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How to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve

Medically reviewed by Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS
Last Updated: August 11, 2019 References

The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body, connecting your brain
to your heart, lungs, and stomach. Although you may never have heard of it, it
is a remarkably important part of your body, especially because it helps aid
digestion, sleep, and breathing and it controls your anxiety and mood. The
vagus nerve is the driving force behind your parasympathetic nervous system,
which is in charge of regulating the “rest and digest” and “tend and befriend”
responses. By stimulating your vagus nerve through physical activity, breathing
techniques, diet, or relaxing your mind, you can help bring your mood under
control, alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms and making you calmer
and healthier in general.

Method
1 Changing Your Emotional State

Sing an upbeat and energetic song that acts as an emotional

1 catharsis. Singing is a great way to release pent-up emotions
and help you feel more relaxed, positively affecting your entire
parasympathetic nervous system. Singing loudly also exercises your
vocal cords and throat muscles, which in turn stimulate the vagus
nerve.[1]
Singing also leads your body to release oxytocin, which produces
feelings of joy and well-being.
If you’re unable to sing loudly, humming softly and even gargling
water can also work your throat muscles and thus stimulate your
 vagus nerve.

Engage in meditation that includes thoughts of love and

2 compassion. According to one study, generating positive
emotions in yourself through loving-kindness meditation and
enhancing your sense of social connection can lead to heightened
activity in the vagus nerve. Note that your meditation needs to
include compassionate thoughts of others in order to reap this
benefit.[2]
In other words, the act of meditation alone will not necessarily
stimulate your vagus nerve; having thoughts of love and
compassion for others is what’s most important.
To practice loving-kindness meditation, start by sitting in a
comfortable pose and focusing on your breathing to clear your
mind. Then, begin to mentally repeat 1 or more mantras that
reflect compassion for yourself and for others, such as “May I be
happy” and “May my coworkers be healthy and strong.”

Do something that makes you laugh out loud. Laughing is

3 arguably the easiest and most enjoyable way to stimulate your
vagus nerve. Watch a TV show, movie, or stand-up comic to receive
a variety of health benefits just from laughing.[3]
Some of the other health benefits accrued by laughing include
increasing circulation to different parts of the body, lowering your
blood pressure, and releasing chemicals in your body that are
beneficial to the cardiovascular system.
Try watching a funny show or movie with other people; people
tend to laugh more easily when enjoying something funny with
others!

Spend time socializing with people you have positive

4 relationships with. Socializing, especially when combined with
laughing, can have a tremendous positive effect on your vagus
nerve. Try to spend ample time with people whom you enjoy being
around and who you feel positive emotions for. Hanging out with
friends and family can actually help you generate greater vagal tone
(activity of your vagus nerve).[4]
 Laughing with friends will also strengthen your relationship and
promote bonding between you, thereby leading to greater
stimulation of the vagus nerve when you spend time together.

Modify the tone of your voice when you talk with people.
5 Speaking in a calm, even tone may help you to soothe yourself.
When you hear a soothing voice, such as the voice of a loved one or
trusted friend, your body releases oxytocin. On the other hand, not
hearing soothing voices enough may result in a higher amount of
cortisol, which is a stress hormone.[5]
Try speaking to yourself in a soothing voice, as if you were trying
to comfort a pet or a child.
Another option is to call up a friend or family member who has a
soothing voice and talk with them for a while.

Method
2 Stimulating Your Vagus Nerve with Physical Activity

Perform slow, deep breathing exercises. Slowing down your

1 breathing by exhaling for longer than you inhale and taking deep
breaths has been shown to not only stimulate your vagus nerve, but
also reduce anxiety and promote calmness. Aim to take 6 10-second
breaths per minute for 5 minutes to increase vagal activity.[6]
Deeply breathe in with your diaphragm so that your stomach
expands outward. Try breathing in for 5 seconds and then slowly
exhaling for 5 seconds.
If you’re having trouble performing deep breathing exercises, try
looking up helpful videos online or downloading an app that will
guide you in your breathing.

Do yoga for 90 minutes every week. Studies have shown that

2 regularly performing yoga increases the activity of your
parasympathetic nervous system, which includes greater stimulation
of your vagus nerve. For best results, perform at least 90 minutes of
yoga each week consistently.[7]
 If you’re a beginner, start out with some relatively easy yoga
poses, such as the cat pose, cow pose, bridge pose, and the
aptly named easy pose.
Similar slow exercises, such as tai chi and qi gong, have also
been shown to have a stimulating effect on the vagus nerve.
Don’t try to do yoga that is overly difficult for you to do.
Remember, yoga should be relaxing as well as physically
engaging.

Engage in moderate to intense exercise 4 times a week.

3 Exercise that significantly increases your heart rate, such as
jogging, walking, or weightlifting, has a number of positive effects on
your mental health, including vagus nerve stimulation. Aim to perform
this exercise at least every other day to receive consistent positive
results.[8]
Try to engage in exercises that you enjoy doing; this will help
ensure that you’re able to do them consistently.
Regular exercise also increases brain growth and can help
reverse cognitive decline.

Get a massage or acupuncture treatment. Research has

4 shown that receiving a massage or acupuncture treatment can
lead to increased vagal activity and vagal tone. Aim to schedule a
massage or treatment once every 2-3 months for consistent
stimulation of the vagus nerve.[9]
Massages are most effective at stimulating the vagus nerve when
they’re done on the feet and on the carotid sinus.[10]
You may also look into craniosacral therapy, which is a gentle
form of massage that focuses on the area between the neck and
spine.[11]
For best results from acupuncture treatment, try having it
performed on your ear.[12]

Perform progressive muscle relaxation. Progressive muscle

5 relaxation is an effective way to reduce anxiety.[13] Starting
with your toes, squeeze the muscles in both feet to tense them, hold
for 10 seconds, then release. Do this for each muscle group in your
body until you reach the top of your head. Then, relax for as long as
you like.
Find a quiet, comfortable spot to perform a progressive muscle
relaxation.
Remember to breathe as you perform this exercise.

