“Oh, my poor nerves!” cries Mrs Bennet over and over again throughout Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, throwing the whole household into uproar while her resigned husband retreats into his study with a book.
While Mrs Bennet’s dramatic flair provides some of the novel’s best comic relief, her constant agitation reflects something many of us can relate to: a nervous system in overdrive.
Had Mrs Bennet lived in the 21st century, she may have found more relief than just fainting on the nearest chaise lounge. Because now we know that stimulating the vagus nerve can actually help us calm down.
What is the vagus nerve?
The vagus nerve takes its name from the Latin term for wandering. And it does, indeed, go on a long wander through your body. Your left and right vagus nerves start in your brain stem, then travel through your neck and into the chest and abdomen, touching key organs including the heart, lungs and digestive tract.
Understanding its function
The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system and plays a vital role in regulating many automatic functions that sustain your life, health and wellbeing.
The vagus nerve helps to maintain the balance between stress and relaxation. It influences:
- Heart rhythm and blood pressure
- Breathing patterns
- Digestion and gut function
- Mucus and saliva production
- Skin and muscle sensations
- Taste
- Mood
- Urine output.
When functioning optimally, the vagus nerve helps calm the body after stress, regulate emotions, and support healthy organ function.
However, when vagus nerve function is impaired, it can contribute to issues such as anxiety, digestive problems, inflammation, and neurological disorders.
Benefits of vagus nerve stimulation
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a therapy that involves delivering mild electrical impulses to the vagus nerve, either through implanted or non-invasive devices. It has been studied for its potential to regulate brain activity and support recovery
Vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy
Anti-seizure medications are the preferred therapy for epilepsy but about 30% of on those medications continue to experience seizures. Regular pulses to the brain via the vagus nerve can help stabilise electrical activity and reduce seizure frequency.
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis found that 46% of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy experienced a 50% or greater reduction in seizures with vagus nerve stimulation.
Vagus nerve stimulation for stroke recovery
Vagus nerve stimulation paired with physical therapy led to significantly greater improvements in arm function compared to physical therapy alone.
Other potential benefits
Researchers are also exploring vagus nerve stimulation for:
- Mood disorders, as VNS may help to regulate neurotransmitters and reduce inflammation in the brain
- Autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders as VNS has anti-inflammatory effects
- Cardiovascular disease, as stimulating the vagus nerve may help lower blood pressure and improve heart rate variability.
How do you stimulate the vagus nerve?
There are several ways to stimulate the vagus nerve, ranging from clinical therapies to self-regulation techniques.
Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation devices
Non-invasive devices are now available that deliver electrical impulses through the skin, typically at the ear or neck.
Natural ways to stimulate the vagus nerve
There are several ways to stimulate your vagus nerve at home, including:
- Deep breathing exercises
- Cold exposure (e.g. splashing cold water on your face)
- Singing, humming or gargling
- Yoga and meditation
- Social connection and laughter.
These activities may help increase vagal tone – the efficiency of your vagus nerve function – helping the body shift from “fight or flight” into a more relaxed, restorative state.
How Neurofit Brain Centre supports vagus nerve health
At Neurofit Brain Centre, we use evidence-based therapies that engage the brain and nervous system, including non-invasive techniques that may support vagus nerve stimulation.
Every program at Neurofit is personalised, combining in-clinic brain stimulation and movement therapies with home-based exercises to maximise long-term outcomes.
Disclaimer
All information is general and not intended as a substitute for professional advice.
References
- Cleveland Clinic, Vagus nerve, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22279-vagus-nerve, [Accessed 15 September 2025]
- Physiopedia, Vagus nerve, https://www.physio-pedia.com/Vagus_Nerve, [Accessed 15 September 2025]
- Muniyandi M, Chelvanayagam K, Salam SA, Vadamalai S, Rajsekar K, Ramachandran R. Significant reduction of seizure frequency in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy by vagus nerve stimulation: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Epilepsy Res. 2025 Feb;210:107510. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2025.107510. Epub 2025 Jan 9. Erratum in: Epilepsy Res. 2025 Mar;211:107519. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2025.107519. PMID: 39809131. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39809131/#, [Accessed 15 September 2025]
- Dawson J, Engineer ND, Prudente CN, Pierce D, Francisco G, Yozbatiran N, Tarver WB, Casavant R, Kline DK, Cramer SC, Van de Winckel A, Kimberley TJ. Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired With Upper-Limb Rehabilitation After Stroke: One-Year Follow-up. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2020 Jul;34(7):609-615. doi: 10.1177/1545968320924361. Epub 2020 Jun 1. PMID: 32476617. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32476617/, [Accessed 15 September 2025]
- Tan C, Yan Q, Ma Y, Fang J, Yang Y. Recognizing the role of the vagus nerve in depression from microbiota-gut brain axis. Front Neurol. 2022 Nov 10;13:1015175. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2022.1015175. PMID: 36438957; PMCID: PMC9685564. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9685564/, [Accessed 15 September 2025]
- Liu, F.-J., Wu, J., Gong, L.-J., Yang, H.-S., & Chen, H. (2024). Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation in anti-inflammatory therapy: Mechanistic insights and future perspectives. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2024.1490300, [Accessed 15 September 2025]
- Journal of the American Heart Association, Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Inflammation in Cardiovascular Disease: A State‐of‐the‐Art Review, https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.123.030539, [Accessed 15 September 2025]
- Cleveland Clinic, 5 ways to stimulate your vagus nerve, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/vagus-nerve-stimulation, [Accessed 15 September 2025]
