Did you know that the vagus nerve contains more than one hundred million cells that play a critical role in regulating essential biological processes such as blood flow, digestion, and breathing?
Many people who suffer from debilitating conditions such as depression, muscular pain, stress, and anxiety don’t realize the important relationship between the vagus nerve and their illnesses. In fact, by taking vagus nerve medication, it’s possible to improve your vagal tone, which can help you to live a healthier and more fulfilling life.
To help you make sense of the benefits of using vagus nerve medication, we’ve written a guide. Keep reading and we will tell you everything that you need to know.
The Basics of What Is the Vagus Nerve
Not only is the vagus nerve the body’s longest cranial nerve, but is also more complex than other cranial nerves. It begins in the brain and threads through the face, neck, chest, and abdomen.
The vagus nerve makes it possible for the body and the brain to be in communication with one another. It receives information from vital organs such as the heart, liver, and lungs and sends messages to the brain. It is also connected to the digestive system.
It plays a key role in how the body’s involuntary motor and sensory functions such as speaking, mood, and heart rate.
The Vagus Nerve and the Parasympathetic Nervous System
The nerve is also part of the parasympathetic nervous system. This is one of the two parts of the central nervous system.
The other part of the central nervous system is known as the sympathetic nervous system. It tends to be activated when the body has a stress response. When this happens, it releases hormones that influence your body’s biochemistry.
When your sympathetic nervous system gets activated, your heart rate speeds up, and extra blood will flow into your muscles. Your pupils will also dilate and you’ll start breathing more rapidly.
The body also sends more glucose into the bloodstream. This will give you a short burst of energy.
There are plenty of great reasons why the sympathetic nervous system exists. It’s especially helpful in situations when you need to take action to avoid an immediate threat.
For example, if you’re walking through a city and see a child step onto a road while there is a car approaching, you’ll need to act immediately to grab them and save them from being hit.
It’s the autonomic nervous system that gets activated in these sorts of situations. The response usually happens so rapidly that people don’t notice that it’s taken place.
The Body’s Stress Response
When humans used to live as hunter-gatherers, it was necessary to make quick and unexpected actions to avoid danger. This might have included getting attacked by dangerous animals or jumping out of the way of a falling tree. But as humans evolved and created modern civilization, these kinds of dangers no longer existed.
Most people on the earth do not need to fend for their lives regularly. But this does not mean that the sympathetic nervous system does not frequently get activated for most people. Unfortunately, it often interprets modern-day stresses as life-threatening situations.
It’s common for the sympathetic nervous system to get activated when people experience things such as financial pressures, workplace stress, or relationship issues.
It’s also likely that your sympathetic nervous system often gets activated when you’re using your phone to browse social media.
Those whose sympathetic nervous systems get activated too frequently tend to develop debilitating health conditions. This is one of the reasons why so many people suffer from chronic stress.
The Role of the Vagus Nerve in Calming the Body
While the sympathetic nervous system activates the body’s stress response, the parasympathetic nervous system calms the body down. The vagus nerve plays a vital role in this process.
When the vagus nerve is activated, one’s blood pressure goes down, and their heart rate, and breathing slow down. It also decreases inflammation in the body. Put more simply, the vagus nerve helps people to recover from stressful and frightening situations.
Many people don’t realize that this nerve also helps to distribute hormones through the body. This includes chemicals such as testosterone and oxytocin. This is why it has such an important impact on people’s mental health.
Those who have compromised vagus nerves tend to suffer from illnesses such as depression and anxiety. They also tend to be highly stressed.
If your vagus nerve is not functioning correctly, you’re also likely to have digestive issues. You’re also more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
What Is the Vagal Tone and Why Is it Important?
The vagal tone can tell you how your vagus nerve is operating. It’s possible to indirectly measure this by looking at your heart rate variability, which is the length of time between your heartbeats. People who have high heartrate variabilities have better vagal tones.
If you have a low vagal tone, you may suffer from conditions such as epilepsy, depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular disease.
There are things that you can do if you want to improve your vagal tone. For starters, you can get regular exercise. It is also helpful to develop a daily meditation practice.
People are also able to improve their vagal tones by taking part in activities such as breathwork, getting more sleep, and listening to music for relaxation.
Unfortunately, many people still have low vagal tones after engaging in these kinds of practices. This is why they look for other kinds of methods to improve their vagal tones.
Symptoms of Vagus Nerve Disfunction
Since the vagus nerve influences so many of the body’s vital functions, there are many different symptoms that you might experience if it is not functioning correctly.
