How can the vagus nerve be calmed?
Soothing the vagus is not a very common procedure, so there are few suggestions on this topic. In principle, nerves can be paralyzed or destroyed by medication for a while. However, in the case of the vagus, this is only useful on its end branches on certain organs (for example in the case of stomach ulcers), as it regulates too many important functions in the body.
Another obstacle is that the vagus nerve runs very deep in the body and gives off very important nerve branches early on, making it difficult to access. The best place to reach the vagus is along the neck, because it is rather superficial and has not yet split up into many parts. There are theories that you can calm the nerve at this point by drinking cold water.
Another way to calm the vagus is to take advantage of the interaction of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves. The more active the sympathetic nerve is, the less active the parasympathetic nerve is and vice versa. To calm the vagus, and thus the parasympathetic nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system must be activated. This nervous system is responsible for “fight and flight situations” and is mainly stimulated in everyday life by stress and during sports activities.
What happens when the vagus nerve is irritated?
In medicine, one usually speaks of “irritation” when a provocation or activation of the nerve has occurred. This is usually triggered either by mechanical pressure or by electrical stimulation. Irritation of the vagus nerve (“vagus stimulus”) refers to a nerve reflex that can be triggered by mechanical pressure on the neck and is used in medicine from time to time.
It uses an internal reflex arc, which is responsible for the regulation of blood pressure. There are small “sensory cells” on the blood vessels of the neck (carotid artery) which measure the pressure and send signals to the brain. The brain evaluates the pressure conditions and lowers or raises the blood pressure.
The one-sided “massage” of the carotid artery feigns increased pressure to the brain, which leads to an immediate drop in blood pressure. This effect can therefore improve the symptoms in patients with critically high blood pressure. However, the method is very dangerous, as it can also lead to a fainting fit. Therefore, it is hardly used nowadays and, if necessary, may only be performed by a physician.
