In other words, vitamin C increases the ability of the autonomic nervous system, especially the vagus nerve, to respond to pressure variations.
Herbs: Herbs and supplements that support your nervous system will indirectly support and stimulate your vagus nerve. Ashwagandha, mucuna, and magnesium are just a few ways to naturally support your nervous system.
Loud gargling with water or loud singing activates our vocal cords which in turn stimulates the vagus nerve. Foot massage: gentle or firm touch can assist in stimulation the vagus nerve. Cold water face immersion: immerse your forehead eyes and at least 2/3 of both cheeks into cold water.
Eat foods rich in tryptophan.
Dietary tryptophan is metabolized in the gut and may help the astrocytes—cells in the brain and spinal cord—control inflammation, which may improve communication from the gut to the brain via the vagal messenger pathway. These foods include spinach, seeds, nuts, bananas, and poultry.
There are two main causes of vagus nerve dysfunction: previous infection or inflammation and physical or psychological stress.
Drinking water is also a stimulus to the vagus nerve, and may immediately stop a run of supraventricular tachycardia. Not having enough fluid (what people think of as “dehydration”) is another stimulus for fast heart rates, so some additional fluid is a second reason that water may help, though not instantly.
What the wellness community recommends for stimulating the vagus nerve—eye movements, meditation, massage, cold-water immersion, and singing and humming—, if it works, is likely to be beneficial through a very simple concept: relaxation.
Sleep on the right side
Lying on the back decreases Vagus Nerve activation, but sleeping on the right side shows greater Vagus Nerve stimulation compared to left side sleeping.
Zinc maintains healthy nervous system function, especially looking after the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the body, through which messages of 'calm' are transported.
Taken together, our results indicate that zinc stimulates food intake in short-term Zn-Def rats through the afferent vagus nerve followed by activating the hypothalamic peptide associated with food intake regulation.
Any kind of GI distress can put pressure on the Vagus nerve and irritate it resulting in further problems. An excess of alcohol, spicy foods, and caffeine can inflame the nerve. As we now know, our gut is considered to be our “second brain”, also known as our enteric nervous system.
Breathing with your diaphragm at a slow pace and rhythm can enhance how much your heart rate accelerates and decelerates with each breath, improving the tone of your vagus nerve. Most people breathe between 12-20 breaths per minute. With this technique, you slow your breathing rate to about 6 breaths per minute.
An anti-inflammatory diet that generally supports overall health and wellness is likely supportive for vagus nerve health as well. Ensuring adequate sodium and choline intake and avoiding trans fats are good nutritional rules to support vagus nerve function.
Lavender tea - just inhaling the aroma of this tea can be relaxing to our senses. The vagus nerve in our body is responsible for all healing. Lavender is known to reboot our nervous system and this soothes the vagus nerve and can activate the natural healing capacity of our body.
Activities like exercise, chanting aloud, prayer or meditation, deep diaphragmatic breathing, laughter, and cold-water face splashes help stimulate the vagus nerve and calm your sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system.
Any form of moderate massage to the neck and shoulders can help improve the functioning of your vagus nerve. A painful form of massage may not be a great choice because muscle pain may trigger the sympathetic nervous system, causing a “fight or flight” response.
What Triggers the Vagal Response? The vagal response (vasovagal reflex) is when stimulation of the vagus nerve causes symptoms such as lightheadedness, sweating, and blurred vision. This can happen because of stress, pain, heat, having a bowel movement, or even standing too long.
Based on research results and clinical experience, cervical region tightness can be considered to cause stomach problems through the vagal nerve, and soft tissue relaxation of the cervical region can be a promising treatment method for stomach symptoms.
We demonstrated that caffeine intake enhances autonomic nerve activities. Although a significant effect of caffeine on the increase in the LC or SNS activity was not observed, modulation of the vagal tone was markedly enhanced 20–30 min after consumption of the caffeine-containing beverages.
Theobromine contained within the chocolate seemingly reduces the vagus nerve activity.
“When we ingest sugar, it stimulates cells in the gut, and these cells release glutamate and activate the vagus nerve,” Bohórquez explains of his prior research. The vagus nerve is a cranial nerve that plays a regulatory role in internal organ functions such as digestion.