Proven methods to activate your body’s relaxation response.
Constantly stressed out? You’re not alone. A recent Gallup poll found that 53% of women and 45% of men experience frequent stress. Our bodies weren’t designed to stay in high alert all the time, but modern life often keeps us stuck in overdrive. That’s where the vagus nerve comes in. As the key player in your body’s relaxation response, vagus nerve stimulation can help turn off stress and promote a sense of calm. Here’s how it works—and how you can activate it.
What is the Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve, or vagal nerve, is one of the longest and most important nerves in your body. Originating in the brainstem and extending through the neck, chest, and abdomen, it plays a central role in regulating vital functions like heart rate, digestion, and breathing.
It’s also the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system—your body’s “rest and digest” system. After periods of stress, the vagus nerve helps bring the body back into balance by slowing your heart rate, improving digestion, and reducing tension. In short, it’s your body’s built-in recovery tool for finding calm and restoring balance.
The Vagus Nerve, Anxiety, and Stress Response
The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in regulating the body’s response to stress and anxiety. When you’re stressed, your body’s fight-or-flight response (controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, or SNS) kicks in. This response is designed for short bursts of stress, but chronic activation of the SNS—when the body fails to revert to a state of rest and recovery—can lead to several physical and mental health side effects.
- increased blood pressure
- irregular sleep rate
- digestive problems
- weakened immune function
- muscle tension
- insomnia/difficulty sleeping
The vagus nerve counteracts stress response by activating the body’s relaxation system. When your vagal tone (the level of vagus nerve activity) is strong, your body quickly recovers from stress. But when vagal tone is low, it’s harder to shift out of fight-or-flight mode, leaving you anxious, overwhelmed, and stuck in overdrive.
Research shows that higher vagal tone is linked to better emotional regulation and resilience, making the vagus nerve a key player in stress management.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
You can naturally boost vagal tone and strengthen your relaxation response with a few vagus nerve stimulation techniques:
- Deep Breathing: Slow, deep breaths activate the vagus nerve by encouraging the parasympathetic nervous system to engage. Practices such as diaphragmatic breathing (belly breathing) can have a calming effect on the body.
- Cold Exposure: Splashing your face with cold water or taking cold showers can stimulate the vagus nerve. The shock from the cold activates the parasympathetic system and can reduce stress.
- Gargling or Singing: These activities stimulate the muscles in the throat, which are connected to the vagus nerve. Singing or gargling water can activate this pathway and promote relaxation.
- Yoga and Meditation: Practices that involve mindful movement or stillness, like yoga or meditation, can help activate the vagus nerve by encouraging slow breathing and body awareness.
- Massage: Certain types of massage, like neck and foot massage, can also stimulate the vagus nerve and promote relaxation.
Do you need a Reset?
Natural techniques can improve vagal tone over time, but chronic stress or anxiety may leave your nervous system stuck in overdrive. When this happens, it’s difficult to shift back into a state of calm on your own.
For those experiencing persistent stress or anxiety, medical interventions like a stellate ganglion block (SGB) offer a more direct reset—restoring balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems and helping the vagus nerve function more effectively.That’s where our Neuro Reset Treatment comes in. This procedure combines a vagus nerve hydrodissection with a stellate ganglion block (SGB) to help restore balance in your nervous system. The vagus nerve hydrodissection targets the vagus nerve itself, allowing it to function more efficiently, while the SGB targets the sympathetic nervous system to reduce its overactive fight-or-flight response.
- Vagus Nerve Hydrodissection: Reduces restrictions around the vagus nerve, improving its function.
- Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB): Calms the overactive sympathetic nervous system, easing the body out of fight-or-flight mode.
Together, these treatments can help your body transition back into a state of calm, reduce anxiety, and enhance your ability to recover from stress.
If chronic stress is affecting your quality of life, consider the Neuro Reset Treatment as a way to bring your body back into balance.
