What is Vagal Tone and How to Improve It

Your physical and mental health are intimately intertwined. How so? Through the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a part of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and orchestrates responses that affect both our mental and physical health. Nurturing vagal tone can transform your body in positive ways. It enables your autonomic nervous system (ANS) to favor the “rest and digest” state over the “fight or flight” state. A body that can relax faster after stress will lead a life with multiple health benefits that includes reducing inflammation, enhancing gut health, stabilizing moods, and so much more. This article will review what the vagus nerve and vagal tone are, how vagal tone relates to stress and your overall health, and discuss exercises to help improve your vagal tone for health benefits.

Show me ways to improve vagal tone so I can reap the health benefits.

*This post does not contain affiliate links. Any links provided are things I have read or tried and recommend based on my own experience.

**This is not medical advice. Please consult your medical provider for more information.

Anatomy of the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is a critical part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), more specifically, the parasympathetic branch. This nerve travels through the neck all the way down into the abdomen, hence its influence on digestion. Its function is to regulate metabolic homeostasis, affecting many systems throughout the body.

The vagus nerve influences heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, cardiovascular activity, and various reflexes (coughing, swallowing, and sneezing). Overall, the vagus nerve influences our response to stress.

Ever heard of the fight or flight response? This is due to the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for “rest and digest.” That is, once the body is amped up after a stressful situation, the PNS calms everything back down.

Vagal tone refers to the level of activity of the vagus nerve and is a useful indicator in measuring an individual’s ability to respond to stress.

High vs Low Vagal Tone

When someone has high vagal tone, their body has an adaptive response to stimuli. A higher vagal tone correlates with a slower heart rate, effectively allowing the body to recovery from stress and recharge more efficiently. A low vagal tone is associated with a reduced ability to cope with stress and heightened stress reactivity.

Maintaining a high vagal tone is crucial for both physical and mental health. Studies have shown that individuals with higher vagal tone experience lower levels of inflammation, improved gut health, greater emotional regulation, and improved mental health.

Overall, vagal tone is a measure of nervous system health. Learning stress reduction techniques to stimulate the vagus nerve can help improve vagal tone, and in turn, improve your tolerance to change and stress.

Measuring Vagal Tone

Evidence links elevated vagal tone to improved heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is the measure of the variation in time between consecutive heartbeats. HRV can be used as an indicator for both physical and mental health.

You can only measure HRV with specialized devices, as we are talking about just fractions of a seconds. In the clinic, an EKG (electrocardiogram) can give you this information. Wearing a Holter monitor at home can also give you this info. There are also heart rate monitors worn around the chest. Depending on the brand and capability of the heart rate monitor, this may also be able to give you some useful information related to heart rate and heart rate variability.

Devices worn on the wrist or finger (health/fitness trackers like fitness watches and rings) will be less reliable as it is further away from the heart itself. When looking into very specific information like HRV, you want a device that measures close to the heart. Regardless, your PCP or cardiologist will need to interpret the numbers. It is very difficult to interpret, as there are many factors to consider, including age, comorbidities, etc.

Why is Heart Rate Variability Important?

HRV can be very eye opening. Faster rates occur when you’re active, stressed, or in danger. When you are relaxed and calm, you have slower rates. Your nervous system picks up many different signals, including what your surrounding environment looks like and things you hear and smell. Your brain and body are constantly taking in signals and your nervous system automatically adapts to get you ready for anything (this is why it is called the autonomic nervous system).

For example, if you hear a sudden noise, your body is going to be on alert, scanning and looking for danger. You might feel your heart rate rise, some people might get a bit sweaty, your eyelids will constrict. This is your sympathetic nervous system getting your body ready for a fight-or-flight response. Once you recognize there is no sign of danger, your parasympathetic nervous system takes over, bringing you back down to a calm and restful state. Your heart rate slows back down and your eyes begin to dilate as you start to feel more relaxed.

If you have high HRV, your body is able to adapt more efficiently to many changes. Low HRV refers to a body that is less resilient and may struggle with change. Because of this, low HRV is considered a sign of current and/or future health problems and may be related to common conditions like depression, high blood pressure (hypertension), and heart arrhythmias.

