The Naturopathic Co.
You're using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.
The vagus nerve has become one of the most talked-about topics in nervous-system health.
Social media is full of techniques claiming to “reset” the vagus nerve, increase vagal tone or instantly shift the body out of fight or flight.
The reality is more nuanced.
The vagus nerve is an important part of communication between the brain, nervous system and digestive tract, but there isn’t one magic exercise that resets your entire nervous system. Read more about our approach to nervous system support.
Understanding what the vagus nerve actually does can help explain why stress, anxiety and digestive symptoms are so closely connected.
The vagus nerve is the tenth cranial nerve and is a major component of the parasympathetic nervous system.
It travels from the brainstem and communicates with numerous organs, including those within the gastrointestinal system.
Importantly, communication doesn’t simply travel from the brain down to the gut.
A significant amount of information also travels from the body towards the brain.
This makes the vagus nerve an important part of the gut-brain axis.
The parasympathetic nervous system is often referred to as the body’s rest-and-digest system.
This is an oversimplification, but it provides a useful way of understanding the contrast with acute fight-or-flight activation.
When we feel safe and relaxed, the body can devote resources to normal maintenance functions, including digestion.
When we are responding to an immediate threat, digestion isn’t necessarily the body’s highest priority. This is the same fight-or-flight pattern we explore in more detail in nervous system dysregulation and gut health.
This is why trying to eat a large meal while extremely stressed can feel very different from eating the same meal when relaxed.
The vagus nerve participates in signalling involved in gastrointestinal function.
This helps explain why nervous-system state can influence digestive symptoms.
People under significant stress may experience:
Not every digestive symptom is caused by vagal function or stress, however — read more about how IBS and anxiety interact, and why persistent symptoms deserve proper investigation through our digestive concerns pages.
Persistent gastrointestinal symptoms should be investigated appropriately.
The vagus nerve forms one component of the much broader gut-brain axis.
The gut-brain axis also involves the immune system, hormones, microbial metabolites and other nervous-system pathways.
This means it is overly simplistic to suggest that stimulating one nerve will resolve anxiety or digestive disease. If you feel chronically wired or overloaded, read more about nervous system dysregulation and gut health. The vagus nerve is also implicated in immune regulation — read more about stress and autoimmune flares.
Instead, we consider the wider environment affecting both gut and nervous-system health — read more about our naturopathic approach to healing anxiety, including how this connects to our Melbourne and Sydney clients’ experience of anxiety and gut health together.
Research into vagal activity and health is ongoing.
Rather than promising a quick “vagus nerve reset,” we prefer to focus on behaviours that support overall nervous-system health.
These may include:
Some people also find practices such as meditation, yoga or time outdoors useful for reducing perceived stress. Poor sleep is often part of this picture too — read more about our approach to sleep problems and insomnia.
One particularly simple strategy is to consider how you eat, not just what you eat.
If possible:
Sit down to eat.
Move away from your computer.
Avoid answering emails while eating.
Slow your breathing before starting.
Chew your food properly.
Give yourself enough time to finish the meal.
For someone experiencing bloating, reflux or IBS, these habits won’t necessarily resolve the underlying condition, but they can form part of a more comprehensive digestive strategy.
If you have persistent digestive symptoms, we wouldn’t assume you simply need to “activate your vagus nerve.”
There may be other factors contributing to symptoms, including dietary patterns, gut microbiome changes, SIBO, food intolerances, digestive function, medications, hormonal changes and other gastrointestinal conditions such as gastritis, candida overgrowth or leaky gut.
This is where a comprehensive gut-health assessment can be useful. If you have persistent bloating specifically, read more about bloating and digestive issues, and for IBS, read more about our approach to IBS, or the wider functional testing we can offer to investigate further.
At The Naturopathic Co., we look at the gut-brain axis, nervous system and digestive health together where clinically relevant.
Our naturopaths work with people experiencing IBS, bloating, anxiety, stress, fatigue, poor sleep and other interconnected health concerns, including skin flare-ups and weight changes that so often accompany a dysregulated nervous system.
We offer naturopath consultations from our South Yarra clinic in Melbourne and via Telehealth throughout Australia, including Sydney.
Rather than looking for a quick vagus nerve “hack,” our aim is to understand the broader factors influencing your gut, brain and nervous system and develop a personalised plan accordingly.
Book a consultation with The Naturopathic Co. to start investigating what may be contributing to your symptoms.
With 180+ verified five-star Google reviews, our naturopaths and nutritionists offer comprehensive 60-minute initial consultations, in person in South Yarra, Melbourne, or via telehealth across Australia. Book your consultation with The Naturopathic Co. today.
