Vagus Nerve: What it Does and Why It's Important

The main nerve of your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), your vagus nerve relays messages between your brain, digestive system, and heart. Your PNS helps your body relax and recover after stress -- the opposite of your sympathetic nervous system's "fight or flight" response. Your PNS controls your body's involuntary functions like digestion, blood pressure, and immune system.

"It's such an important nerve that it's now used to treat epilepsy and depression, with clinical trials underway for inflammatory and cardiac conditions," says Julie Kurek, MD, a board-certified neurologist and associate professor of neurology at the Medical College of Georgia.

"When your vagus nerve is interrupted, it can contribute to chronic inflammation, GI problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), mood disorders, and cardiovascular instability," says Kurek.

What Is Your Vagus Nerve?

This key to your PNS is your 10th cranial nerve, or cranial nerve X. It starts in your medulla oblongata (a part of your brain that connects to your spinal cord) and splits off into many branches that extend down through your neck to your major abdominal organs. Your vagus nerve makes up 3/4 of the nerve tissue in your PNS. It's the longest of your 12 cranial nerves.

What Does the Vagus Nerve Do?

It helps you calm down after stress and it regulates many of your involuntary body functions. It helps regulate your:

• Heart rate
• Taste
• Speech
• Skin sensations
• Muscle sensations
• Immune response
• Respiratory rate
• Blood pressure
• Mucus production
• Saliva production
• Digestion
• Amount of pee
• Mood

Manipulation of your vagus nerve may help treat:

Treatment-resistant depression. Researchers are still investigating how your vagus nerve is involved in mental health. But studies show vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) treatments may help depression that doesn't get better with talk therapy or prescription drugs. Experts believe this may be due to a connection between mental health and a healthy gut biome. In one study, 53% of participants responded to the treatment and 33% went into remission.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The two most common forms of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Medications for them can sometimes have unwanted side effects. Because your vagus nerve typically sends anti-inflammatory signals, experts are exploring how VNS may be a good treatment choice for IBD when you want to avoid side effects from traditional medications.

Epilepsy. The FDA has approved VNS therapy for epilepsy that doesn't respond to medication. The VNS device is implanted under your skin in your left chest area. It sends electronic impulses to calm your vagal nerve and prevent irregular brain activity. While it's not a cure for epilepsy, it may help reduce the duration, frequency, or severity of seizures. Doctors are still researching exactly how the vagus nerve relates to epilepsy.

Where Is Your Vagus Nerve Located?

Vagus is the Latin word for "wandering," and your vagus nerve takes a long winding path through your body. Your left vagal nerve runs down the left side of your neck, and your right vagal nerve runs down your right side. They go from your brain to your large intestines, running down your neck, through your chest, around your heart and lungs, and through your abdomen and intestines. Below your esophagus, the two sides rejoin to form the "vagal trunk," which goes down and into your abdomen before branching off again. Your vagus nerve's branches provide signals to specific areas of your body:

• The inferior ganglion branch sends signals to your voice box and throat.
• The superior ganglion branch connects to your spine and ears.
• The vagus nerve branch delivers nerve signals to your esophagus, heart, and lungs.

Signs Something Could Be Wrong With Your Vagus Nerve

Symptoms of vagus nerve conditions depend on where the nerve is affected and the cause. They include:

• Acid reflux
• Abdominal pain and bloating
• Changes in blood pressure or heart rate
• Difficulty swallowing or loss of gag reflex
• Dizziness or fainting
• Hoarseness, loss of voice, or wheezing
• Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss
• Feeling full after eating very little
• Nausea and vomiting

If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor. They'll help find the cause and possible treatment.

What Conditions Affect Your Vagus Nerve?

Your vegus nerve can be part of causing: Gastroparesis. This causes food to stop moving through your digestive system. Some cases of gastroparesis are caused by a damaged vagus nerve resulting from surgery, diabetes, an infection, or an autoimmune disorder. Vasovagal syncope. If you have this condition, you're more likely to faint in hot weather, when you're hungry or anxious, or in other uncomfortable conditions. Your vagus nerve will overreact to these situations and cause your blood pressure to drop very quickly, making you feel dizzy or causing you to faint.

How Can You Keep Your Vagus Nerve Healthy?

By doing things that keep you healthy overall, you can also keep your vagus nerve in good health. Eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Make sure to exercise for at least 30 minutes several times a week. Manage chronic health conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes. Practicing mindfulness, meditation, or yoga can also help keep your vagus nerve healthy by calming your nervous system. "Deep diaphragmatic or belly breathing is a free and accessible way to stimulate your vagus nerve and the 'rest and digest' part of your nervous system," Kurek says. Experts believe there's a strong connection between your gut biome and a healthy vagus nerve. Bacteria in your gut can release neurotransmitters such as dopamine, so some experts suggest taking prebiotics and probiotics to keep your gut biome healthy. Singing may also stimulate your vagus nerve, keeping it healthy as vibrations stimulate the parts of your vagus nerve in the back of your throat. If you don't like to sing, gargling has the same effect.

Vagus Nerve FAQs

How can I heal and calm my vagus nerve naturally?

You may not be able to heal everything about your vagus nerve naturally, but deep belly breaths can help restore its proper function, boosting your "rest and digest" function.

What vitamins are good for my vagus nerve?

It's not known for sure if vitamins help your vagus nerve, but ongoing research is looking at possible effects. Some studies suggest Vitamins D, B12 , and fish oil may help keep the vagus nerve healthy in some people. Talk to your doctor before taking any vitamins or supplements. .

How do I know if my vagus nerve needs to be reset?

Talk to your doctor if you're having symptoms such as stress, tension, and irritability. They can find out the cause and what you can do to feel better and get back on track.