nerve, stretching from neck to uterus. It signals the lungs to breathe, the heart to beat, and the gut to digest (“rest and digest”).
It also keeps us in a stable state of equilibrium, called homeostasis. This is where the magic happens!
Stimulating the vagus can taper off your anxiety, lower your blood pressure, slow down your heart rate, and lift your mood.
And you can do it without medicine, like watching at a picture of The Supermoon (see the third point)!
- Vagus and The Big O in Women: The vagus nerve is a key to the female climactic experience (The Big O). Studies show that women with even complete spinal cord injuries can have the climactic experience via cervical self-stimulation (CSS). This is possible because the vagus bypasses the spinal cord, providing a direct sensory path from the female genital tract, cervix, and uterus to the brain.
Read on to find some simple, science-backed ways to ease your stress by activating your vagus nerve.
How To Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve To Relax & Lift Your Mood
The main idea is this: Stimulating the vagus nerves activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which then induces a state of calm and mood-lift.
Here are some ways to stimulate your vagus nerves:
1. Belly Breathing or Diaphragmatic Breathing.
Belly breathing is taking deep breaths in a way that makes the belly to rise and fall while the chest remains still.
What it does is engage the diaphragm, the horizontal partition between our chest and abdomen, which then activates the vagus nerve passing through it.
Also known as diaphragmatic breathing or abdominal breathing, here’s how to practice it.
- Lie down on your back on a flat surface, with your knees bent. If needed, use pillows under your head and your knees for support.
- Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly, just below your rib cage.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose, letting the air in deeply towards the lower belly, so that the hand on your belly rises. Try not to expand your chest, so that the other hand on your chest remains still.
- Breathe out slowly through pursed lips, squeezing in your abdominal muscles, to release as much air as you can. Your abdomen should cave in, and the hand on your belly should move inward, while the other hand on your chest should stay still.
- Aim to slow your breathing rate down to 5–7 breaths per minute. (Normal respiration rate is 18–20 breaths/minute.)
Just 5–10 minutes of belly breathing can help lift your mood and cut off your anxiety. Doing it regularly keeps you calmer and keeps you from getting triggered.
2. Carotid Sinus (Vagus Nerve) Massage.
Carotid Sinus Massage (CSM), or Vagus Nerve Massage, is massaging the carotid sinus to slow down the heart rate and lower our blood pressure.
- The carotid sinus or “carotid bulb” is a small bundle of nerve endings sitting next to the carotid arteries in our neck.
- There are two carotid sinuses, one on each side of the neck, placed roughly below the angle of the jaw, right where each carotid artery forks out into two branches.
- The carotid sinus has chemical and pressure receptors that tell the brain to maintain a controlled supply of blood to the brain, the heart, and the muscles.
Carotid massage is applying finger pressure in longitudinal strokes to the carotid sinus, usually the area of the maximum carotid artery pulsation.
Safe Method of Carotid Sinus Massage:
- Lie down on your back in a comfortable position.
- Turn your head gently to the side, away from the carotid sinus you want to massage. For example, if you wish to massage the right carotid sinus, turn your head to the left.
- Using your index and middle fingers, lightly feel the side of your neck until you can feel the carotid pulse. This is located just below the angle of your jaw.
- Once you have located the carotid pulse, slide your fingers slightly to the side, towards the midline of your neck. You should be able to feel a slightly thicker, cord-like structure — this is the carotid sinus.
- Gently massage the carotid sinus area by lightly stroking your fingers up and down the cord-like structure for 5–10 seconds. Avoid pressing too hard.
- During the massage, monitor your consciousness. Stop the massage immediately if you experience any dizziness, nausea, or other concerning symptoms.
Some Warnings:
- Don’t massage the carotid sinus too hard, as it can make you lightheaded and faint (called syncope).
- Don’t massage both carotids at the same time — keep a 10- to 20-second gap between each side.
