The Vagus Nerve is known informally as the “wandering nerve,” and one of its responsibilities is to maintain the calming part of your nervous system, known as the parasympathetic nervous system. Signs of Vagus Nerve dysfunction are:
Depression
Chronic Inflammation
Anxiety and Chronic Stress
Migraines
IBS
Leaky Gut
And more...
You can see from the many branches of this nerve how important it is to be in good health. Here's some of what the Vagus Nerve controls: It networks the brain with the stomach and digestive tract, the lungs, heart, spleen, intestines, liver and kidneys. It is involved in speech, eye contact, facial expressions and even your ability to tune in to other people’s voices. 80% of its fibers are sensory, meaning that the vagus nerve reports back to your brain what is going on in your organs – below level of conscious mind. Essentially it is a part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for calming your organs after the stressed ‘fight-or-flight’ adrenaline response to danger. Not all vagus nerves are the same, however: some people have stronger vagus activity, which means their bodies can relax faster after a stress. The strength of your vagus response is known as your vagal tone. Every time you breathe in, your heart beats faster in order to speed the flow of oxygenated blood around your body. Breathe out and your heart rate slows. This variability is one of many things regulated by the vagus nerve, which is active when you breathe out but suppressed when you breathe in, so the bigger your difference in heart rate when breathing in and out, the higher your vagal tone. Research shows that a high vagal tone makes your body better at regulating blood glucose levels, reducing the likelihood of diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Low vagal tone, however, has been associated with chronic inflammation. As part of the immune system, inflammation has a useful role helping the body to heal after an injury, for example, but it can damage organs and blood vessels if it persists when it is not needed. One of the vagus nerve’s jobs is to reset the immune system and switch off production of proteins that fuel inflammation. There are several ways that I have been working with stimulation of Vagus Nerve, from a Vagus Nerve Stimulation device that activates the healing properties of the Vagus Nerve - and may increase vagal tone - to an accumulation of exercises that I will teach you to stimulate your vagus nerve at home on a daily basis.