Unlocking the Vagus Nerve: to balance hormones, sleep, digestion, and immune health

Did you know that your nervous system tone affects your immune system and metabolism??

The vagus nerve is the main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system (the part of our nervous system that helps us ‘rest and digest’). It extends from the brainstem down through the neck and into the chest and abdomen, branching out to various organs, including the heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines. The term "vagus" means "wandering" in Latin, aptly describing the nerve's extensive reach throughout the body. 

It wanders from the brain to all the organs, branching off with thousands of nerve fibers. What’s really cool is the vagus nerve communicates in both directions - both to and from the brain!

We refer to the activity of the vagus nerve a ‘vagal tone’, which is linked with heart health, metabolic health, mood, digestion, healthy aging, and more. 

The Vagus Nerve and Its Impact on Health

Hypertension

A recent study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that if your partner has high blood pressure, you are more likely to have it too. 

Heart disease is the #1 cause of death for men, women, and most racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., and blood pressure is one of the biggest risk factors.

When it comes to the vagus nerve, it plays a pivotal role in regulating blood pressure. When the vagus nerve is activated, it promotes relaxation and reduces the heart rate, leading to lower blood pressure. Conversely, vagus nerve dysfunction can contribute to hypertension (high blood pressure) by disrupting this regulatory mechanism. 

Maybe we should take this as a reminder to commit to some heart-healthy activities with the people closest to us in our lives to lower hypertension and improve our cardiovascular disease risk as a team.

Immune System Disruption

Most people believe the nervous system and immune system function independently, but it’s not true!

Actually, it was discovered 20 years ago that a reflex involving the vagus nerve helps to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines and resolve inflammation.

Since then, clinical trials have successfully used vagal nerve stimulation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. 

How specifically is the vagus nerve connecting to the immune system? The vagus nerve helps modulate the inflammatory response and maintain immune homeostasis, the communication pathway between the brain and the immune system. 

When the vagus nerve is functioning optimally, it can help reduce excessive inflammation and support a balanced immune response. Dysfunction of the vagus nerve, however, can lead to immune system disruption, chronic inflammation, and increased susceptibility to infections and autoimmune diseases.

Metabolism

Metabolic health is tightly tied to balanced nervous system regulation. You can’t have a healthy metabolism or lose the sticky weight with a dysregulated nervous system. The vagus nerve plays a role in the communication of the insulin/glucose pathway, affects appetite regulation, energy balance, and sleep quality. Poor vagus nerve function can lead to metabolic dysregulation, contributing to conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome.

A new study just published in Nature tells us about a deeper connection between metabolism and immune health. The study found that elevated blood sugar levels disrupted immune cells in the lungs and prevented them from activating the immune response. But the good news is ….

Tight control of blood sugar levels prompted those immune cells to regain their function and mount a protective response.

This is an important reminder of the intricate nature of our body, and how our nervous system regulation affects metabolic health, immune health, and overall health.

Digestive Health

Guess what, your digestive health is also affected by your vagal nerve tone. The vagus nerve influences digestion by regulating the secretion of digestive enzymes and promoting gut motility. It also plays a role in the communication between the gut and the brain.

This communication is bi-directional. While the vagus nerve regulates everything from heart health to metabolic health to immune function, it is strongly influenced by what is going on in the gut as well. That means that anything you do (or eat) to affect gut health will probably also affect vagal tone.

Hormonal Balance

From hot flashes, PMS, estrogen dominance, acne, abdominal weight, poor sleep …. The vagus nerve has a huge impact on our endocrine pathway, influencing the release of our hormones. 

It helps regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which controls the body's response to stress. If the stress remains unchecked, we start to see the dysregulation or fallout into the hormonal systems.

So when it comes to long term hormonal regulation, take a peek at your vagus nerve regulation.

Top 5 Treatments to Regulate the Vagus Nerve

The good news … there are some easy tricks to increase your vagal tone, to send a signal of safety to all of your organs so that they can function at their best. Here are some science backed ways to tone the vagus nerve:

• Deep Breathing Exercises
  Deep, slow breathing activates the vagus nerve and promotes relaxation.

• Meditation and Mindfulness
  Meditation and mindfulness practices can enhance vagal tone by promoting a state of calm and reducing stress.

• Cold Exposure
  Exposure to cold temperatures, such as taking cold showers or immersing in cold water, can stimulate the vagus nerve.

• Singing, Humming, and Chanting
  Activities that involve vocalization, such as singing, humming, and chanting, can stimulate the vagus nerve through the vibrations produced in the vocal cords.

• Yoga and Tai Chi
  Yoga and Tai Chi are mind-body practices that combine physical movement with breath control and mindfulness.

All of these work because the vagus nerve communicates in both directions - both to and from the brain. These practices send signals to the brain that increase activity of the vagus nerve. That means no more ‘fight or flight’ and a lot more ‘rest and digest’.

For those who know me, I love to nerd out on how everything in the body is connected - I call this the Orchestra of our body. 

If you are trying to make sense of what is going on with your hormonal health, metabolism, fatigue, poor sleep, or want to learn more about the importance of vagal nerve regulation, sign up for the next Free workshop on Balancing Hormones, where we will get into the importance of the vagus nerve.