Here’s What Happens When the Vagus Nerve is Stimulated

There’s a buzz on social media about the many benefits of the unsung hero of the body, the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest of twelve cranial nerves that carry signals between your brain, lungs, heart, and digestive system. It is part of the parasympathetic nervous system that controls all the body functions that happen subconsciously, such as breathing and digestion but influences far more than that when stimulated. If you’re interested to know what really happens when the vagus nerve is stimulated, read on to find out. 

Helps You Feel the Love

When the vagus nerve is stimulated, it provokes feelings of love and a sense of compassion. The vagus nerve can be quickened by the sight of someone suffering and it can provoke a care-taking response. In some cases, even looking at an image of someone in pain is enough to trigger the vagus nerve in sympathetic response. It is likely the vagus nerve that’s involved when a child stands up to a bully on behalf of their friend on the playground.   

Manages Fears and Stress

The vagus nerve is responsible for managing fears by sending information from the gut to the brain to calm a person’s response to stressful or scary situations. The ‘gut feelings’ we have relate to our fear, anxiety, and stress, and the vagus nerve helps manage these. When your body feels threatened, the sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight or flight response. When the danger is past,  the parasympathetic nervous system triggers to calm you. The vagus nerve helps your body to realize that it is safe. 

Acts as an Anti-inflammatory

A body’s inflammatory response is a contributing factor to many diseases that cause debilitating pain. Inflammation is often a body’s response to stress. With the vagus nerve’s ability to lower the biological stress markers, it effectively reduces inflammation as well. Stimulating the vagus nerve either through daily meditation, yoga, or an implanted vagus nerve stimulation device available from vagus.net can have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body through the release of acetylcholine. Acetylcholine acts as a form of tranquilizer that tames the inflammation reflex.

Improves Gut Health

Patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) frequently have low vagal tone. Stimulating the vagus nerve increases its function and leads to a higher vagal tone. This leads to an improvement in gut health and better digestion.

What Happens When the Vagus Nerve Is Stimulated 

Knowing what happens when the vagus nerve is stimulated offers great reasons why it’s a practice that should be part of our everyday lives. With many health benefits for the mind and body, learning how to stimulate the vagus nerve is a simple matter that can bring profound relief emotionally, mentally, and physically without the use of medication. 

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