- Don’t press the carotid sinus too long — it can block the nearby carotid artery to turn off the blood supply to your brain.
- Red alert: Do not do carotid massage if you have a history of cerebrovascular disease or carotid bruits.
3. Looking At A Peaceful Scene.
Now, look at this picture — Supermoon of November 13, 2016, shot by Linda Schafer from Ramona, California.
While looking at the soft, large moon rising from the horizon, the trees in silhouette, and the distant line of mountains against a scarlet sky, you might have unconsciously taken a slow, deep breath.
If you haven’t, and if you are not feeling too self-conscious, take a slow, deep breath. Try it now: one slow, deep breath while gazing at the picture for a few unbroken seconds.
Once you’ve done that, notice how it relaxes you almost instantly. Because inhaling deeply has always done so; we’re born with this ability.
It is a body process that stimulates the vagus nerve via the partition between our chest and abdomen, called the diaphragm.
So, the credit for that deep-breathing-induced relaxation goes to our body’s “wandering nerve,” or the vagus nerve.
[FYI: A Supermoon occurs when Earth, moon, and sun all line up with the moon at its nearest to Earth. It can be around 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full moon at its farthest from Earth. Astronomers call it the Perigee Moon.]
• More Ways To Relax Via Vagus Nerve
- Hearty, mirthful laughter — A few moments of deep, belly laughter can engage the diaphragm and stimulate the vagus nerve, and almost instantly life your mood. Studies show that when people felt more positive emotions, their vagal tone increased, and they had better physical health and better social connections.
- Splashing cold water on the face — Cold exposure is a known way to activate the vagus nerve. You could splash cold water on your face, wash your feet with cold water, take a cold shower, dip in an ice-bathtub, to activate your vagus.
- Coughing and gargling — Gargling with water or making humming sounds can stimulate the vagus nerve via the throat muscles. Coughing or gagging lightly can also have the same effect.
- Valsalva maneuver (breathing out with nose held closed) — Take a deep breath. Hold it by closing your windpipe at the throat (using the glottis), as if you are about to cough. Then, still holding your breath, push down with your belly area, as if straining for a bowel movement. This raises the pressure within your chest, which can trigger your vagus nerve.
- Tightening abdominal muscles — This maneuver, similar to the Valsalva technique, can stimulate the vagus nerve.
- Holding your breath until almost breathless — Temporary breath-holding can trigger the diving reflex. This reflex evolved to conserve oxygen when the body is immersed in cold water, like when diving or swimming. It is mediated via the vagus nerve. It slows down the heart rate, redirects blood flow away from the hands and feet to the heart and brain, and makes the spleen release stored red blood cells.
- Slow exercises like yoga — Yoga can activate the vagus nerve by combining gentle movement with deep breathing.
- Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) — Loving-kindness meditation, or “metta” meditation, involves sending unconditional love and goodwill to yourself and others, whether they “deserve” it or not. Scientists have found that loving-kindness meditation can increase vagal tone and produce greater cardiovascular health.
How The Vagus Nerve Calms Us
A stimulated vagus nerve releases the antianxiety neurotransmitter called Acetylcholine (ACh). ACh relaxes the smooth muscles in our artery walls, dilates the arteries, and slows down our heartbeats.
Christopher Bergland, an ultramarathoner and endurance athlete, writes in his book The Athlete’s Way: Sweat and the Biology of Bliss:
“The vagus nerve is the commander-in-chief when it comes to having grace under pressure.”
What Is Vagal Tone
Better vagal tone = better overall health.
Your vagal tone reflects how active and healthy are your vagus nerves. It is clinically measured by your heart rate variability (HRV), or the beat-to-beat variations.
A high HRV, indicating a healthy vagal tone, means our vagus nerve is performing its duties impressively.
- People who go to the gym, jog, practice yoga, or play a sport regularly have a strong vagal tone. They cope better with stress.
A low HRV is bad for us, as it has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and death.
