Your vagus nerve is an important factor in your mental health wellbeing as well as your gut health. The vagus nerve is often referred to as the superhighway nerve in the body that connects your brain to the digestion system, heart health, immune system, and ultimately has an effect on your mood. This nerve begins in the brain stem and travels all the way to the chest and abdomen. In terms of stress responses, it releases neurotransmitters like serotonin and is a part of your fight or flight response. Stimulation of this nerve can reduce anxiety, depression, and digestive disorders.

Holistic methods to stimulate the vagus nerve:

• Music – In my opinion music solves all your problems. It helps with mental health, please see my growing Spotify playlists. Relaxing music can calm the vagus nerve. Calm Radio provides services for Vagus Nerve Conditioning.
• Exposure to Cold – Place an ice pack on the base of the brain stem on the back of the neck. Please also note that this method helps relieve symptoms of PTSD and CPTSD. This mechanism helps relax and regenerate and reduces heart rate. It may calm you by reducing stress and inflammation. You can avoid emotional dysregulation or panic by applying a cold washcloth to your face or holding ice in your hands. Exposure to cold stimulates the vagus nerve, which promotes relaxation internally rather than shocking the system.²
• Breathwork – Diaphragmatic breathing (also referred to as “slow abdominal breathing“) is something you can do anytime and anywhere to instantly stimulate your vagus nerve and lower stress responses associated with “fight-or-flight” mechanisms.⁴
• Yoga – Yoga practices stimulate the vagus nerve.⁵
• Meditation – Various types of meditations can assist with vagus nerve such as diaphragmic breathing.⁶
• Singing, humming, chanting – The researchers found that the vibrations from ‘OM’ chanting stimulate the vagus nerve, which then sends out neurotransmitters and electrical signals that reduce activity to key areas of the brain like the amygdala, associated with our fight/flight/freeze response.¹
• Massages – Research shows that reflexology (a kind of massage) can increase vagal tone and even decrease blood pressure.⁶
• Sleep on right side – The vagus nerve extends down the right side of the neck in a sizable portion. According to research, sleeping on that side can activate it. By resting on it, you can reap the full benefits of its stimulation.²
• Laughing and social interaction – Any type of laughter stimulates diaphragmatic breathing, activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and triggers the “tend-and-befriend” response linked to healthy tone in your vagus nerve.⁷
• Probiotics – The vagus nerve has been linked to mental health and emotional well-being. Research has shown that stimulating the vagus nerve can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, which are often associated with gut health issues. This connection between the vagus nerve and mental health highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy gut to support overall well-being.⁸
• Exercise – Interval training and endurance training can increase your vagus nerve activity and improve your heart rate variability. ³

Ever notice when you become stressed that you can have bowel movement issues, vomiting, acid reflux, bloating, and various other issues? The vagus nerve is also associated with digestion. In addition, brain chemicals are produced such as serotonin. Serotonin is used by your body for many processes, including regulating sleep, digestion, and your mood. Keeping your vagus nerve in good condition will assist with serotonin production which is directly correlated to your mental wellbeing.

“Serotonin is a signaling molecule that is mostly produced in the gut. Ninety-five percent of the serotonin found in the body resides in the gut. Serotonin and other neurotransmitters travel from the gut to the brain via the vagus nerve. Chemical signals travel both from the gut to the brain and vice versa. Serotonin affects many aspects of gut function, including how fast food moves through your system and how much fluid is secreted in your intestines.”

References
5 Ways To Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve (clevelandclinic.org)
Vagus Nerve Cooling for Anxiety | Psych Central
How Do I Tone My Vagus Nerve? 10 Ways to Heal It Naturally (medicinenet.com)
Vagus nerve stimulation | Wim Hof Method
What Is the Gut-Brain Connection? (clevelandclinic.org)
Vagus Nerve: Function and How to Stimulate It Naturally (Evidence Based) (healthyandnaturalworld.com)
Vagus Nerve: Function, Stimulation, and More (healthline.com)
The Vagus Nerve Explained in Plain English | Diet vs Disease
Vagus Nerve: What it Does and Why It’s Important (webmd.com)
The important role of serotonin | Microba
IBS and Serotonin – Gastrointestinal Society (badgut.org)
How Does Serotonin in the Brain Affect Your Bowels? (healthline.com)
Autonomic nervous function during whole-body cold exposure before and after cold acclimation – PubMed (nih.gov)
Effects of Yoga Versus Walking on Mood, Anxiety, and Brain GABA Levels: A Randomized Controlled MRS Study – PMC (nih.gov)
Effect of laughter yoga on mood and heart rate variability in patients awaiting organ transplantation: a pilot study – PubMed (nih.gov)
Neurohemodynamic correlates of ‘OM’ chanting: A pilot functional magnetic resonance imaging study – PMC (nih.gov)
Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity – PMC (nih.gov)
How Does Serotonin in the Brain Affect Your Bowels? (healthline.com)
A Yoga Practice to Activate the Vagus Nerve – Chopra