Your Vagus Nerve May Be Key

To Fighting Anxiety and Stress

Meditation and yoga can exercise your vagus nerve and
may improve your mental health

Maybe you turn to carbs and bad reality TV when you’re stressed.
Or maybe your go-to is to rack up your credit card in the name
of retail therapy. Or maybe you go full-on goblin mode and hide
out until the world calms itself.

Still not working?

Here’s a new idea: Try stimulating your vagus nerve (pronounced

the same as Las “Vegas”). It’s your body’s source of calm and
balance. And it may hold the key to helping you respond better to
stressful situations. And can’t we all use more of that?
We talked with integrative medicine physician Yufang Lin, MD,
about what the vagus nerve is and its role in managing stress and
anxiety.

What is the vagus nerve?

The vagus nerve is part of your parasympathetic nervous system. It
carries electrical signals between your brain and body. Its main
role is to control automatic functions, such as breathing, heart rate
and digestion. That makes it an important connection between
your mind and body. Your vagus nerve helps disengage your
sympathetic nervous system — your fight-or-flight response.

“When you’re stressed or scared, your heart rate and blood

pressure increase, and you become focused on survival,” Dr. Lin
explains. “Being in that stressful ‘fight-or-flight’ state can wear out
your body. The parasympathetic nervous system and vagus nerve
bring you back to a stable state when the stress is over.”

In other words, your fight-or-flight response is important when

you’re actually in some kind of physical danger. But when it jumps
into gear in situations that aren’t a matter of life or death, it taxes
your body and your mind. Activating your vagus nerve and the
rest of your parasympathetic nervous system is a cue to your body
that it’s not in mortal danger. That allows you to calm down and
relax.

What is the connection between your

vagus nerve and anxiety?
During a state of danger, stress or excitement, your sympathetic
nervous system starts ringing alarm bells all over your body that
something is wrong and you need to prepare for battle. These
messages send your brain and body into survival mode, priming
you to react quickly. When the threat has passed, your brain sends
signals through the vagus nerve to relax the tension.

The problem is that the fight-or-flight response doesn’t know the

difference between immediate danger and life stresses that come
at us every day.

Imagine this: You’re an early human. You spot a tiger in the woods
that’s about to pounce. Your sympathetic nervous system kicks in
and you prepare to (somehow) fight off the tiger. Then, the tiger
wanders off. And then your body downshifts from the stress of
almost being eaten. That’s what the sympathetic nervous system is
for. To prepare us to fight for our lives (or find a way to get out of
danger.)

But today, most of the threats we face in life aren’t tiger-shaped.

Today, your fight-or-flight reaction is activated not only during
dangerous situations — like that white-knuckle feeling of driving
on an ice-covered road — but also by more emotionally charged
threats, like:

• Abuse.
• Discrimination.
• Dysfunctional relationships.
• Loneliness.
• Poverty.
• Poor sleep.
• Trauma.

Unlike the tiger who slinked back into the jungle and left you to
go back to your day, these threats remain part of our lived
experiences. They stay with us day in and day out. And so do the
stress and anxiety that come with them, courtesy of our fight-or-
flight response.

“If your parasympathetic nervous system doesn’t stabilize and

calm you, you may be living in a constant state of anxiety,” states
Dr. Lin. “You are also at higher risk of other health problems, such
as high blood pressure, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.”

That’s where the vagus nerve comes into play. A healthy vagus
nerve can rapidly offset your body’s stress response. It can help
reduce anxiety and improve your overall health, if you know how
to put it in motion.

Natural ways to stimulate the vagus nerve for better mental

health

Vagus nerve stimulation can improve vagal nerve tone and your
ability to respond to stress. With vagus nerve stimulation, you
intentionally counteract the signals that cause anxiety.

Basic healthy living strategies help activate your vagus nerve. That
includes things we hear about all the time, like getting a proper
amount of exercise, following a diet that’s healthy for you and
getting enough sleep.

Additionally, there are a few exercises and practices that Dr. Lin
says may improve your emotional regulation. They give you more
energy to cope when stressful situations come your way. In other
words, they give your vagus nerve a chance to do its job to reduce
stress and anxiety. They include:

• Biofeedback.
• Breathing exercises.
• Forest therapy.
 • Mindfulness.
• Meditation.
• Tai chi.
• Yoga.

“When you repeat these activities over time, you increase heart
rate variability and strengthen your vagus nerve function,” says Dr.
Lin. “Then, the next time your sympathetic nervous system
responds to a trigger, you can recover faster.”

Can you measure vagal nerve tone?

The most widely studied measure of how well your vagus nerve is
working is your heart rate variability. Heart rate variability is the
variation (differences) in the time between your heartbeats.

When you have a stronger vagal tone, your heart rate variability is
higher. People with a weaker vagal tone have a heart rate that is
less variable.

“Higher variability shows that your heart is constantly reacting to

your environment through your sympathetic and parasympathetic
nervous systems,” says Dr. Lin. “It suggests these systems are well
balanced and can adapt to the changes around you. Studies have
shown that people with higher heart rate variability have reduced
heart disease, increased brain function and a more stable mood.”

Even in people with a high heart rate variation, the differences are
very small — only fractions of seconds. Many commercially
available mobile health devices can check heart rate variability.
These devices may use a chest strap or clip to your ear or finger.
Some fitness watches also measure heart rate variability, but may
not be as accurate.
Should you try natural vagus
nerve stimulation at home?
Most people can (and are encouraged to) practice calming
activities that trigger their vagus nerve. As you try activities to
strengthen your vagus nerve, pay attention to how you feel. If you
become lightheaded, slow down or stop what you are doing until
you feel better.