Maintaining the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is the main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system. It sends sensory information to the brain such as info about sights, smells, tastes and sounds. It’s the longest of 12 cranial nerves, and is referred to as cranial nerve X (10). It originates in the part of your brainstem called the medulla oblongata (the lowest part of the brain and the lowest portion of the brainstem). It has both sensory and motor functions, including:

  • communicating sensation information from your ear canal and parts of your throat

  • sending sensory information from organs in your chest and trunk, such as your heart and intestines

  • allowing motor control of muscles in your throat

  • stimulating the muscles of the organs in the abdomen that move food through your digestive tract (peristalsis)

  • providing a sense of taste near the root of your tongue

Why is the vagus nerve so important?

It has the longest pathway from the brain to the abdomen and it has an essential role within our parasympathetic nervous system (Rest and digest). The vagus nerve affects mood, social bonding and human connection, and memory creation and storage (good or bad). A weakened vagus nerve is linked to mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, heart and digestion issues

The vagus nerve is the primary mind/body nerve pathway and influences our mental and physical health. Here are some examples:

  • When the vagus nerve is toned, it manages the body’s healthy response to stress with resiliency by regulating the heart rate and respiratory funtion to keep calm.

  • It controls the heart rate with electrical impulses and a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which helps slow the heart rate down and allows the lungs to breathe.

  • This neurotransmitter, which is released by the vagus nerve, also allows the lungs to breathe.

  • It affects blood pressure by improving hypertension and ultimately reducing rates of heart failure!

  • It plays a mejor role in our gut-brain connection as well as promoting healthy digestive system.

  • Feeling of satiety and satisfaction experienced after a meal is partly due to the activation of vagus nerve which regulates hormones of fullness and hunger (leptin and ghrelin)

Dysfunction or out of tone vagus nerve can trigger a variety of symptoms, such as:

  • Loss of gag reflex

  • Hoarseness, whispering or nasal voice

  • Heart arrhythmia (irregular heart rate)

  • Decreased production of stomach acid

  • Esophageal motility conditions (like acid reflux )

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • And more …

How can we tone and stimulate our vagus nerve?

  • Breathing meditation

  • Tai chi

  • Qi gong

  • Yoga

  • Chanting, singing

  • Laughter

Afsi Felsher