WHAT IS THE VAGUS NERVE?

The vagus nerve is one of the most profoundly influential nerve complexes in the human body. It is both a cranial and peripheral nerve - a unique feature that links its function intimately between the brain & emotional states to digestion as well as the viscera throughout the body. The vagus is actually two nerves on each side of the body with many, many branches.

WHAT IS VAGAL TONE?

Vagal tone is a way to describe how active or inactive your vagus nerves are at a given time. You can think of tone in a similar way you might think of muscle tone. A toned muscle is strong, flexible and available to engage or relax when appropriate. When the vagus nerve is toned, it functions optimally. Vagus nerve functions are many: from reducing inflammation in the body to controlling peristalsis and digestive enzymes, heart rate and blood pressure regulation, and even sexual function. The Vagus can be dysregulated by stress or infection and begin to express poor tone, resulting in a myriad of pathological conditions or impairments.

HUMMING FOR VAGAL TONE

Humming. Set a timer for 3 minutes. Press start, and start humming on your exhale. It doesn't have to sound pretty, you don't even have to like singing, but the vibration that is created by humming is initiated in part by the vagus nerves, which provide instructions & innervation to aspects of the larynx and vocal cords. Additionally, the vibration created by humming serve to provide inputs to the vagus nerves, which course down the sides of the larynx on their way to the many branches that exist below.

Don't strain your throat as you hum; just create a gentle, pleasant vibration in your throat. Practice in this way daily until 3 minutes passes easily. You can increase by one minute per week if you remain active with the practice.

If you are interested in learning more about the Vagus Nerve, we offer a self-paced online course which empowers you with functional anatomy education, techniques to assess vagal tone, and many exercises that help improve vagal function.

Other ways to support your vagal tone include Frequency Specific Microcurrent, acupuncture, nutritional counseling, and optimizing your inflammation status in your body with the assistance of one of our Functional Medicine practitioners.