The vagus nerve is a fascinating wandering nerve responsible for our calming ‘rest and digest’ and ‘tend and befriend’ responses as, well as being a communication channel between body and mind.
There are techniques to make this nerve as healthy as possible so as to keep us 'happy and resilient' in the face of life’s stresses.
How do we know if the vagus nerve is strong and why does it matter? The strength of the vagus nerve is known as ‘vagal tone.' There is naturally a slight increase of heart-rate each time you inhale and a slight decrease of heart-rate when you exhale. The variation between the two is a marker of vagal tone -- the larger the difference -- the stronger the vagus nerve. There are key-indicators of mental, emotional, and physical health that go hand-in-hand with high or low vagal tone.
High vagal tone is associated with:
Mental health and emotional resilience -- the ability to recover quickly from shocks and acute stress
Cardiac and respiratory health
Strong immune system
Good memory
Capacity to build friendships
In contrast, low vagal tone is associated with:
Depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder
Loneliness
Autoimmune diseases, chronic pain and inflammatory illnesses
Epilepsy
Stroke and heart attacks
In modern life, where many of us experience a persistent level of stress and feelings of being overwhelmed, the ‘fight or flight’ response can become the 'default mode' of being, while the calming parasympathetic nervous system takes a back seat. This persistent state of ‘fight or flight’ can be both a symptom and a cause of low vagal tone, and makes people susceptible to physical and mental health problems.
How to increase vagal tone for wellbeing and resilience:
In some medical intervention treatments, electrical devices are used to stimulate vagus nerve activity to treat conditions such as depression, chronic pain, epilepsy, and inflammatory illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis.
There are several things we can do on our own to strengthen the vagus nerve naturally over time -- by regularly encouraging its activity. Yoga practices can have a significant role to play here.
Breath: Slow diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, as does 'ujjayi breath' (or 'ocean breath’) which slightly constricts the back of the throat, 'lion breath' which activates the facial muscles we use for smiling, and 'coherence breathing' where chimes regulate your breath so the inhale and exhale are six seconds apart.
Meditation: 'Loving Kindness' meditation (also known as 'Metta' meditation) has been found to lead to an increase in vagal tone.
Voice: Chanting ‘Om’ activates the vagus nerve and is more effective at doing so than chanting other sounds. Being among calm, engaging, soothing voices also activates the vagus nerve.
Face: Splashing the face with cold water; relaxing with an eye pillow over the eyes to create very gentle pressure; smiling; yawning; and gargling all increase vagus nerve activity.
Social connection: Interacting with others in a friendly, calm, and kind way activates the vagus nerve. Studies suggest there is an ‘upward spiral’ where positive social interactions stimulate vagus nerve activity and vice-versa.
Digestion: Cultivating healthy intestinal bacteria and eating nourishing food is another way of activating and strengthening the vagus nerve, and a healthy 'microbiome' is thought to help people with anxiety or depression to regulate their emotions as a result.
These practices not only help us 'feel calm in the moment' (like taking deep breaths in a stressful situation), but practicing them consistently over time also improves well-being in the 'long term' by increasing vagal tone.
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