How to find relief from anxiety and stress without meditation or medication: Why the Vagus Nerve matters
If you experience stress and anxiety, you’ve likely been talked to about the benefits of yoga and meditation. While these are tried and true methods to promote relaxation in some people, others don’t reap the same reward. If you’re one of those people, I have good news! Keep reading to learn about the Vagus Nerve and why you should start doing a 5 minute “stretch” daily to help tone this critically important cranial nerve.
The Vagus Nerve (VN) is the tenth cranial nerve (Cranial Nerve X), and is a main component of the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for your relaxation response - think “rest and digest”. Vagus is Latin for “wandering”, the reasoning behind this nomenclature becomes very apparent upon seeing the Vagus Nerve’s distribution throughout the human body. Some even refer to the VN as the “wanderer”. It serves as a bidirectional method of communicating, extending from the brain to the gut, and from the gut to the brain. If you’ve heard of the gut-brain axis, this concept may be familiar. Think of the VN as a 9-lane highway from the gut to the brain, and only a 1-lane highway from the brain to the gut. If the brain perceives something as a threat, it can trigger a cascade of havoc through the body. This includes GI issues like IBS & acid reflux, mental health concerns like anxiety & panic attacks, and even sleep disorders like insomnia.
When we feel threatened or scared, we go into fight or flight mode – a necessary aspect of human survival in times of danger. Think of hunter-gatherer ancestors that came face to face with wild animals. When the brain perceives a threat (there’s a tiger that’s going to eat me), digestion shuts off – the main focus is to fight or flee from the tiger in order to survive (not to digest the apple that was eaten 5 minutes prior or to fight off a flu). Shutting down digestion and the immune system will help your body conserve energy needed to expend in order to fight or flee the threat (in this instance, the tiger). Your heart rate will increase, you’ll experience more muscular strength, your blood sugar will spike and you can run faster. In other words, your physical abilities will increase in the short term to help you survive. This is great if you’re actually in a life-or-death situation – it becomes damaging when you’re stuck in a constant cycle of stress and your physiology is thrown off from everyday stressors.
Your brain also perceives a threat when you’re stressed – it cannot differentiate between feeling threatened by a tiger in the wild or a non-lethal threat such as your boss or ex walking into the room. However, the instinct is the same - to prepare the body to fight or flee the perceived threat. One can see how important a fight or flight response is during times of a true threat, as well as how detrimental it can be to be stuck in this cycle. Unfortunately, many people are stuck in this cycle without really understanding why or how to fix it. It’s also incredibly common to see co-occurring health conditions like mental health and gut health concerns (anxiety and IBS, GERD and stress etc.).
In a person with a healthier (or toned) Vagus Nerve, the response to an acute stressor won’t be so extreme. If you’re someone that frequently feels anxious or stressed, you might be stuck in this cycle. You might be thinking what can I do? The answer is: tone your Vagus Nerve! People who experience these health concerns tend to have a less toned VN because vagal tone is correlated with the ability to regulate your stress response. In my clinical practice I utilize several techniques for non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulating (VNS) exercises that anyone can do at home. Like any exercise, consistency is key. Think of toning your VN like toning your muscles – you have to do squats regularly to tone your glutes, just like you must practice VNS exercises regularly to tone your VN.
Anxiety and stress relief from VNS can be done daily to help tone the nerve and turn off the chronic fight or flight response that’s going on inside. I even recommend it for people in times of acute stress. Doing so allows us to intervene and communicate to the brain that we are safe so that parasympathetic processes, such as rest and digest, can kick back on.
I guide clients through VNS exercises in session ranging from stretches to massage, and give guided videos to do at home anytime. Vagus Nerve Stimulation, along with a personalized dietary protocol designed for people with anxiety and stress, works wonders for people who suffer from mental health and GI-related disorders. If this resonated with you, I invite you to book an appointment for your free Discovery Call with me to get started today.
Bonus! Book recommendation:
