The Vagus Nerve and Your Mental Health

The vagus nerve, also known as the wandering nerve, is the longest and most complex of the twelve cranial nerves. The Vagus is actually the tenth cranial nerve, or cranial nerve x, consists of two nerves, and travels from the brain stem into the stomach and touches all of our other bodily systems.

The vagus is part of the brain-gut axis and is the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system or the rest and digest part of the nervous system. The PNS oversees a vast array of bodily functions including those related to mood, immune response, digestion, heart rate, and sends information from the organs back to the brain. It is also responsible for regulation of internal organ functions such as digestion, heart rate, and respiratory rate as well as vasomotor activity and certain reflexive actions like coughing, sneezing, swallowing, or vomiting.

So what does the vagus nerve have to do with your mental health? We only understand a little but the picture is becoming clearer. We know that the vagus helps communication between the brain and body, more specifically it feeds information to the brain from the body. These afferent nerve fibers help activate the monoaminergic brain systems which produces some of the major players in mental health like serotonin and dopamine. Furthermore, research has found a positive feedback loop between high vagal tone, positive emotions, and good physical health.

Vagal tone, or the internal biological process that represents the activity of the vagus nerve, is correlated with a better capacity for regulating the body’s stress responses. Vagal tone can be passed down from our mothers and helps with better managing inflammatory responses, digestive issues, and blood sugar. Vagal tone, despite being something we often inherit, can be improved and can help to radically improve our mental health.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO IMPROVE YOUR VAGAL TONE? HERE’S SOME IDEAS.

1. Diaphragmatic breathing also known as belly breathing involves long, slow deep breaths that fill up your abdomen. This sounds simple but is actually very different from how most of us breathe normally and can take some time and practice to get down.

A good way to start is to put your hands on your belly and feel it expand and contract as you breathe in and out. Another trick is to count the in and out breaths and to make your exhale longer than your out breath. This type of breathing sends a message to your brain (via the vagus) that it can relax and is safe. Research has shown that this type of breathing increases healthy vagal tone.

2. Meditation & yoga only has limited studies so far about its impact on the vagal tone but a lot of these practices also use diaphragmatic breathing . Meditation and yoga coupled with slow, long breaths can help to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and teach your body and brain how to calm itself down. However, meditators who did not feel more positive emotions or more socially connected due to their meditation practice have not been shown to reap the benefits on vagal tone like meditators who did.

3. Cold water immersion also has limited studies for its effectiveness but has a lot of anecdotal evidence. Studies have shown that as your body adjusts to the cold water your fight-or-flight (sympathetic) nervous system turns off and your rest and digest (parasympathetic) nervous system turns on.

4. Biofeedback is a form of therapy that increases the brain and body connection and increases the person’s interoception or awareness of their bodily states and feelings . Biofeedback uses visual or auditory feedback to help you recognize the body’s signs of stress or anxiety. This can be super helpful in learning when to use regulation techniques. We can also measure vagal tone via a biofeedback process called Heart Rate Variability.

5. Singing, humming, chanting, or gargling all involve the vagus nerve which is used to activate the muscles needed to do any of those actions. Furthermore, singing, humming, or chanting all increase heart rate variability which has a huge impact on vagal tone. Furthermore, singing energetically can activate both sides of the nervous system and help us to get into what’s known as a flow state.

6. Probiotics improve the health of our stomach and digestive system and since the vagus nerve is connected to our second brain, or the bundle of nerves in our stomach, it makes sense that improving our gut health would also improve vagal tone. Clinical human trials are still lacking in this area but there have been promising initial results in animal studies.

7. Omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood like EPA and DHA increase heart rate variability and lower heart rate which is directly linked to healthy vagal tone. Some scientists even believe that that the vagus nerve might explain why Omega-3 fatty acids are so good for heart health.

8. Exercise has been shown to stimulate gut flow in animals and the vagus nerve is needed to activate this response. This is another area where we don’t have any researc on humans BUT we do have lots of research about the positive impact of exercise on our overall health and well being.

9. Massage like carotid sinus massage, pressure massage, or even foot reflexology are all believed to activate the vagus nerve and improve vagal tone.

10. Socializing is a very important way to improve vagal tone and overall mental wellness. However, socializing should result in feelings of support and overall positive emotions. Socializing that ends in feeling isolated or more negative emotions would not have this benefit. This means it’s important to be careful about the people you choose to spend your time with.

11. Laughing might be capable of stimulating the vagus nerve, however, studies are few and we still don’t know why or how laughter impacts vagal tone. What we do know is that laughter is good for your wellbeing and for increasing positive emotions.

12. Vagal Nerve Stimulation Devices are powerful tools for increasing vagal tone but should only be used in conjunction with your physician and require a prescription. A typical device is implanted near your collar bone with a wire that is run to the vagus nerve. These types of devices are currently only FDA-approved for epilepsy and depression. Due to their invasiveness and cost, its best used after other options have been exhausted.

A lot of these activities are probably familiar to you if you’ve studied or practiced ways to improve your mental health. The vagus nerve is important for our well-being and if you struggle with things like depression, anxiety, or PTSD its even more important to spend some time improving your vagal tone.

If you or someone you know wants professional support you can learn more about PTSD here, fill out our new client inquiry to start counseling with us, or contact us with any questions or for resources. If we can’t see you, we will work with you to find someone who can.