May Stimulating the Vagus Nerve Lessen Your Stress?
Feeling stress and anxiety got you down? Wish there was a magical shortcut to relief without the time commitment of therapy or prescription meds? Enter the vagus nerve, the lengthy, intelligent nerve that runs from your brain to your digestive system, affecting everything from your mood to your heartbeat to your immune response.
What's the deal with the vagus nerve and why's it such a big deal?
The vagus nerve is your body's most extensive cranial nerve, dangling from your brain like a long, connected cord to your stomach, reaching each side of your body, and hooking up with both your heart and lungs. It's an essential part of your autonomic nervous system (ANS), the part that handles automatic functions like your heartbeat and breathing. Your ANS is split into two wings: the parasympathetic, or "rest and digest," & the sympathetic, or "fight or flight." The vagus nerve is all about the mellow, calming parasympathetic side.
When the vagus nerve is active, it slows your heart rate, aids digestion, and helps manage your immune system's response. It also influences your blood pressure, mood, and speech. In a nutshell, Dr. Stephanie Wang, a naturopathic physician, explains, "The activity of the vagus nerve is called vagal tone, and the strength of the vagal tone is correlated with the ability to respond to stress—with a better vagal tone, an individual can better return to the parasympathetic state after encountering stressors."
So, can we crank up that vagal tone to solve all our stress and anxiety woes? There's debate on that front.
"There is a limited understanding about how to manipulate the vagus nerve," admits Dr. Amelia Dubovsky, a psychiatrist with UW Medicine, "yet there's a great deal of fascination with it, and we can engage in straightforward practices that will, at the very least, calm our nervous systems amidst the chaos."
Chilling out is more than a trend, it's key to our health.
Relaxing your fight-or-flight reaction isn't only a relaxing quick fix for stress in the moment; it also helps prevent chronic stress, a build-up of constant stressors that don't go away. Modern life is brimming with stressors: loud environments, insufficient sleep, junk food, sedentary lifestyles, income disparities, discrimination, untreated mental health issues, constant social media, and negative news cycles.
Dubovsky explains, "The chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system results in increased cortisol release, which is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and decreased immune function."
It can also lead to ongoing inflammation in the body. In some instances, inflammation is beneficial—it helps your body heal from infections, for example. But chronic inflammation can bring about lasting health problems. The good news? The vagus nerve modifies inflammation by releasing neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, which tell the immune system to chill out.
Techniques to manage stress
Research suggests some relaxation techniques activate the vagus nerve, reducing inflammation in chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Medical devices designed to stimulate the vagus nerve have been employed to treat conditions like epilepsy and severe treatment-resistant depression. These devices are surgically implanted and fire electrical pulses at the nerve. Fancier, non-surgical devices are available to treat migraines and cluster headaches.
But, there's no scientific proof that anything short of these devices stimulates the vagus nerve to tackle stress or anxiety. Nevertheless, Dubovsky encourages giving these techniques a try since they might help you calm down, if not trigger your vagus nerve:
Deep breathing: When you're stressed or anxious, your heart and breathing rates increase. Deliberately breathing deeply and slowly helps calm those reflexes.
"A simple exercise to activate this state includes the 'four, seven, eight' breathing technique," Dubovsky suggests. "Inhale for four counts, hold your breath for seven, and exhale for eight."
Acupuncture: Inserting tiny needles into certain body points calms pain and inflammation. Ensure it's performed by a licensed acupuncturist.
"Some of these effects are thought to be mediated by the brain-gut connection via the vagus nerve," Wang says.
Cold therapy: Cold showers, ice packs, or even cold water on your face can help you relax.
"There's no proof that cold plunge therapy alone is a treatment for anxiety or depression," Dubovsky says, "but it has been found that putting your face in cold water activates the parasympathetic nervous system."
If you're actively freaking out and have a fast heart rate, pressing a cold pack to your face and holding your breath for 30 seconds can help your heart rate return to normal.
Mindfulness, meditation, and yoga: All can help focus on the present moment, reducing anxiety. A single session can be helpful, but the real advantage comes from consistent practice.
Reflexology: This foot-focused technique involves a therapist pressing specific points. Research shows it helps reduce stress, though the exact mechanism is still unknown and further research is needed.
Singing and humming: Singing and humming can provide relaxation, though more research is needed to conclude if it stimulates the vagus nerve. Humming, in particular, may slow your breathing down naturally, making you feel calmer.
Social connections, outdoor time, physical activity, and healthy eating: These actions can all contribute to stress relief.
Ultimately, according to Wang, those seeking lasting relief from stress and anxiety should look beyond temporary solutions and delve into long-term behavior changes while addressing the root causes. "To adjust the body to the parasympathetic rest and digest state requires long-term practices," Wang concludes. "People should think of it like physical therapy for their nervous system. Regular practice is crucial."
The science behind mental health has recognized the importance of the vagus nerve in managing stress and anxiety, as it plays a significant role in the body's relaxation response. Engaging in various practices, such as deep breathing, acupuncture, cold therapy, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, reflexology, singing, humming, and maintaining social connections, outdoor time, physical activity, and healthy eating, can potentially activate the vagus nerve and help reduce stress levels. However, it's essential to approach these techniques as components of an overall wellness strategy, recognizing that lasting relief from stress and anxiety may require long-term behavior changes and addressing the root causes.