Lifestyle Factors Affecting Vagal Tone

Understanding the lifestyle factors impacting your vagal tone is crucial. These elements play a significant role in managing stress levels, influencing HRV, and support both your physical and mental health. Maintaining health lifestyle factors will positively impact your physical body and mentality. Whereas, making poor lifestyle choices may negatively impact HRV, vagal tone, and resiliency.

There really isn’t anything you haven’t heard here before: stay active, choose whole foods, limit alcohol consumption, and don’t smoke. There is a reason we always here the same advice. It’s because diet, exercise, and alcohol and tobacco consumption are at the root cause of a lot of diseases and conditions. While that doesn’t mean if you choose these every single time something health related won’t happen (this does NOT prove causality), but they all are closely intertwined.

It really does come down to keeping it simple and maintaining consistency with nutrition and exercise. If you are interested in learning more about either nutrition or exercise (or both), leave a comment down below or contact me on what you would like to see!

On top of diet and exercise, incorporating mindfulness practices, like yoga or meditation, can boost your vagal tone. Stress reduction techniques can significantly enhance vagal tone as this offers a pathway to greater relaxation and improved ANS balance. And don’t forget the importance of sleep! A well-rested body supports all aspects of your health, including the optimal function of the PNS, which is intimately connected with your vagal tone.

Ways to Improve Vagal Tone and Restore Resiliency

There are practices you can adapt to start promoting physical and mental wellbeing to support your nervous system. You can choose some of the practices or exercises listed below to help restore autonomic balance. Find what you enjoy and what works for you. Every person will be different and what you find works for you might not be what works for someone else. Also find something that you actually enjoy doing. You are more likely to stick with something you like to do vs. something you feel your you have to do and dread it.

Deep Breathing Exercises to Enhance Vagal Tone

Deep breathing can be used to help restore calm and relaxation to the body by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. There are many different forms of deep breathing techniques. We will only focus on one for the purposes of this post. Try to find a quiet spot while you do this so you won’t be distracted. Technically, you can do this anywhere if you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. But try to find a quiet, calm place for your first time so there are minimal to no distractions.

This is the box breathing technique: breathe in for a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, and hold for a count of four. Then repeat for up to three minutes. If you feel dizzy at any point in time, switch to your normal breathing pattern.

Practicing this exercise daily can promote relaxation, reduce stress levels, and strengthen resiliency. You are able to stimulate your wellbeing through the power of breath.

Meditation and Mindfulness

Meditation, as well as other forms of mindfulness, have been found to stimulate the vagus nerve. Some may find meditation a hard practice to pick up. It can start as short as 1-3 minutes a day. Start with what you can handle at first. There are many different apps nowadays that offer free meditations and guides. Try a few out and find one that works for you. Remember to stick with it. Consistency is key here.

Dancing

Believe it or not, dancing stimulates the vagus nerve! It’s a form of exercise and also increases breathing, both forms of vagus nerve stimulation. Bonus: pick your choosing of either a slow, rhythmical dance or something more upbeat. The choice is yours. Doing it with a friend or partner increases and social interaction and can add to the vagus nerve stimulation.

Cold Exposure

Dunking your face into cold water in the morning is more than just combating inflammation. It actually resets the nervous system! The act of cold exposure elicits parasympathetic activity, which reduces your sympathetic tone. It has been found as an effective means of stabilizing stress levels. If you want to take it a step further, a cold shower or cold plunge/ice bath for 1-3 minutes will have similar effects.

Initiating this practice can be as simple as ending your shower with a burst of cold water, progressively extending the duration as your tolerance increases. This gradual adaptation aids in enhancing vagal tone as your body becomes more accustom to environmental changes and stimuli.

Singing, Humming, and Gargling

Your vagus nerve innervates you larynx, or the voice box. Singing, humming, and gargling water produces vibration through the vocal cords, which stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve also passes through the inner ear. Listening to calm music can also stimulate this nerve. Sing or hum along to the music for more stimulation.

Integrating Vagal Tone Practices into Daily Life

Integrating practices to bring nervous system balance into your life does not have to feel overwhelming. The key is finding a routine and sticking with consistency and patience.

