6 Ways to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve to Ease Stress and Anxiety

One of my favourite reflexes to work on the feet is the vagus nerve.

And it’s one where people often say, “when you were doing that bit I could feel my jaw relax/ something on my face/ just feel my whole body relax”. It always reminds me how powerful the vagus nerve is and how important it is to our overall wellbeing.

What is the Vagus Nerve?

Also known as the wandering nerve, the Vagus Nerve travels from the brain, down the neck, to all the organs of the chest and abdomen, and back. So, it really does have a significant influence on our body, and affects the heart rate, digestion, mood, respiration and immune system. It's also part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which relaxes your body after times of stress.

However, many issues we face in everyday life like stress, inflammation or injury can impact the function of the vagus nerve.

Ways to stimulate the Vagus Nerve?

If you are dealing with stress and anxiety, stimulating the vagus nerve is worth looking into. There are many ways to do this, and finding something that you enjoy and that works for you is important.

1.  Deep Breathing

Breathing deeply can have a transformative effect on how you feel. Deliberate breathing techniques such as deep breathing, slow exhalation or box breathing can activate the parasympathetic nervous system by engaging your diaphragm and reducing your heart rate, helping you to relax and creating a calming effect.

2.  Massage

Massage is a great way to relieve tension, signalling to the body that it is safe and relaxed. Massage stimulates the vagus nerve through physical touch and pressure, which can activate the parasympathetic nervous system and promote a sense of relaxation.  

Gentle, consistent pressure applied during massage stimulates receptors in the skin. These receptors send signals to the brain, engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, which is regulated in part by the vagus nerve. This induces relaxation, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, reduces cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and increases oxytocin.

3.  Reflexology

Gentle pressure applied to reflex points in the feet (hands or face) stimulates receptors and sensory nerves. These nerves communicate with the central nervous system, engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, which is regulated by the vagus nerve. This in turn reduces the body's stress response, lowering heart rate and blood pressure, and calming the mind.

Like massage, reflexology involves physical touch, which releases endorphins and oxytocin. These chemicals are known to activate parasympathetic pathways and improve mood.

Additionally, the gentle stimulation of reflex points may send soothing signals via the vagus nerve to the brain, helping to reduce anxiety, improve mood, and create a sense of emotional stability.

4. Singing or Humming

Practices like humming, chanting (e.g., "Om"), or even gentle singing create vibrations in the throat, stimulating the vagus nerve through its branches in the vocal cords and neck. This promotes relaxation and enhances vagal activation, which can uplift mood and reduce stress.

5.   Cold Water Immersion

The mammalian diving reflex is a survival mechanism triggered when cold water touches the face or body. This reflex involves slowing the heart rate, conserving oxygen, and activating the vagus nerve to calm the body. Cold water immersion can help reduce the fight-or-flight response, promoting relaxation and a state of rest-and-digest.

The cold shock triggers a brief stress response, but as the body adjusts, parasympathetic activity increases. The vagus nerve helps mediate this shift, lowering cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and restoring calm. Also immersion in cold water triggers a change in your breathing, which will also engage the vagus nerve.

When you think of cold water immersion it doesn’t have to be a tub of ice cold water, or a dip in the sea. A simple cold shower can be just as effective.

6.   Laughing

Like breathwork, laughing involves deep diaphragmatic breathing and rhythmic contractions of the abdominal muscles, which stimulate the vagus nerve through its connection to the diaphragm and internal organs.

This helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and reducing stress.

Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins (natural painkillers) and serotonin (a mood-stabilizing neurotransmitter), which interact with the vagus nerve to enhance feelings of well-being, improving your mood, alleviating anxiety, and leaving you feeling more relaxed.

So get out, meet you friends and have a good laugh it can do wonders for you.

Ideas to bring Vagus Nerve Stimulation into Everyday Life

In his book “Activate Your Vagus Nerve”, Dr. Navaz Habib explores some small but highly effective ways we can stimulate our vagus nerve regularly. Maybe you could incorporate some of these activities into your life more frequently to help you feel better, and keep the stress levels a bit lower.

Which one will you try?