Fix Your Vagus Nerve, Fix Your Health
You may have felt it before. That punch to the gut when you get bad news. Or the feeling of butterflies in your stomach when you’re nervous. Or feeling like you can’t breathe when you are panicking.
These are not random reactions to stress…instead, it is the effect of the vagus or “wandering” nerve, which connects your brain to all of the organs in your chest and abdomen. When your brain perceives “fight or flight” the alarm literally travels and leads to a cascade of physical effects in areas that seem to have no relation to each other. These effects may include slower heartbeat; dilated pupils; increased flow of saliva; reduced airflow in the lungs; sweating; nausea; feeling warm; ear ringing and tunnel vision; bladder contractions; dizziness; intestinal spasms and difficulty swallowing. The vagus nerve travels in both directions, with the majority of traffic going from the body to the brain.
This may create a vicious cycle of issues, where the “perceived” threat activates a physical response and those physical reactions in turn alarm the brain. (i.e. “I hope I don’t feel dizzy while I’m driving to work today.” The panic activates the vagus nerve, leading to difficulty breathing and dizziness. The dizziness, an obvious danger, then sets the brain into alarm. See the circle?)
The vagus nerve is a huge factor in chronic illness. Its role has finally come to the forefront with Long COVID, as many patients have exhibited symptoms of vagus nerve dysfunction. It makes perfect sense: there is a lack of knowledge about long COVID, so many patients are terrified by alarming symptoms for which doctors have no answers. The fear puts them in perpetual flight or fight, as they never know how their bodies are going to fail them next. The fight or flight activates the strange symptoms, and the circle continues.
When the vagus nerve is stressed too often, it becomes dysfunctional. Physical effects such as thickening have been measured through imaging. It can also lead to amygdala hypertrophy, an alarm response in the brain which blocks input that could help quiet the alarm. Actual PHYSICAL events occur that perpetuate the symptoms that many in the medical field dismiss as “all in your head.” And this may also explain why treatment protocols such as medications don’t work for everyone.
Besides Long COVID, vagus nerve dysfunction has been associated with fibromyalgia, gastroparesis and other GI disorders, POTS, seizures, arrhythmia, anxiety and depression, chronic pain, Lyme Disease, CFS and environmental illnesses. The medical community is slowly beginning to realize that the vagus nerve may hold the key to healing.
When you are in a chronic pattern of alarm, how do you calm down the vagus nerve? That is a tough one. You literally have to try to feel calm and happy when you don’t feel that way at all. Here are some suggestions:
Breathing exercises can slow the heart rate and reduce the stress response. I like the simple 4-7-8 pattern; inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds. Try to engage your belly into your breathing, it makes a big difference.
Splashing cold water on your face or taking a cold shower activates the “dive” reflex which quiets the vagus nerve.
Spending time doing something you enjoy creates feelings of well-being. Positive vibes change the pathways in your brain…think of it as “fake it until you make it.” For some, it may be yoga or meditation; for others it could be doing a craft or just meandering around the mall. Whatever makes YOU feel content will have the desired effect.
Try to laugh. This can be hard when you are unwell, but being around people who make you laugh can be the best medicine. TV shows, movies or stand-up comedy specials may also do the trick.
Massages, particularly on the back of your neck, may stimulate the vagus nerve.
Gargling activates the muscles in the back of the throat, which calms the vagus nerve.
Vibrations can help calm the nerves. While some devices are sold for this purpose, my favorite source for this one is my kitten, who sleeps on my head and purrs. I swear he single handedly healed my vagus nerve and improved my health more than anything else. And I tried many things.
The bottom line? To get your health back, you need to calm down. This can be a Herculean task when you feel like the wheels are falling off, but small steps lead to big gains. Just knowing that there is a real, physiological reason that strange phenomena are occurring in your body may help keep you calmer. (The “all in your head” diagnosis is far from helpful, as it has led many of us to wonder if we really were going crazy.) And if all else fails, adopt a kitten. They work miracles.