- When the vagal tone is low, we experience symptoms like constant fatigue, allergic reactions, migraine, tinnitus, and mood disorders, among others.
- Alcoholics and heavy drinkers, those who are bedridden or lead sedentary lives, chain smokers, and overweight people have low vagal tone.
- A low vagal tone is also seen in digestive disorders and inflammatory bowel diseases.
Facts About The Vagus Nerve
“Vagus” comes from Latin, meaning “wandering,” and so the nerve is also called the “wandering nerve.”
These are some of the most vital functions of the vagus nerves:
- Controlling the parasympathetic or the “rest and digest” nervous system of our body
- Regulating involuntary bodily processes like heartbeat, breathing, and digestion
- Regulating the smooth muscle contraction of the bladder during urination
- Inducing vomiting or fainting if excessively stimulated
- Regulating release of tears, saliva, and stomach acid
- Controlling the body’s inflammatory reflex
- Triggering cough and gag reflexes
Since we are on the parasympathetic system, let’s get a view from above of our nervous system:
- Our nervous system has two parts: central and peripheral.
- The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord.
- The peripheral is made up of nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord.
- The peripheral system is divided into the somatic and the autonomic nervous systems.
- The autonomic nervous system is then divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
The Sympathetic nervous system controls our body’s functions when we are on high alert. It acts to put up a fight-or-flight or stress response.
The Parasympathetic system controls sexual arousal, produces saliva and tears, and regulates urination, digestion, and defecation.
The vagus nerve is a mainstay of the parasympathetic nervous system, and it:
- It brings sensory information from the inner organs—the heart, lungs, gut, and liver—to the brain.
- Its motor functions involve moving the muscles that help in speaking, swallowing, and moving the bowels for digesting food.
“The vagus connects the brain to the gut.”
What is Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)?
Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) is a medical method to stimulate the vagus. Surgeons implant a tiny pulse generator beneath the chest skin, which intermittently sends mild electric impulses to the brain via the vagus.
It has been approved by the United States FDA for the treatment of two chronic conditions: epilepsy and autism. It has also been successfully used to treat depression unresponsive to usual therapies.
VNS also appears to be a promising option for treatment-resistant anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Patrick Ganzer from Texas Biomedical Device Center showed how VNS could enhance neuroplasticity—the remodeling of the nervous system.
VNS has also benefitted people who suffer from chronic pain and stiffness. Neurosurgeon Kevin J. Tracey discovered that stimulating the vagus nerve with electricity can reduce inflammation of rheumatic arthritis.
However, what if we could stimulate the vagus nerve ourselves, naturally? Read on.
Loewi’s Dream of Frogs – And Vagus
This is the true story of how a scientist dreamed of frogs, conducted an experiment, and won the Nobel Prize — all thanks to the vagus nerve.
In the early 20th century, scientists were trying to figure out how information traveled between two nerve cells across microscopic gaps, called synapses. Many researchers were collaborating to find the answer.
In 1902, the German scientist Otto Loewi visited London as a guest researcher at University College. He met Henry Dale there, who became a close friend and fellow researcher. The two radically changed the course of physiology research.
Twenty years later, in 1921, Loewi dozed off in the lab and had a dream about an experiment that solved the mystery of how information moved between synapses. He woke up, scribbled some notes, and then fell back asleep.
The next morning, when he got up, he couldn’t remember most of the dream or his thoughts on it, nor could he decipher his scribbled notes
Fortunately, the next night, he had the same dream. This time, he got up and rushed to the institute’s lab to carry out the experiment.
He placed two beating frog hearts in two jars of saline solutions. One of these hearts still had the vagus nerve attached. When he stimulated this heart with electricity, it slowed down.
He then poured the saline from the first jar into the second, the one that contained the heart without a vagus. To his surprise, this heart also slowed down.
He reasoned that the first heart had released a chemical into the fluid, causing the second heart to slow down. He called the substance “Vagusstoff.”
