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If you’re feeling stressed out, you may be looking for a quick way to de-stress. Thankfully, relaxation can be achieved by stimulating the tenth cranial nerve, called: The Vagus Nerve.
There are multiple ways you can relax by stimulating the vagus nerve, including breathing exercises, humming, singing, massage, improving your microbiome, gargling, aromatherapy, acupuncture, exercise, laughing, and cryotherapy. Stimulating the vagus nerve will lead to a greater feeling of relaxation.
Stress is inevitable, but it doesn’t need to stick around, making you feel like a frazzled mess. Let’s get into how you can increase vagal tone so you can zen out in a snap!
What’s the Vagus Nerve and Why You Should Stimulate It
Many of us suffer from stress and anxiety every day. The demands of life seem to only increase and can feel suffocating. If there was anything you could do to feel more relaxed that was effective, quick, and free, would you do it? That’s a no-brainer! This is where vagus nerve stimulation comes in. We all have one, and we all can increase a low vagal tone to feel more relaxed, any time we want.
The vagus nerve is the tenth cranial nerve. Being the longest cranial nerve in the body, it runs from the brainstem down to the large intestine. It branches out into many of the organs in the body. It’s composed of 20% “efferent” fibers (sending information from the brain to the body) and 80% “afferent” fibers (sending information from the body to the brain).
The vagus nerve is the primary nerve that makes up the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that is responsible for relaxation and digestion. Since the vagus nerve primarily sends information from organs in the body to the brain, it creates a wonderful opportunity to employ various techniques on the body to achieve relaxation faster.
How to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve to Achieve Relaxation
If you are suffering from stress, then it means that your vagus nerve has a “low vagal tone.” This can result in anxiety, depression, insomnia, digestion, and cardiovascular problems. If you have a “high vagal tone,” then you are someone who feels happy, energized, and relaxed.
There are so many ways to stimulate your vagus nerve, but I want to share with you the ways I find the most interesting and effective.
How to stimulate the vagus nerve
Vagus Nerve Exercises:
- Box Breathing: Breathe in for a count of four…one…two…three…four. Hold your breath…one…two…three…four. Exhale…one…two…three…four. Hold…one…two…three…four…Repeat three to five times.
If you are someone who likes guided exercises, I highly recommend Headspace. It’s an app that has a host of mental health practices. My favorites are the guided breathing exercises and music for relaxation. *I would like to offer you my 30-day Free Friends Guest Pass for Headspace*
- Eye Movement: Lying down with your hands interlaced and cradling the base of your skull, keeping your torso, arms, neck, and head still. Without moving your neck or head at all, move your eyes, looking all the way to the right, holding your eyes in this still position until you notice a shift in your body such as a sigh, inhale, yawn, or noticeable feeling of moving into relaxation. Move your eyes to the left without moving any other part of your body. Hold until you feel a shift into a state of relaxation. Repeat as necessary.
Acupressure:
- Yin Tang point-located on the forehead, just in between your eyebrows. Tap, hold, or rub circles on this point for 30 seconds.
- CV-17 point, aka. “Conception Vessel or Sea of Tranquility”-Locate the bottom of your sternum, and use your four fingers width lying down from the bottom of the sternum to a point that is located in between your nipples in the center of your chest. Tap, hold, or rub circles on this point for 30 seconds.
*You will know that you have the acupressure point when you feel an indent and sensitivity when you put pressure on the point.
- Ear Massage: Grab an ear swab, cut it in two, and gently press the ends of it into the cymba concha of the outer ears. Press and hold or rub circles with the ear swabs for 30 seconds to one minute. Repeat as necessary.
- Aromatherapy: Diffuse lavender, chamomile, holy basil, or peppermint essential oil for up to 30 minutes at a time. These essential oils are associated with feelings of relaxation and can have a profound effect on vagal tone. (I used to fill an old spray bottle with water and a few drops of lavender essential oil and carry it with me to work. I used to work in a busy and stressful doctor’s office. Regularly throughout the day, I would shake it, spray it into the air, and walk through it as I breathed in deeply. It was so effective that all my coworkers started asking me to spray it in the air for them to walk through..lol)
- Eat for Your Microbiome: The vagus nerve is the connection between your brain and your gut. It’s often referred to as the “brain-gut connection.” The health of your microbiome, which lives in your intestines, has a direct effect on your vagal tone. Unhealthy gut = unhealthy mind (anxiety, depression, poor digestion, etc) Eating in a similar pattern to the Mediterranean way of eating promotes probiotic foods in the form of fermented foods like yogurt, fermented cheeses, and fermented vegetables. Then the antioxidant, micronutrient, and fiber-rich plant foods that make up the rest of the diet serve to feed the probiotics, thus acting as prebiotics. This diet is rich in hydration, macro and micronutrients, probiotics, and prebiotics. However, if something on the Mediterranean menu doesn’t feel good to your body, it doesn’t matter how healthy it is for someone else; it is not good for you. Always avoid foods that you are allergic to or have a sensitivity to.
How Often Should You Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve?
Since we endure stress on a daily basis, it’s important to make stimulating your vagus nerve a daily practice, especially if you’re struggling with stress, anxiety, and depression. If doing the things listed above seems like they’re things you can only incorporate occasionally, don’t fret.
Living a balanced, well-rounded lifestyle can also stimulate the vagus nerve. Humming or singing a song, jumping into a cold body of water with friends like a pool, lake, or ocean, watching comedy and laughing, gargling water in your throat after brushing your teeth. These are all things you can do every day to increase your vagal tone.
If you would like to learn more about massage for better mental health and how often you need to do it to achieve real benefits, then I recommend you check out this article I wrote about it: “Massage for Mental Health (HOW OFTEN?)” next!
Of course, doing self-massage or getting a professional massage is probably one of my favorite ways to stimulate the vagus nerve. Don’t stick to just one thing, either. Mix it up and incorporate and layer techniques together. I like to hold the YingTang acupressure point while doing box breathing and inhaling relaxing essential oils, all at the same time. Variety is the spice of life!
Stimulating the vagus nerve will help to improve your mental well-being and your overall feelings of stress. There are many ways to improve your mental and emotional well-being; one of my favorites is by using massage therapy!
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MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
The content in this article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a trained qualified physician. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Galeano Massage nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, or supplements or those diagnosed with a medical illness should consult their physicians before implementing any of the self-care advice in this article.
