The Vagus Nerve: Your Body’s Hidden Pathway to Mental Health
Have you ever wondered how your body knows when to go on alert or when to relax? The vagus nerve plays a central role in this process. This “wandering nerve” is always picking up cues from the body, relaying signals of threat or safety.
Improving vagus nerve function can reduce mental health symptoms by signaling safety to the body and mind, helping to calm the nervous system and counteract stress responses. This can be further explored and supported in therapy.
The vagus nerve is one of the most influential branches of nerves in the body, with significant implications for mental and physical health. As the tenth, longest cranial nerve, it extends from the brainstem to the colon, connecting and innervating vital organs— including the heart, liver, lungs, digestive tract and spleen, allowing for continuous, bidirectional communication between the brain and these organs.
The body is, indeed always listening, detecting and relaying cues of safety or threat which can be both physiologically and psychologically driven, underscoring the value in exploring these in therapy with a skilled clinician, implementing somatic modalities, and becoming mindful and attuned to your body in a curious, compassionate way, while honoring its needs.
Comprising 75% of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), the vagus nerve is a major component of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), responsible for regulating vital homeostatic functions— including heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, reflexes, gut motility, inflammation, and immune response.
When the body perceives a threat, the autonomic nervous system (ANS)—which governs homeostatic involuntary functions in the body– becomes activated. The ANS consists of two main branches: the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) — each playing distinct roles in the body's adaptation response to internal (physiological) and external forms of stress (psychosocial, one’s environment).
These branches work in conjunction, adapting to the body’s dynamic needs. When the body faces a threat, the SNS induces an activating response— flooding the body with stress hormones secreted by the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis—preparing it to fight, flight or freeze to adapt to the perceived stressor. Once the threat is resolved, the PNS helps the body return to a state of equilibrium and homeostasis by promoting rest, digestive and restorative functions. The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in this process—serving as the core of the PNS— helping to counteract and mitigate the effects induced by the SNS. It further promotes recovery following stress by slowing heart rate and supporting deeper breathing and key physiological functions essential for restoring balance.
However when stress becomes chronic, the body remains in an induced, prolonged stress response— resulting in over activation of the HPA axis—disrupting the natural balance between these systems, causing the body to stay in this stress induced state. This imbalance can impede vagal tone and functioning of the vagus nerve, compounding stress and anxiety, as the body has difficulty returning to a balanced and calm physiological state. A growing body of research underscores this, demonstrating the connection between reduced (low) vagal tone and anxiety, depression and PTSD; as low vagal tone has been shown to increase sensitivity to stress and impede emotional regulation.
Understanding the mechanisms underlying the vagus nerve and its role in modulating the body’s stress response, provides valuable insights into how to support restoring balance to the nervous system, and the body collectively. Improving the vagus nerve’s function can support a more resilient body-mind connection, making us more equipped to handle and adapt to stress and anxiety.
Polyvagal Theory—Understanding the Nervous System’s Response to Stress
A powerful framework for understanding the vagus nerve’s role in governing and adapting to stress is Polyvagal Theory. This theory explains how the vagus nerve regulates our physiological responses to perceived threats and feelings of safety, profoundly influencing emotional regulation, social engagement, and responses to stress.
A central concept in Polyvagal Theory is neuroception, which refers to how the nervous system constantly evaluates safety by detecting cues of safety, threat, or immobilization. According to this theory, the vagus nerve helps regulate our emotional and physiological responses through three primary pathways:
The Ventral Vagal Pathway. When activated, this pathway promotes feelings of safety, calm, and connection. It enables social engagement, communication, and emotional regulation. Co-regulation with others, such as through supportive relationships, can activate this pathway and help the nervous system return to a state of balance.
The Sympathetic Nervous System. This pathway prepares the body for action when a threat is perceived, inducing a fight or flight response—increasing heart rate and muscle tension. While this response is protective and useful in short bursts, prolonged activation can result in being in a chronic state of stress, compounding anxiety.
The Dorsal Vagal Pathway. In cases of overwhelming stress or trauma, the dorsal vagal pathway may induce a shutdown or freeze response— causing the body to immobilize, disconnect, or dissociate. Similarly, this response may have also served an adaptive function to our survival.
