Known as the wandering nerve, the vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve that runs all the way from the brain stem to part of the colon touching almost every major organ on its way.
It plays a major part of both sensory and visceral functions of the body such as breathing, circulation, digestion, speaking, emotional regulation, stress response, cognition and metabolism. It helps control and regulate blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, digestion, inflammation, detoxification and sensory input from the body to the brain.
The vagus nerve impacts in every chronic illness depending on its state and tone. Your vagus nerve is critical for overall health and well-being. It can become over and under-active therefore, affecting the function of your entire body.
The health and function of the vagus nerve is described as vagal tone. High vagal tone means your vagus is working well. High vagal tone is linked to good physical and mental well-being as well as resilience to stress. Low vagal tone means your vagus isn’t working well. Having low vagal tone is linked to being easily stressed out and having trouble calming down after stress.
Ways to support your vagus tone:
· Singing and humming
· Laughter
· Gargling
· Somatic tools such as basic exercise, self-hold, self-massage
· Breathwork
· Cold water showers/plunge
· Massage, fascial bodywork and acupuncture
· Hugging, co-regulation
· Exercise
· Prayer or meditation
· Proper posture, chiropractor care if needed
· Music, listening to a soothing voice
Your vagus nerve health is vital to your health and well-being as it is a main communicator throughout your body. What habits can you implement to support healthy vagal tone?
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