The Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve
By Jaclyn Thurley
Have you heard of the Vagus Nerve?
The Vagus Nerve represents the main component of our parasympathetic nervous system. This side of our nervous system keeps us centered, calm, safe, open, communicative, and measured. Our parasympathetic nervous system also controls specific bodily functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and our immune system.
Often referred to as “The Information Highway” between the gut and the brain, the vagus nerve influences our mood, our response to stressors, and our hormonal health. The vagus nerve also controls how we digest, assimilate, and eliminate.
Health professionals often use the term “vagal tone” to gauge the “happiness” of your vagus nerve.
So why does your pelvic physio care about your vagus nerve?
Well! Recent research shows low vagal tone is associated with a higher incidence of inflammation, digestive issues, and cardiovascular disease.
A happy vagus nerve ultimately means:
A calm centered and happy human
Happy bowels (soft, regular, and easy to pass bowel motions! No constipation. No diarrhea.)
Reduced inflammation around the body
A stronger immune system
A happy vagus nerve is good for absolutely everybody!
As pelvic floor physios, we particularly like our pelvic pain patients to have a happy vagus nerve, as it makes it much easier to manage and improve their pain.
For those anatomy nerds, let's talk you through your vagus nerve anatomy!
The Vagus nerve is your 10th cranial nerve. It runs from your brainstem, down the side of your neck, it has branches that go to the ear, pharynx, and larynx, then continues to travel to the thorax, where it has branches to the heart and lungs, and then it travels underneath the diaphragm and branches to the kidneys, adrenals, stomach, intestines and as far down to the uterus.
So why does a happy vagus nerve make it easier to improve your pain?
Well!
When your nervous system is in a parasympathetic rest and digest state, it is much easier to improve pain! When you are calm and centered, your nerves, muscles, and tissues are much more open to positive change and improvement.
On the flip side, when your nervous system is up-regulated and in a sympathetic fight or flight - ‘Running away from a scary bear ‘ type state - your nerves, muscles, and tissues are much more stubborn and less open to positive change.
For instance, it's a very common finding that a pelvic pain patient has an overactive pelvic floor that is too tense. Pelvic floor physios will often prescribe specific pelvic floor relaxation techniques to a pelvic pain patient. However, if this patient is in a sympathetic fight and flight type state, the pelvic floor is often very stubborn and not open to relaxing. If the pelvic floor could speak it would be like " Helllaaaa noooo! I'm not going to relax for you!! I need to be on alert at all times. I'm going to stay up-tight and tense so I can keep running away from this scary bear that keeps chasing me!".
All in all, for your body to be open to positive change you must have good vagal tone.
So here are 5 ways to keep your vagus nerve “happy”:
Eat a Healthy and varied diet
Thirty different plants a week to be exact! - This seems like a lot, but when you count different veggies, fruits, seeds, and nuts, then thirty doesn’t seem so bad.
So why does eating a healthy varied diet positively impact your vagus nerve?
Well, as we mentioned earlier, the vagus nerve acts like an information highway between the GUT and the brain. It is made of 80% afferent nerve fibers, which means 80% of its function is telling your brain what you’re eating and if your gut is happy.
A happy gut means more positive uplifting messages are being sent to the brain via the vagus nerve, this is referred to as high vagal tone.
An unhappy GUT (bloating, discomfort, constipation/diarrhea) means sad messages being sent up to the brain via the vagus nerve, this is referred to as low vagal tone.
Maintain happy bowels
A happy GUT is not all about eating healthily. It's also about eliminating waste well.
In other words, to have a happy GUT and a happy vagus nerve you must have soft, regular, and easily passed bowel motions.
Emptying your bowels well and avoiding constipation is paramount to a happy vagus nerve.
If you suffer from constipation, straining, and incomplete bowel emptying, The Pelvic Studio can help! As pelvic floor physiotherapists, we deal with these types of issues all the time and have lots of tricks up our selves to help!
Regular deep breathing
As we mentioned before the vagus nerve is 80% afferent fibres which carry information FROM THE GUT up to the brain.
The other 20% of the vagus nerve are efferent fibres meaning they carry information FROM THE BRAIN down to the gut.
Information gets shared along both sides of the highway, meaning positively influencing your central nervous system, i.e. positively influencing your brain will positively influence your gut, and thus your vagus nerve.
It is proven that deep breathing, resonate (slow) breathing, alternate nostril breathing, and sighing stimulate your parasympathetic system.
Further to this, incorporating the pelvic floor with your deep breathing has shown even greater benefit in lowering your blood pressure and getting you into a relaxed state!
Our favourite way to incorporate breath work with the pelvic floor is through Pelvic Floor Drops.
Here are some instructions:
Contract pelvic floor
Hold this contraction for an inhale
As you exhale drop and RELAX the pelvic floor
Keep the pelvic floor relaxed for 1-2 deep belly breaths
Repeat the above 10 times
You can listen to our audio instructions here.
Perform this 3 times a day and you may feel the benefits on your nervous system immediately, especially after 6 weeks!!
movement
Motion is lotion for your vagus nerve. Any type of movement and exercise does wonders for vagal tone. Especially any type of movement that you enjoy! If you are a runner, run. If you are a walker, walk.
For walkers, it is particularly lovely for your vagus nerve to do what we call "naked walking".
Naked whhhaaaattt you say?! To confirm, we don’t mean literally walking naked. In this type of naked walking, you are fully clothed.
You are naked in the sense that you are not listening to any podcasts, music or talking on the phone. You are just walking outside in nature, ideally in a green space with lots of trees and green vegetation around you, listening to the sounds of nature. Naked walking is ideally done in the morning soon after you wake. Walk for at least 15 minutes.
Mobility exercises for the neck and thoracic spine (middle part of your back) are particularly beneficial for vagal tone, as your vagus nerve passes through this area.
Try these exercises below to enhance your vagal tone:
MAKE SLOW LOW SOUNDS
As mentioned above, the vagus nerve has branches to the pharynx and larynx. Making slow and low sounds can stimulate the vagus nerve.
Try the following:
Slow low Humming for 5-10 seconds
5 sec rest
Repeat 10 times