What is the Vagus Nerve? Understanding the way that it affects your body
The Vagus Nerve is the main nerve of your parasympathetic nervous system. This system controls specific body functions such as your digestion, heart rate and immune system. These functions are involuntary, meaning you can’t consciously control them.
- Heart: Decreases heart rate
- Liver: Regulates insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis
- Gut: Increases gastric juices, gut motility, stomach acidity
- Inflammation: Suppresses Inflammation
- Brain: Helps keep anxiety and depression at bay
- Mouth: Taste information, gag reflex, swallowing, coughing
- Blood Vessels: Lowers blood pressure
How does the Vagus Nerve Affect Organ Systems?
When the system does not function effectively, it can result in autonomic nervous system disorders such as:
- Chronic Inflammation
- Chronic Pain (Sustained Pain)
- Central Sensitization
- Sleep Disorders
- Depression
- Phobias
- Antisocial Behaviors
- Anxiety Disorders
When the Vagus Nerve is functioning:
- Gag reflex is diminished
- Stomach is calm
- Heart rate is slow
- Breathing is paced
- Digestion is efficient
Stress and the Vagus Nerve
Stress can cause depressed vagus nerve function. Diseases in which the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy cells. Autoimmune Disorders.
This can occur because of an immune response directed against sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric ganglia, or central autonomic pathways. Dysautonomia or autonomic dysfunction is a condition in which the autonomic nervous system (ANS) does not work properly.
This may affect the functioning of:
- heart
- bladder
- intestines
- sweat glands
- pupils
- blood vessels.
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