Later, he discovered that the substance released was from the vagus nerve rather than the heart.
Eventually, his English friend Henry Dale isolated the chemical and renamed it Acetylcholine (ACh).
In 1936, Loewi and Dale received the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for discovering the first neurotransmitter.
FAQs
Does the vagus nerve cause sweating?
The vagus nerve does not cause sweating, though cold, clammy sweat is a common in vasovagal syncope. Sweating is mediated by sympathetic nerves, and excessive sweating of the palms and soles (idiopathic hyperhidrosis) is linked to sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity.
Vasovagal syncope (pronounced SING-kuh-pee) is a sudden fainting spell, with low blood pressure and pallor. Common causes are severe pain, emotional stress, and extreme fatigue.
What are the functions of the vagus nerve?
The vagus nerve is the main element of the parasympathetic nervous system. It regulates mood, digestion, breathing, heart rate, and immune response. It is involved in several psychiatric illnesses, obesity, and other stress-related and inflammatory diseases.
Some of its other functions are:
1. Memories: Recent research hints that vagus nerve stimulation could help in strengthening our memories. This could open up a world of possibilities for Alzheimer’s patients.
2. Inflammation: The role of the vagus in keeping down the inflammation in our body is also a promising direction of research.
3. Resilience: Those with a stronger vagal response, who get more affected by vagus nerve stimulation, might recover better after a stressful event (resilience).
4. Addiction: A January 2017 study shows vagus nerve stimulation therapy can help people overcome drug addiction. It helps them learn new behaviors to replace their drug-seeking behavior.
5. Vagus And Fainting: We can overstimulate our vagus nerve, and it would make us faint. Called “vagal syncope,” it happens because of a sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate, which cuts blood flow to the brain.Does cold-water face immersion activate the vagus nerve?
Cold-water face immersion (FI) triggers physiological changes like slowed heart rate (bradycardia) due to parasympathetic system activation. A study with eight volunteers tested FI’s effects on heart rate variability using different protocols. Results showed bradycardia was primarily caused by increased cardiac vagal activity, a part of the parasympathetic system, during cold-water FI, independent of body position or breath holding.
Can a cold shower reduce depression?
When exposed to cold water, the vast number of cold receptors in the skin send an excessive number of electrical signals to the brain, like a mild electro-physiological shock. Some people report cold showers helped them improve their mood and reduce their depressive symptoms.
1. Cold showers performed once or twice daily (20 degrees C, 2-3 min, preceded by a 5-min gradual adaptation) can have an anti-depressive effect (Shevchuk, 2007).
2. A study with 32 male volunteers found that those habituated to cold water had a lower stress response when later asked to work out in a low-oxygen environment (Lunt & Barwood, 2010).
3. A British study found that 61 people who swam in cold seawater for ten weeks improved their mood and well-being more than 22 of their friends and family members who observed them from shore (Massey & Kandala, 2020).
Can cold water immersion be dangerous?
Cold water immersion can have risks like hypothermia, arrhythmia, heart attacks, and drowning due to cold shock, gasp reflex, and hyperventilation. Experts recommend consulting a doctor before trying cold plunges, avoiding head-first dives, and planning an exit strategy before entering the cold water.
The cold shock response peaks between 50 °F (ca. 10 °C) and 59 °F (ca. 15 °C). Water colder than this offers no extra benefits.
Final Words
Finally, calming the vagus nerve can also help us regulate food intake and manage obesity.
In their paper titled Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain-Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders, the authors Breit, Kupferberg, Rogler, and Hasler write:
The vagus nerve is an essential part of the brain-gut axis and plays an important role in the modulation of inflammation, the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis, and the regulation of food intake, satiety, and energy homeostasis.
Moreover, the vagus nerve plays an important role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders, obesity as well as other stress-induced and inflammatory diseases.
√ Also Read: 10 Best Ways To Refresh/Reboot Your Mind
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