Nearly half of all Americans report frequently experiencing stress these days with 75% reporting physical or mental symptoms that affect their daily lives. Although most are stressing over money, health, work situations, social/family dynamics and politics, there seems to be countless reasons that people are worried about their current reality and future security.
Trying to get healthy or stay fit can become one more thing to stress about, especially in America, where we are exposed to so many pharmaceutical ads for magic pills, new devices that fix our problems and articles/ books/ videos on what not to do.
There is so much information circulating about health and wellness these days that one may experience confusion and stress around what the correct protocol is for their optimum health. Every time you turn around, there is another diet to try...another ingredient in our foods to fear...another test to take that will show you what lurks inside your body.
This all being said, it just makes good sense to begin with supporting the parts of your bodily system that help you cope with stress. A relaxed nervous system allows for your body to work as it should, supporting the proper functioning of all other systems in the body.
So let's talk about one of the most important stress regulating parts of your body!
The Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve is your 10th cranial nerve, the longest cranial nerve, which branches down to the eyes, pharynx, voice box, facial muscles, esophagus, heart, lungs, small intestine, pancreas and large intestine. It is a hub for communication between the brain and gut. The functioning of this nerve creates a wide range of effects which can be felt throughout the entire body!
Stimulation of the vagus nerve (part of the parasympathetic nervous system) causes the release of acetylcholine, which calms down the sympathetic nervous system, easing you into rest and digest instead of fight and flight. Acetylcholine is a very important neurotransmitter.
In our gut, the goblet cells that make and maintain the mucosal layer are regulated by acetylcholine, and this mucosal layer is also very important in housing such beneficial bacteria as Akkermansia Muciniphila. Akkermansia produces short chain fatty acids to feed other healthy bacteria and is associated with reduced inflammation, improved metabolism, better insulin regulation and reduced instances of chronic illness.
Acetylcholine is only one of the neurotransmitters that the vagus nerve is releasing, but this one alone can impact your cognition, various necessary heart and digestive system functions, muscle contractions, pain responses, motivation, arousal, attention and memory!
When you have a well-functioning vagus nerve, we call this good "vagal tone", and it means your response to stressors is adequate. This also means the nervous system is more efficient. Social engagement, emotional regulation and overall wellbeing are just some of what is affected by the functioning of the vagus nerve. The benefits of good vagal tone are essentially limitless.
To find out if your vagal tone needs some work, you can check your HRV (Heart Rate Variability). HRV refers to the variation in milliseconds between each heartbeat and this reflects vagal tone. When your HRV is high, it indicates a well-functioning parasympathetic nervous system and strong vagal tone. Low HRV can indicate stress, trauma or an overactive sympathetic nervous system.
You can track your HRV with a wearable device such as a smartwatch (FitBit or Apple Watch), Oura Ring or chest strap monitor. You can also go to your trusted physician and schedule an ECG. I would recommend meeting with a physician initially to talk about what a healthy HRV for your sex/ age looks like, and go from there, as there is conflicting information online and many graphs are hard to understand fully.
Also keep in mind when looking at any of your numbers... a "healthy range" can be calculated based on what is "normal" for today's Americans (a very sick population of people). It's a good idea to work with a practitioner who understands your body and your wellness goals.
Other possible symptoms or results of a poor vagal tone can be, but are not limited to, the following conditions:
- Anxiety
- GERD or Heartburn
- Depression
- PTSD
- Headaches
- Constipation
- Profusely sweating
- Hoarse or weak voice
- Trouble maintaining a healthy weight.
Every millimeter of the gut has a nerve ending that is ultimately attached to the vagus nerve. All the systems of the body are connected and the chemical messages that this nerve supports are incredibly important. Your vagus nerve is like the software to the hardware that is your organs and glands. (By the way, those neurons also are made with omega 3 fatty acids, so reducing your intake of omega 6 oils like vegetable seed oils, will help keep this system going strong!)
So what you do to support and stimulate your vagus nerve?
- Breathing exercises- In for 5 seconds, out for 10 seconds.
- Quick bursts of exercise (HIIT)
- Sauna/ Cold Plunge- extreme temps can help build vagal tone by stimulation
- Fasting- Again, exposure to stressors can help to build good vagal tone
- Tragus nerve (front of ear) massage- triggers vagus nerve
- Gentle Facial massage daily
- Eating while in a restful state, not when stressed
- Laughter!
- Humming- vibration stimulates the vagus nerve
- Gargling
- Balloon blowing, blowing into a syringe tube (it has resistance)
- Yoga, Tai Chi- regulation of breathing
- Ice pack on the side of your neck for 5 minutes, cold rag on the face
- Eyeball massage
- Cold water to eyeballs
- Ice water to the face
- Tickling the face, neck and scalp- soft touch
- Gentle carotid massage
- Looking side to side
- Laying on your right side
- Consuming choline and omega-3 rich foods, as well as sufficient fiber and pre/pro-biotics.
You'll notice that most of these options for stimulation are super easy and free! You may also realize that you naturally are inclined to do some of these things (such as deep breathing and massaging of the eyes, ears and temple area) when you feel stress coming on.
You can also by a vagus nerve stimulator that sends electric pulses through the ear to stimulate the nerve. Although I have heard that they work well, I have seen no studies or evidence myself that shows that they work any better than the other natural options above.