VAGUS NERVE

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The vagus nerve is also known as the 10th cranial nerve or cranial nerve X. It starts in your medulla oblongata, a part of the brain that connects to the spinal cord, and extends throughout many parts of the body including the heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, and liver. It's often called the "wandering nerve" because of its extensive reach throughout the body.

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This long nerve makes up 3/4 of the nerve tissue in your parasympathetic nervous system. In fact, the vagus nerve is the longest of any of the 12 cranial nerves.

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The vagus nerve is the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system in the human body, consisting of both sensory and motor fibers. The sensory fibers originate from the jugular and nodose ganglion, while the motor fibers are derived from neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and the nucleus ambiguus. Historically, the vagus nerve was also known as the pneumogastric nerve, reflecting its role in regulating both the lungs and digestive system.

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Specifically, the vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system. Your parasympathetic nervous system controls “rest and digest” functions. It’s the opposite of your sympathetic nervous system’s “fight or flight” response.

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These two nervous systems make up your autonomic nervous system. This system controls involuntary body activities that your body does without your conscious input, such as breathing, digesting food, and sweating. 

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The vagus nerve supplies motor parasympathetic fibers to all the organs (except the adrenal glands) from the neck down to the second segment of the transverse colon. The vagus nerve also controls a few skeletal muscles, including:

• Cricothyroid muscle

• Levator veli palatini muscle

• Salpingopharyngeus muscle

• Palatoglossus muscle

• Palatopharyngeus muscle

• Superior, middle and inferior pharyngeal constrictors

• Muscles of the larynx (speech).

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Autonomic Regulation

The vagus nerve is central to controlling the parasympathetic responses of the body. These are the functions that help the body rest, digest, and recover, in contrast to the “fight or flight” responses regulated by the sympathetic nervous system. Some key functions include:

• Slowing heart rate: By sending signals to the heart, the vagus nerve helps slow the heartbeat, contributing to a state of relaxation.

• Promoting digestion: It stimulates digestive organs like the stomach and intestines, increasing the production of gastric juices and enzymes to help break down food.

• Reducing inflammation: The vagus nerve can signal the body to reduce inflammation in response to injury or infection, which helps regulate the immune system.

 

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Communication with Organs

The vagus nerve communicates with various organs and tissues:

• Heart: It decreases the heart rate and lowers blood pressure.

• Lungs: It helps regulate breathing patterns and ensures smooth respiratory functions.

• Gastrointestinal system: It controls many aspects of digestion, such as gut motility, enzyme secretion, and bile production. This is why vagus nerve damage can lead to digestive problems like nausea, bloating, or constipation.

• Liver and Pancreas: The vagus nerve also sends signals to regulate liver functions and enzyme secretion from the pancreas.

 

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Neurotransmitter Activity

The vagus nerve influences the release of neurotransmitters, including acetylcholine, which helps reduce heart rate and relax muscles. It also plays a role in regulating levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation.

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Vagus Nerve and Mental Health

The vagus nerve also plays a vital role in regulating stress responses. Studies suggest that stimulating the vagus nerve can help manage conditions like anxiety and depression, partly because it influences the balance of key neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation, such as serotonin and dopamine. It’s believed that the vagus nerve helps reduce the body's overall stress levels, calming both the mind and body.

 

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Vagus Nerve and Respiration

The vagus nerve helps regulate breathing patterns through the baroreceptor reflex (which is responsible for monitoring blood pressure) and by controlling the diaphragm. This means the vagus nerve is directly involved in both the physical act of breathing and in the regulation of stress responses, like those seen during anxiety or panic attacks.

 

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Vagus Nerve and Stress Response

The vagus nerve is vital in counteracting the stress response. When we’re stressed, the sympathetic nervous system activates the “fight or flight” response, which increases heart rate and adrenaline. The vagus nerve helps slow things down, activating the "rest and digest" functions and helping the body return to homeostasis.

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Gut-Brain Connection

There’s growing evidence of the gut-brain axis, which is a direct line of communication between the brain and the digestive system. The vagus nerve is a major component of this pathway. For example, the vagus nerve sends signals about the health of the gut (e.g., inflammation or distress) back to the brain, which may influence mood, cognition, and behavior. This connection has sparked interest in researching how the vagus nerve may impact conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), mental health disorders, and even neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

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The vagus nerve, the psoas and the fascia, in a way, are part of our subconscious mind. Together, they are responsible for recording and trapping  trauma, mental and physical, in your life. It is also responsible in mental fabrications called schema, such as perceptions, opinions, mental biases. Most of our suffering is due to the stored trauma from our past experiences. It also includes conditions such as emotional triggers, phobias, anxiety disorders, and PTSD.

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Some methods of releasing tension, overcoming trauma, or "reprogramming" your subconscious mind, include humming (chanting also works due to the vocal vibrations), deep breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation, and Yoga.

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