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The Vagus Nerve is the main collection of nerves for your Parasympathetic Nervous System, which is in charge of the “rest and digest” bodily functions, like digestion, heart rate, and heart pressure. It is the other half of the Sympathetic Nervous System’s “fight or flight” bodily functions.
Where the Sympathetic Nervous System preps you for danger and is in charge of keeping you safe, the Parasympathetic Nervous System, equipped with the Vagus Nerve, is in charge of calming you down.
When the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems are unbalanced or unevenly triggered, feelings of stress, anxiety, and over-arousal can occur. Stimulating the vagus nerve can help reset this system and remind your body that you are safe.
What Are the Symptoms of a Vagus Nerve Imbalance?
What happens when the vagus nerve isn’t working properly? When the vagus nerve has dysfunction, it can cause a number of both physical and mental health issues.
Depending on the location and severity of vagus nerve imbalance or damage, you might experience some of these physical health issues:
- Abdominal pain and bloating
- Acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD)
- Changes to heart rate, blood pressure or blood sugar
- Difficulty swallowing or loss of gag reflex
- Dizziness or fainting
- Hoarseness, wheezing or loss of voice
- Loss of appetite, feeling full quickly or unexplained weight loss
- Nausea and vomiting
These are usually signs of more severe or extensive vagus nerve damage.
When the vagus nerve is not being activated when needed, our mental health can suffer as well. Our mental and physical health are closely linked, and nowhere is that clearer than in our nervous system.
Can Vagus Nerve Stimulation Help with Anxiety?
The FDA has always approved vagus nerve stimulation to help treat depression that is unresponsive to other treatment methods. It’s seriously looking into Vagus Nerve stimulation treatment for:
- Cluster headaches
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Pain.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Schizophrenia
Many people also find vagus nerve exercises to be helpful in reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation. The vagus nerve is in charge of our rest and relaxation bodily cycles, so it makes sense that by stimulating it, we also reduce our stress levels and promote overall well-being.
Vagus Nerve Exercises
Stimulating the vagus nerve can be a quick, easy way to calm down. These are science-backed methods for doing so.
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1. Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing
Breathing exercises are some of the simplest and most effective vagal nerve stimulation exercises you can do. All the other exercises on this list also involve deep breathing, so this is a great exercise to start with.
- Sit or lie down comfortably.
- Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
- Inhale slowly through your nose, letting your belly rise.
- Keep your chest relatively still.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth or nose, letting the belly fall.
- Continue for 2–5 minutes, making the exhale slightly longer than the inhale.
Why it works
Diaphragmatic breathing signals safety to the brain. Longer exhales increase parasympathetic (calming) activity. The vagus nerve is strongly activated during slow, deep exhalations. It shifts the body out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest.
Breathing also gets more oxygen to the brain, which can help with decision-making and rational thinking.
If you are feeling anxious or like you’re spiraling, take a few minutes to stop and breathe.
2. Cold-Water Face Submersion
Shocking your system with cold water is a fast, if not always completely comfortable, way to stimulate the vagus nerve.
- Fill a bowl with cool (not ice-cold) water.
- Take a normal breath.
- Gently submerge your face (especially cheeks and nose) for 10–30 seconds.
- Come up, breathe normally, and rest.
- Repeat once or twice if comfortable.
For an even faster exercise, splash cool water on your face or hold a cool pack to your cheeks. Don’t forget to breathe! Take deep breaths with your diaphragm in between cold-water submersion.
Why it works
Cold-water submersion triggers the diving reflex, which activates the vagus nerve. Basically, when the face hits cold water, the body prepares to hold its breath. It slows the heart rate to preserve oxygen. A slower heart rate means reducing stress hormones.
Deep breathing in between can signal to the brain that you are safe.
This is especially helpful during acute anxiety or when simple breathing isn’t doing enough.
3. Humming
Humming or singing doesn’t just lift mood, it can calm your nervous system too! For a fun exercise, simply hum or sing to your favorite song. Throw in some free-form dance for a rejuvenating and relaxing experience.
To be more intentional with humming, you can follow these steps.
- Sit upright and relax your jaw.
- Inhale through your nose.
- Hum on the exhale (“mmm” or “om”) for as long as comfortable.
- Feel vibration in your throat, chest, or face.
- Repeat for 1–3 minutes.
Why it works
The vagus nerve actually runs through the vocal cords and throat. The vibration from humming stimulates vagal pathways. Also, try humming while holding your breath. You can’t! Humming and singing encourage slow breathing and prolonged exhalation, two key things in grounding the nervous system.
4. Box Breathing
Box breathing is a classic anxiety relief mechanism that can be used whenever you’re feeling dysregulated.
- Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
- Exhale slowly for 4 seconds.
- Hold again for 4 seconds.
- Repeat for 1–3 minutes.
You can adjust the count (e.g., 3–5 seconds) if needed.
Why it works
This works in much the same way as diaphragm breathing, but you can do it anywhere. Breathwork is closely related to the Parasympathetic Nervous System, so anytime you can take a few, deep, intentional breaths is a great thing.
5. Full Body Shaking
Have you ever noticed that after a dog is stressed, it’ll shake its entire body? This is something most animals practice and is a way of shedding excess energy and stress. By shaking, animals are telling the brain, I’m safe now.
You can practice this technique by:
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Begin gently shaking your legs, then arms.
- Let the movement spread naturally through your body.
- Keep breathing normally.
- Continue for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
- Stop and notice sensations afterward.
Why it works
Shaking out your muscles signals to your brain that the stress response is complete. Whatever danger it sensed has passed, and your body can calm down now.
6. The Basic Exercise by Stanley Rosenberg
A simple exercise pioneered by body therapist Stanley Rosenberg, this is a short and simple exercise you can implement in your daily routine.
- Lie on your back on a comfortable surface.
- Interlace your fingers and place them behind your head.
- Without moving your head, look to the right with only your eyes.
- You may feel the urge to swallow, sigh, or yawn. Let your body do so; it’s your vagal nerve activating.
- Return eyes to center.
- Repeat on the left side.
Why it works
This exercise can relax pelvic floor muscles as well as stimulate relaxation by gently stimulating the vagal pathways.
Practice Vagal Nerve Exercises Safely
These exercises should feel calming or neutral, not distressing. If dizziness, discomfort, or distress occurs, stop and return to normal breathing. Oftentimes, less is more, and gentle consistency matters more than intensity. These exercises are not about how long you can submerge your face under water or how deeply you can breathe. It’s about calmly reminding your body that you are safe and that it is okay to rest.
If you need help with anxiety relief or feel stuck in a fight or flight response, talk to a therapist. Vagal Nerve exercises are a great place to start, but there might be an underlying mental health issue that is causing your anxiety levels to spike.