Expose your body to cold water, weather, or beverages.

6 Although your sympathetic nervous system will be initially
heightened after being exposed to the cold, once your body becomes
acclimated your parasympathetic nervous system will generate a
response, including by stimulating the vagus nerve. Try splashing
cold water on your face or ending your showers with 1 minute of cold
water to increase vagal activity.[14]
Over time, you may find it helpful to take showers only using cold
water.
Simply spending some time underdressed in cold weather (e.g.,
wearing a t-shirt during a snowfall) can also stimulate your vagus
nerve.

Undergo surgery to implant a device that stimulates your

7 vagus nerve electrically. For those suffering from epilepsy or
from depression that doesn’t respond to therapy or medication, there
are devices (called programmable pulse generator devices) that
doctors can implant under the skin that stimulate the vagus nerve
with electrical impulses that may be particularly useful. Talk to your
doctor to determine whether this type of device is right for you.[15]
This form of vagus nerve stimulation is generally considered safe
for most people. Some side effects may include voice changes,
throat pain, cough, headache, chest pain, or tingling on the skin.
As of September 2018, noninvasive devices that stimulate the
vagus nerve and that don’t require surgery are available in
Europe, but have not yet been made available in the United
States.
Method
3 Changing Your Diet

Add probiotics to your diet to create healthy gut bacteria.

1 Research has increasingly shown that there is a linkage between
the bacteria in your gut and the activity of the vagus nerve.
Specifically, eating more Lactobacillus rhamnosus can reduce
depression- and anxiety-related behaviors, most likely by stimulating
the vagus nerve.[16]
The research conducted on Lactobacillus rhamnosus was carried
out in mice and researchers are thus not 100% sure that
consuming this probiotic will always have similar effects on
humans.
Bifidobacterium longum is another probiotic that has been shown
to increase vagal activity in mice and that may be able to
stimulate the vagus nerve in humans.

Eat more omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids play an

2 important role in ensuring good mental health, as they’re
necessary for the normal functioning of your brain and nervous
system. These fatty acids have also been shown in experiments to
lower your heart rate and stimulate the vagus nerve. However, your
body cannot produce omega-3 fatty acids itself, so you need to add
them to your regular diet in order to receive their health benefits.[17]
In addition to vagus nerve stimulation, omega-3 fatty acids have
also been shown to reduce inflammation, reverse cognitive
decline, and even help people overcome addictions.
Omega-3 fatty acids are typically found in fish, so a good way to
eat more of them is to increase the amount of fish in your diet or
start taking fish oil supplements.

Eliminate sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. Cutting these from your

3 diet will allow you to function at your best. Avoid foods that have
added sugars, switch to decaf coffee and tea, and drink only non-
 alcoholic beverages. This may help you to feel calmer in general.
[18]

Try intermittent fasting if you're physically healthy. Research

4 on fasting conducted with rats has indicated that dietary
restriction can result in increased parasympathetic activity, which is
possibly caused by vagus nerve stimulation. If you’re in good health,
consider fasting every now and then to possibly stimulate your vagus
nerve and enjoy other health benefits.[19]
Other benefits of intermittent fasting may include increased
longevity, lower blood pressure, prevention of age-related
diseases, and lower body weight.
Note that fasting is not recommended for the very young, the
elderly, or those who are seriously ill.

Tips

Cutting back on social media may also help. Constantly checking

your devices for updates can cause you to feel unworthy and
unloved, which can intensify the fight or flight response and prevent
your nervous system from resting and doing necessary repair work.

If any of these methods of vagus nerve stimulation make you

uncomfortable, don’t do them! There are many different methods of
stimulating the vagus nerve, while making yourself uncomfortable
may do more harm than good.

Be sure not to over exercise when you’re trying to stimulate your

vagus nerve. If you feel like you might be overdoing it or if exercise
starts to become painful, try out a new method like acupuncture
instead!

Make sure to maintain a balanced diet, even as you change your diet
to stimulate your vagus nerve. Don’t overload on fish and probiotics
 or consume too many supplements at once, as this may be harmful
to your health in the long run.

References

1. https://www.well-beingsecrets.com/vagus-nerve-stimulation
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23649562
3. https://www.well-beingsecrets.com/vagus-nerve-stimulation
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23649562
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3277914/
6. https://www.optimallivingdynamics.com/blog/how-to-stimulate-your-
vagus-nerve-for-better-mental-health-brain-vns-ways-treatment-
activate-natural-foods-depression-anxiety-stress-heart-rate-variability-
yoga-massage-vagal-tone-dysfunction
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2176143/
8. https://www.optimallivingdynamics.com/blog/how-to-stimulate-your-
vagus-nerve-for-better-mental-health-brain-vns-ways-treatment-
activate-natural-foods-depression-anxiety-stress-heart-rate-variability-
yoga-massage-vagal-tone-dysfunction
9. https://www.optimallivingdynamics.com/blog/how-to-stimulate-your-
vagus-nerve-for-better-mental-health-brain-vns-ways-treatment-
activate-natural-foods-depression-anxiety-stress-heart-rate-variability-
yoga-massage-vagal-tone-dysfunction
10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22314629
11. https://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/2017/06/30/stimulating-the-
vagus-nerve/
12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23304215
13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4280725/
14. https://www.well-beingsecrets.com/vagus-nerve-stimulation
15. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/vagus-nerve-
stimulation/about/pac-20384565
16. http://www.pnas.org/content/108/38/16050
17. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18461305
18. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181622/
19. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16581971