Start with one change. If you change too many things at once, it can feel overwhelming and do the opposite effect that you want, which is cause more stress and place you in a sympathetic response. Pick one change and pick an easy one. It could be incorporating box breathing for one minute every day. Do this every day, slowly increasing your tolerance up to 3 minutes as you feel ready.

Once you feel ready to incorporate something else, maybe you choose to try cold exposure. If you are someone who showers daily or washes your face morning and night, try some cold exposure. Every time you shower, at the end, turn your water to cold. Even if just for 10 seconds. Or try cold water exposure on your face. If the water from your sink isn’t cold enough, fill up some of the water in the sink and throw some ice cubes in it. And every time you wash your face, morning and night, your expose your face to the cold water. This is an easy way to incorporate vagus nerve stimulation into your daily routine.

Remember that diet and nutrition are also ways to improve vagal tone, along with a multitude of other health benefits. Maybe you try to incorporate 30-45 minutes of exercise 2-3 times per week. Maybe one of those is a dance class or you play music in your room and you dance along. Get creative. Do something you enjoy. Find a nutrient-dense recipe you enjoy and enjoy the process of making it for yourself on a consistent basis. The possibilities are endless, but find something you know you will stay consistent with.

Remember, if you want this to last long term, it has to be sustainable. Slowly incorporate small changes over a length of time. As author James Clear says in his book, Atomic Habits, it can take over 2 months to form a habit. But if you stick with it, your future self will thank you.

Vagal Tone and Mental Health

This post highlights the connection between the vagus nerve and both physical and mental health. While we have covered HRV and various ways to improve vagal tone, it looks as though all of this is related to physical wellbeing. So how exactly does all of this play into mental wellbeing?

As the nervous system has a lot to do with our stress response, this is also related and connected to our mental wellbeing. As discussed earlier, low vagal tone is associated with a reduced ability to cope with stress and heightened stress reactivity. There is also a relationship to dealing with chronic stress. When the body is in a more sympathetic state, that is, the sympathetic nervous system is taking over, there is a reduction in parasympathetic nervous system activity.

This nervous system balance has been associated with increased risk of developing depression, anxiety, and reduced cognitive function as it relates to decision making and other forms of cognitive performance.

Therefore, adopting relaxation techniques and other forms of stress relief to tap into ANS balance paves a path towards improving mental health. By improving vagal tone, we unlock a cascade of benefits that affects every facet of our wellbeing.

References

Carnevali L, Sgoifo A. Vagal modulation of resting heart rate in rats: the role of stress, psychosocial factors, and physical exercise. Front Physiol. 2014;5:118. Published 2014 Mar 24. doi:10.3389/fphys.2014.00118

Jandackova VK, Scholes S, Britton A, Steptoe A. Healthy Lifestyle and Cardiac Vagal Modulation Over 10 Years: Whitehall II Cohort Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2019;8(19):e012420. doi:10.1161/JAHA.119.012420

Kinoshita T, Nagata S, Baba R, Kohmoto T, Iwagaki S. Cold-water face immersion per se elicits cardiac parasympathetic activity. Circ J. 2006;70(6):773-776. doi:10.1253/circj.70.773

McLaughlin KA, Rith-Najarian L, Dirks MA, Sheridan MA. Low vagal tone magnifies the association between psychosocial stress exposure and internalizing psychopathology in adolescents. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2015;44(2):314-328. doi:10.1080/15374416.2013.843464

Porges SW. Vagal tone: a physiologic marker of stress vulnerability. Pediatrics. 1992;90(3 Pt 2):498-504.

Wang SZ, Li S, Xu XY, et al. Effect of slow abdominal breathing combined with biofeedback on blood pressure and heart rate variability in prehypertension. J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(10):1039-1045. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0577

TL;DR

The vagus nerve is a part of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and orchestrates responses that affect both our mental and physical health. Improving vagal tone can transform your body in positive ways. It enables your autonomic nervous system (ANS) to favor the “rest and digest” state over the “fight or flight” state. This article reviews what the vagus nerve and vagal tone are, how vagal tone relates to stress and your overall health, and discuss exercises to help improve your vagal tone for physical and mental health benefits.