6 Tips to Tone Your Vagal Nerve for Optimal Digestion

Vagal nerve tone is imperative to healthy digestion and here are 6 ways you can improve the health of this nerve from home!

1. Promote Healthy Posture- with most people sitting on computer and or looking at phones and tablets, it is important to note that this type of rounded and forward posture will compromise the cervical spine (neck) among other areas.

   
   

   Below I have given you the pictures on how to set yourself up for success at the computer and for sleep. Work and sleep generally constitute 2/3's of your day so you can make improvements in your neck with regular awareness and care

   
   

   

   
   

   

2. Practice breath work and more specifically, breathwork that has a longer exhale than inhale. You can read how to do 4-7-8 breathing on my blog post here.

3. Exercise regularly. Moving your body enhances vagal tone especially interval training and long distance exercise. Your vagal nerve innervates both the heart and lungs so exercise is a key consideration on your vagal tone journey.

   
   

4. Massage therapy. Regular massage helps your delicate nervous system move into the parasympathetic branch, which is your rest and digest system. This part of your nervous system is controlled by your vagus nerve so for optimal digestion to happen you need to practice getting your body into this state and out of the stress response.

   
   

   It is also important to note that aside from traditional swedish massage therapy you can receive treatments of craniosacral therapy and neural manipulation that more specifically address the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is one of the cranial nerves in the head and it can become tethered to or inhibited by other structures that affect how it sends impulses or signals to the glands it innervates. Working with a therapist that can release specific fascial restrictions and enhance mobility is extremely effective in maximizing vagal nerve health.

   
   

5. Sound therapy. The type of therapy I'm speaking about here is in relation to your own voice, so whether you like to sing in a choir, chant mantras, or practice humming or bumble bee breath... know that your vagus nerve is attached to your voice box. You can use your own personal sound as a healing tone to soothe the vagus nerve and improve function.

6. Cold plunges. Regular exposure to cold therapies can improve your heart rate variability (HRV) which is a measure of how your body adapts to stress. With regular practice it can optimize a healthier vagal tone. 

   
   

   
   

Until next time, Jenn