These pathways illustrate how our nervous system continuously evaluates our internal state and environment—determining whether we feel safe or threatened. When the vagus nerve is functioning optimally, it promotes a state of calm, safety, and emotional regulation, which is essential for reducing anxiety and stress.
The Role of Safety in Mental Health
Feeling safe is not just an emotional experience; it is also a physiological state felt in the body that promotes health and well-being. When the body perceives safety, neural circuits are activated that support growth, restoration, and social connection—key elements for mental health. Whereas chronic stress or trauma can disrupt these circuits, causing dysregulation in the body’s stress response system. Physiological signals of safety allow us to engage with others without feeling threatened, having extensive implications to our overall health.
How to Support the Vagus Nerve and Reduce Stress
The encouraging news is that we can take active steps to stimulate the vagus nerve. Here are some practical strategies to leverage:
Breathing Techniques. Slow diaphragmatic breathing, with prolonged exhales is one of the most effective and accessible ways to activate the vagus nerve and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to reduce stress levels by enhancing vagal tone. Research has shown that slow-paced breathing can increase heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of vagal tone, which has been linked to improved mental and physical health.
Cold Water Exposure. Splashing cold water on your face or taking cold showers has been shown to activate the vagus nerve, triggering the body's relaxation response. This simple and accessible practice can help reduce anxiety and stress quickly.
Movement. Practices including yoga and tai chi, which focus on controlled movements and deep breathing, stimulate the vagus nerve while promoting relaxation, helping to promote nervous system balance, and improving well being. Massage is also a further way to promote the vagus nerve— including in the neck and ears.
Social Engagement. Positive social interactions, including therapy, spending time with loved ones (including our animals) activate the ventral vagal pathway. This fosters feelings of safety, connection, and calm, which are essential for emotional resilience and reducing anxiety.
Sleep. Research highlights the crucial role of sleep in supporting vagal tone, which is closely linked to mental health. Prolonged compromised sleep can lead to reduced vagal tone, resulting in increased sympathetic nervous system activity and diminished parasympathetic regulation. This imbalance can contribute to heightened stress, anxiety, and difficulty with emotional regulation. Improving sleep quality has been shown to enhance vagal tone and function and promote emotional resilience.
Nutrition and Gut Health. Maintaining a healthy gut is essential for supporting the vagus nerve. A nutrient-dense diet rich in fiber, prebiotics, probiotics, and phytonutrients is foundational for gut health and optimal vagal function. By nurturing gut health, we can enhance vagal function and tone, while inhibiting cytokine (inflammation) production—critical mechanisms for stress resilience. The stimulation of vagal afferent fibers in the gut has been shown to influence monoaminergic brain systems in the brainstem— important for producing and regulating key neurotransmitters for supporting anxiety and stress–including dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.
Therapy and Biofeedback. In therapeutic settings, recognizing the body-mind connection is vital to understanding how stress affects both physiological and emotional states. Somatic therapies and biofeedback with a trusted and compassionate clinician are particularly effective in helping individuals become more attuned to their physiological responses to stress. These approaches allow individuals to observe and gain awareness of how their bodies respond to perceived stressors. By learning to recognize signs of stress and tension, individuals can work to modulate their emotional responses more efficiently over time. Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects the vagal tone of the PNS—with higher HRV associated with greater vagal tone—indicating a more resilient and responsive nervous system. Biofeedback techniques help individuals monitor HRV and learn how to mindfully influence it, providing real-time feedback on how the body’s stress response can be supported.
Embracing the Vagus Nerve for Improved Well-Being
Incorporating practices that support vagus nerve function into daily life can profoundly impact managing anxiety and stress. By recognizing the connection between body and mind and understanding the vagus nerve’s role in emotional regulation, we can take active steps to restore balance and improve mental health.
The vagus nerve is a powerful tool in navigating stress, anxiety, and trauma. By learning how to stimulate and support this vital nerve through therapy and somatic based practices, deep breathing, social connection, and proper nutrition and sleep, we can foster emotional resilience, calm, and a sense of safety in our bodies. Recognizing the body’s innate capacity for healing and regulation is key; through practices that enhance vagal tone, we can better manage stress, cultivate safety, nurturing relationships and improve our overall well-being.