With this being said, there are three different kinds of processes that get disrupted when your vagus nerve is not functioning correctly. This includes communication within the brain itself, communications from the brain to other organs, and communications from the body’s organs to the brain.
Different kinds of people will have different kinds of symptoms if their vagus nerve is not functioning correctly. It’s common for people to feel anxious, aggressive, stressed out, and dizzy. You might also have brain fog, feel depressed, gain weight, and have chronic inflammation.
If somebody does not treat their dysfunctioning vagus nerve, they are likely to develop more serious diseases. It’s common for people to develop alcoholism, become obese, and have tinnitus.
Many people don’t realize that the migraines they suffer from are a result of having a dysfunctional vagus nerve.
Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation: What It Is and How it Works
Since your health might be at risk if you have a low vagal tone, it is important to take steps to improve it. The best way to do this is by stimulating the vagus nerve.
If you’ve tried other techniques for stimulating your vagus nerve that have not worked, you should consider using a tVNS stimulator.
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a type of treatment that involves changing the activity of nerves. There are some devices that need to be implanted within the brain. There are others that you can do not require invasive surgery.
A vagus nerve stimulator sends pulses of electricity to your brainstem and through your vagus nerve. Once it gets to your brainstem, the electrical charge will spread out to different parts of the brain. These signals will improve how your brain cells work.
People like to make comparisons between a tVNS and a pacemaker for the heart. This is because the device sends signals to improve the health and function of your vagus nerve.
The Many Benefits of Using Vagus Nerve Medication and Stimulation Devices
People who have tried to treat depression yet have not seen results might be able to benefit from using a vagus nerve stimulation device and vagus nerve medication. Here are some of the most important ways that doing this can improve your health.
Upregulating the Breakdown of Solids
By using vagus nerve medication, you’ll make it easier for your body to digest and break down solid food. You’ll decrease bloating and fluctuation by breaking down food before it enters your digestive tract. You’ll also have more energy.
Decreasing Inflammation
Inflammation occurs when the body responds to a perceived threat. When the body is constantly stressed, too many pro-inflammatory compounds will circulate through your body. Over time, this will negatively impact how your body functions.
Vagus nerve medication can help to decrease inflammation. It does this by helping the body to release a chemical known as acetylcholine. This compound helps to reduce inflammation within the body.
Decreasing the Intensity and Frequency of Migraines and Cluster Headaches
People who use medication for their vagus nerves are often able to prevent migraines from happening and make them much less severe.
Unlike other kinds of medications that people take to treat this condition, there are very few side effects of using vagus nerve medication and of using a vagus nerve stimulation device.
Improves Digestion and Treats Gastrointestinal Diseases
When people’s vagus nerves are not functioning correctly, they often have digestive issues. This is often related to having low stomach acid and poor digestion.
People who use vagus nerve stimulation devices can overcome these issues. They are also able to treat chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.
You Can Decrease Your Heartrate
If you have a fast heart rate, you can use a vagus nerve stimulation device to slow it down. By slowing down your heart rate, you’ll feel calmer. This will also decrease the likelihood that you’ll have high blood pressure, which in turn will reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Treating Depression
Those who suffer from depression can benefit by using vagus nerve medication. It’s an especially helpful choice for those who are experiencing treatment-resistant depression.
One study found that more than fifty percent of people who regularly stimulated their vagus nerves for one year felt less depressed. Another thirty-seven percent experienced a remission of their symptoms.
Keeping Emotions in Balance and General Mental Health
If the brain senses a threat, the sympathetic nervous system gets stimulated. This triggers the body’s fight or flight response. When this happens, the body creates stress hormones.
Since you will reduce inflammation when you stimulate your vagus nerve, it’s a great method for reducing stress hormone levels. It also helps to increase serotonin production.
Therefore, people who use these devices tend to feel more balanced, happier, and calmer.
More and more people are also using vagus nerve medication to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.
Vagus Nerve Medication Can Help You Cultivate Stronger Relationships
By toning your vagus nerve it will become easier for you to be relaxed while interacting with others. You’ll be able to be your authentic self more often and it will be easier for you to listen to and connect with others.
Start Using Vagus Nerve Medication Today
Those who use vagus nerve medication regularly tend to feel more relaxed and balanced. It’s a great tool for those who want to overcome their depression, decrease inflammation, and improve their digestion.
If you’re ready to calm your mind, improve the health of your body, and feel more at ease, then you should start using a vagus nerve stimulation device. If you want to find out more about what a tVNS device can do for you, check out our tVNS Device Stimulator information page.