Importance of the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body, connecting the brain to the neck, heart, lungs, spleen and the digestive system. It has many functions within those body systems with vital involvement in sensory and movement functions and a major role in balancing the nervous system, which is the focal point of this article.

Balancing the Nervous System

Try to think of the Vagus nerve as an on/off switch between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, your stress response fight or flight and your rest and digest response. On the sympathetic side, turning the switch ON when experiencing a stressful event, the vagus nerve is involved in increasing the heart rate, blood pressure, energy levels, allows you to be more alert and focused, accelerates breathing, and redirects blood flow from the digestive system to the brain and muscles. We can become faster, stronger, react quicker to a “dangerous” situation. Energy is not “wasted” on digestive functions! On the parasympathetic side, turning the switch OFF to get back into the rest and digest phase, it lowers blood pressure, heart rate, slows breathing, instills a sense of calmness and relaxation to body and mind.

Remember that in a stressful situation blood flow to the digestive system is going to be decreased, slowing down digestive functions? That is an important factor when considering that many of us stay in a state of “stress response” for prolonged periods of time. The Vagus nerve is in constant communication between the gut and the brain, and is also involved in sending anti-inflammatory information to the body. Hence, unmanaged stress can add to digestive and inflammatory issues.

Stimulating the Vagus Nerve

When the Vagus nerve gets stimulated it releases a substance called “Vagusstoff”, also named acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in our capacity to calm down, to switch from our stress response back into our rest and digest response. The vagus nerve communicates the state of our organs back to the brain. The higher our vagal tone, the better our emotional and physical wellbeing, the better our ability to stay in control during stressful situations and exercising adequate response. Low vagal tone makes it difficult to “switch back” into a calm and relaxed state and may be associated with chronic inflammation, negative moods and emotions, feeling isolated, increased heart rate and blood pressure, digestive issues – just to name a few.

 

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