The Vagus Nerve
““By developing an understanding of the workings of your vagus nerve, you may find it possible to work with your nervous system rather than feel trapped when it works against you.” -Arielle Schwartz, Clinical Psychologist ”
In Latin, vagus means "wanderer." Aptly named, the vagus nerve is longest crainial nerve in the body, wandering all the way from the brain to the bottom of the digestive tract. Along it's journey it connects to the heart, lungs, and all the digestive organs, weaving an integrated network of connection that branches throughout the viscera, connecting mind and body.
What's interesting about this nerve is that 80-90% of it is composed of afferent nerve fibers-- that is, fibers that send information from the body to the brain. This makes the vagus nerve one of the most important networks through which our brains learn about the state the body below. It's a major bottom-up information highway.
The vagus nerve is also one of the most important components of the parasympathetic nervous system. Also known as the "rest and digest" system, the parasympathetic nervous system is the branch of the autonomic nervous system that is responsible for feelings of ease, relaxation, and rest. Contrast this with the sympathetic nervous system, sometimes known as the "fight or flight" system, and is involved with the activation of the stress response.
If the sympathetic nervous system is like the gas pedal of a car, the parasympathetic nervous system is like the break. In individuals who have low vagal tone, once the car gets moving, it can be really hard to slow it down again. If you've ever felt "wired" after experiencing something stressful and couldn't calm down, this was your parasympathetic, "rest and digest" system having a hard time coming back online.
If this sounds like you a lot of the time, strengthening the tone of your vagus nerve might be helpful.
Whenever we stimulate the vagus nerve, we help to build its tone, or the ease with which it "comes online." Because the vagus nerve is so intricately connected to the body, there are lots of body-based ways that we can engage this key part of the nervous system:
Exposure to cold: You don’t have to go full on Wim Hoff and swim in arctic waters to get the benefits of cold exposure. Feel free to experiment with blasts of cold water at the end of your shower. You can also take a pack of peas out of the freezer and place it on your neck or chest to help elicit a vagus nerve relaxation response.
Belly breathing: Taking slow, deep, intentional breaths in which the lower abdominal area moves as you breathe is another way to stimulate the vagus nerve. Emphasizing and gently lengthening the exhale can be helpful with this practice. (Note: breathing practices are a powerful way to interact with the autonomic nervous system, and for some people, it can feel like “too much” and become agitating. If you’re new to breath work, take your time and feel free to let the practice go if it doesn’t feel right.)
Singing, chanting, and gargling: When we engage in these practices, we activate the muscles in the back of the throat that are attached to the vagus nerve. Peter Levine, the developer of Somatic Experiencing, recommends working with the “voo” sound to vibrate the vagus nerve and all the viscera. You can watch a demonstration of how to do this here.