The vagus nerve may unlock the secret to decreasing chronic pain, including the debilitating symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. Stimulating this nerve suppresses many of the horrible symptoms you’re suffering from with peripheral neuropathy.
What is the Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve is one of 12 cranial nerves that connect our brain to our body. Specifically, it is cranial nerve number ten.
Cranial nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system; however, they originate directly from the brain rather than the spinal cord.
Cranial nerves play a crucial role in connecting the brain to different parts of the head, neck, and body. Each cranial nerve provides many essential daily functions, from moving our eyes, smiling, tasting food, and hearing sounds.
Why is the Vagus Nerve Important?
Extensive research focuses on cranial nerve number ten, the vagus nerve. The studies show its impact on reducing pain, diminishing depression and anxiety, improving mood, and improving the function of the immune system.
The vagus nerve extends from the brain stem and runs along both sides of the neck down to the gut. It supplies information to many organs, like the heart, spleen, lungs, and digestive organs. There are many more, but this gives context for its expansive functions.
It acts as an information highway, delivering information from each system to the brain. The vagus nerve is the longest of all the cranial nerves and the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system.
The parasympathetic nervous system controls involuntary body functions like heart rate and digestion. It slows down the heart rate and breathing, and improves digestion, elevates mood, and helps with relaxation and recovery. The parasympathetic nervous system unlocks the body’s relaxation response.
In recent years, researchers discovered the vagus nerve also regulates inflammation, a critical factor in the onset of nearly all chronic diseases such as peripheral neuropathy, and other neurodegenerative diseases.
How Does the Vagus Nerve Work?
Once the vagus nerve senses inflammation, it alerts the brain.
The brain sends calming signals to the vagus nerve to notify the body to release chemicals, like acetylcholine, reducing inflammation. These chemicals slow the immune cells, reducing excessive inflammation.
Stimulating the vagus nerve calms the nervous system and prevents abnormal nerve firing. It also reduces inflammation in the brain, peripheral nerves, and other bodily systems.
When you’re suffering from chronic pain or peripheral neuropathy, it stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. Unlike the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls rest and digestion, the sympathetic triggers the “fight or flight” response.
If the body senses danger or something exciting happens, the sympathetic nervous system triggers the release of adrenaline, helping to react quickly. The heart pumps more blood to the muscles, rapid breathing and boosts energy.
Both PNS and SNS can’t function simultaneously. When one activates, the other is suppressed. This regulation keeps both systems balanced.
In this day and age, many people live in a state of chronic stress. The sympathetic nervous system stays in overdrive, disrupting the balance between both systems.
As a result, they develop a low vagal tone, making it more challenging to rest, recharge, and recover. People with low vagal tone tend to be on edge and don’t handle or recover from stressful situations well, leading to anxiety.
Furthermore, chronic pain or neuropathy symptoms stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, significantly increasing inflammatory effects on the nerves and tissues. The increase can damage the nerves and create a reflex loop that heightens neuropathy symptoms.
To prevent the loop, you must improve and strengthen the vagal tone. We can activate the vagus nerve, and research shows this decreases pain signals, reduces anxiety, improves mood, alleviates depression, and helps recovery.
How to Activate Vagus Nerve
Simple and effective techniques activate the vagus nerve and improves its tone. Simulating the vagus nerve does not require surgery or implanting devices. Here are three ways to stimulate the vagus nerve.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing consistently and effectively stimulates the vagus nerve, one of the most straightforward techniques to maintain consistency.
There are two breathing techniques to stimulate the vagus nerve.
Double Inhale Belly Breath
For this exercise, you can sit, stand, or lie down. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose for the count of four while letting your belly expand as you inhale.
At the count of four, pause and take one quick sip of air.
Then, slowly release all the air through your mouth for a count of six. Repeat this cycle for four or more times.
Brahmari
The second breathing exercise, Brahmari, or the humming bee breath, is an ancient yoga technique. Modern-day popularity arose from its numerous therapeutic benefits, including improving vagal tone, increasing nitric oxide, lowering elevated blood pressure, reducing depression and anxiety, and soothing overexcited nerves.
First, take your index fingers and gently press them against your ear flaps, called the tragus, to block your ears.
Next, take a long, deep breath through your nose. Then, with your mouth closed, humm while you exhale all the air out. Repeat this five or more times.
Vagal Nerve Massage
There are a couple of techniques to massage the vagal nerve.
Vagal Nerve Massage
First, rub both hands together for 10-15 seconds to stimulate energy and soothing heat.
Then, gently rub the front of your neck in a downward motion with a stroking fashion, alternating sides. You can hum or make a “haaaah” sound while doing this to stimulate the vagus nerve further and to generate nitric oxide.
Repeat each side for ten repetitions.
Massaging the Sternum or breastbone
Start by rubbing your hands together like the first technique for 10-15 seconds.
Then, stroke your sternum or breastbone. Use hand-over-hand gentle stroking motions. Repeat this for ten strokes.
Cold Water Reset
The last technique is a cold water reset. Research shows that short-term exposure to freezing temperatures stimulates vagus nerve pathways, increasing vagal tone and decreasing pain signal intensity.
There are a few ways to achieve the cold water reset.
Apply Ice Pack Over Neck
Take an ice pack, wrap it in a paper towel, and apply to the side of your neck for 15 seconds. Then, switch to the opposite side for 15 seconds. This is one set.
Repeat this for a total of three or more sets. We recommend this technique three times a day or more if necessary.
Cold Shower
Start the shower at the normal comfortable temperature. After bathing, decrease the water temperature to cold and allow the cold water to flow over your body for thirty seconds.
Gradually increase the time you spend in the cold shower as you get used to it. Do this at least twice a week or daily for better pain relief.
By understanding the power of the vagus nerve and learning these simple and effective techniques, you take control of your nerve pain and improve your quality of life.
Remember, consistency is key. Practicing these methods improves your vagal tone and provides more significant relief to chronic pain.
Struggling with Neuropathy?
Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro’s dedication to combating neuropathy is deeply personal, stemming from Dr. Monteiro’s experience with her mother’s severe chemo-induced neuropathy. This personal journey fueled their commitment to develop a systematic, drug-free approach to reversing neuropathy.
They founded the San Antonio Neuropathy Center, where they’ve successfully treated over 18,000 patients over the past two decades. Their acclaimed book, “Defeat Neuropathy Now in Spite of Your Doctor,” along with their neuropathy product line, stands as a testament to their expertise and innovative solutions.
Recognized as leading neuropathy specialists in America, Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro offer a beacon of hope for those diagnosed with this challenging condition. If you or a loved one is seeking relief from neuropathy, reach out to us at 844 400-0101 or email us through our contact page – Click here.
Your path to healing can start today.
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