Ever feel the need to switch off? Your vagus nerve might hold the key

It is your body’s super highway, carrying information from your brain to your major organs. You may have no idea it even exists, let alone that you might need to train it.

But when I quickly scroll through my social media, I see tons of tips on how to cure it, how to stimulate it, even how to reset it; All of this is apparently to reduce stress and anxiety levels.

Poking your ear with what looks like a rubber toothbrush, moving your eyes from side to side, tapping your body or gargling with water while wearing a weighted vest – these are just some of the techniques recommended to train your nerves and improve your health.

with us Stress levels are skyrocketing and burnout is on the rise in people under 35It’s no surprise that many posts on social media go viral with millions of clicks.

Some of these methods may seem a little silly. But is it really possible to train your powerful inner messenger, and can it really relieve life’s stress quickly?

I decided to find out by coming to a small candlelit studio in Stockport town centre; There I found myself humming loudly in a small group.

I was told that humming can help stimulate our vagus nerve and slow our heart rate. And I’m starting to feel a little more relaxed. I can feel the low hum vibrating through my body and my brain seems a little less busy.

In this somatics class, yoga therapist Eirian Collinge guides us through a session of gentle movements combining deep breathing, rocking, and rocking.

While Eirian hasn’t adopted all the techniques from social media, she says there are parts of her practice that use breathwork, eye movements and touch.

But “it’s a process,” he says, and there’s no quick fix. The roots are one theory that suggests we can calm our nervous system by connecting with our body.

Some scientists say this is an oversimplification of our complex internal systems. However others say it can be effective it helps us find some calm in a busy, busy world.

Sarah, who sleeps just a few cushions away from me, started coming to this class about a year ago. He says the app changed his life.

“I actually cried after the first session,” she says. “It was the first time I felt my brain shut down.”

The 35-year-old actor, who struggles with his mental health, says he feels like he’s “flossing his brain”.

Sarah’s partner, Xander, agrees. This made him more aware of his feelings.

“As a man,” he explains, “we’re not really programmed to do that.

“I have struggled with depression for most of my adult life, but now I am able to sit with my emotions and accept them rather than trying to fix my thoughts.

“If things get a little too much for me, I can step away from work for a while. Go for a run, go for a walk in the hills, for example.

“Understanding my nervous system is a big part of this.”

The vagus, which means “to wander” in Latin, begins in the brain as two main branches (left and right) that connect to every major organ and constantly pass vital information back and forth.

It’s part of the autonomic nervous system, which controls things we don’t think about, like breathing, heart rate, and digestion.

The system partly consists of:

• the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers “fight or flight” and prepares us for everything from being chased by a wild animal to that important job interview, and
• parasympathetic nervous system, which relies on the vagus nerve to apply the brakes and bring the body back to a calm state

If one of these is out of sync, we start to see problems. So can we really reset the balance ourselves by activating the vagus nerve?

Consultant psychiatrist Prof Hamish McAllister-Williams is skeptical.

“We have good evidence that vagus nerve stimulation can help with epilepsy and neurological disorders.” mental illnesses, such as treatment-resistant depression” he says, “but this comes from an implanted device; “It’s like a pacemaker that sends pulses of electrical energy to the vagus nerve.”

This device sends mild electrical impulses to the brain via the vagus nerve, triggering the release of chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, which help us regulate our mood.

While vagus nerve stimulation inside the body requires invasive surgery and is available to a small group of patients on the NHS, there is now a growing market for wearable – non-invasive – technology.

These devices, which cost between £200 and £1,000, are usually clipped to the ear, worn around the neck or placed on the chest.

Prof McAllister-Williams explains: “There are some credible studies to suggest that these external stimuli can potentially affect brain activity.” “But there is much less evidence compared to internal devices.”

With external devices, electrical impulses must pass through skin, tissue, muscle and fat, so it is not as simple and direct as a stimulator in the body.

Lucy Lambert says these types of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulators helped her after experiencing burnout.

The mother-of-three quit her job as a primary school teacher simply because she was “stressed, tired and anxious”.

“I had been running on empty for so long that I didn’t realize it,” says Lucy. “Then it hit. The life to-do list became too much.

“The mental load was so great that I couldn’t get out of bed.”

After trying various medical avenues and feeling like she was getting nowhere, Lisa’s brother recommended one of these pulsating devices that claim to send low-level electrical pulses to the vagus nerve through the skin, usually in the neck or ear area.

“When I started to feel overwhelmed, the first thing I noticed was that I would get a headache.

“Then I would wear a device for 10 minutes twice a day and the headache pain would go away and my whole body would calm down.

“The vibrations actually do something.”

The devices don’t cure burnout, he says, but they help create “the conditions in which true recovery can occur.”

Working in the field of pain management, Dr. Chris Barker says this area of ​​medicine is still evolving.

There’s a growing understanding of the importance of the vagus nerve, he says, but while there’s “clear evidence” of the impact of an unbalanced nervous system on everything from our mental health to our heart rate to our ability to digest food, that doesn’t mean we have all the answers — yet — on how to fix the problems.

“It really makes sense to focus on something that is problematic and try to fix it.

“Our bodies are really complex, of course, and sometimes the problem we see may be part of an imbalance in a broader system.”

He says it’s not about going to extremes. It’s “about finding what works for you,” and that can often take time.

It’s worth noting that if you have underlying heart or respiratory conditions, you should seek medical attention before trying to rebalance or stimulate your nervous system.

Now, several years after experiencing burnout, Lucy, 47, is starting her own business to help others develop emotional resilience and confidence.

He still uses his devices every day, meditates, and checks in with how he feels regularly. “Devices make me rest and shut down.”

But he admits it’s hard to know whether it was the devices that made the difference or whether he was just taking a much-needed break.

There is no solid scientific evidence behind these devices, but they played an important role in Lucy’s recovery. He says understanding the nervous system and the importance of the vagus nerve makes him stronger.

“It’s helped me take responsibility for my own mental health and well-being, and that’s huge.”