Tending to the vagus nerve: Your internal calm connector

As rising rates of burnout leave many in a constant state of fight-or-flight, the vagus nerve is emerging as an important part of the conversation around stress, gut health, and overall wellbeing.
Could supporting healthy vagal tone help build resilience to modern stressors? Here, we explore the evidence for activating your vagal tone.

What is the vagus nerve?

Have you heard of the vagus nerve? If you’ve ever made a decision based on a gut feeling, you may already have experienced the steadying effects of this essential gut–body connection.

Often, we think of nerves as the brain’s messaging system, sending signals from the brain to the organs. But the truth is that the gut–brain axis is a two-way communication channel. The gut has its own nervous system, the enteric nervous system, and shares information with the brain via a ‘wandering’ information superhighway called the vagus nerve.

A calm connector between the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the nervous system, here is a quick guide to some of the key functions of this wandering nerve:

• The body’s longest cranial nerve
• Extends from the brainstem to organs including the heart, lungs, and gut
• Plays a central role in regulating the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system
  

What does the vagus nerve do?

Every one of us has a level of vagal tone, which reflects how active our vagus nerve is. According to research, people with a strong vagal tone may find it easier to return to a state of calm after a stressful event, and their bodies may be better able to support balanced inflammatory responses and digestive function.

Before we go further, it helps to understand the two branches of the nervous system and where the vagus nerve sits within them:

• The sympathetic nervous system activates your fight, flight, or freeze response when you perceive stress or threat
• The parasympathetic nervous system supports rest, digestion, and a return to a more regulated state
  

When your sympathetic nervous system is activated, you become alert, your heart and breathing rate increase, and your energy mobilizes. At the same time, digestion slows and feelings of calm diminish.

This is where the vagus nerve plays a leading role. This long, complex bundle of fibers travels between the brain and vital organs, acting as a gentle brake that helps regulate heart rate, breathing, and digestive processes as the body moves back toward balance.

By supporting this shift out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest, the vagus nerve plays a key role in helping the body return to a more regulated and resilient state.

Low vagal tone: Signs your vagus nerve needs support

What makes the vagus nerve so impressive is how dynamically it responds. Your gut’s enteric nervous system is constantly monitoring your internal environment and communicating with the brain via the vagus nerve as part of the ongoing conversation known as the gut–brain axis.

When you’re stressed, your body naturally shifts into fight-or-flight. The vagus nerve helps guide you back toward a state where you can rest, digest, and feel more regulated.
If you find it difficult to come out of stress or notice ongoing patterns like feeling wired, depleted, or dysregulated, it may be a sign your vagus nerve could benefit from more support.

6 natural ways to support your vagus nerve

Could supporting your vagal tone help you feel more resilient in the face of stress? Here are a few simple, accessible practices to explore at home:

1. Vagus nerve breathwork

Slow, deep, rhythmic breathing is one of the most accessible ways to support vagal tone. Breathing in a steady pattern can help signal safety to the nervous system and support a shift out of fight-or-flight and into a more regulated state.

Try breathing in for a count of 5, out for a count of 5, and pausing for a count of 5 before breathing in again. If that feels like too much, simply shorten the count so your breath remains slow and easeful.

2. Gentle movement

Gentle, rhythmic movement such as walking, yoga, or stretching can support nervous system regulation and healthy vagal tone.

Movement encourages steady breathing, supports circulation, and helps the body process stress hormones. It doesn’t need to be intense to be effective. In fact, slower forms of movement are often more supportive for nervous system balance.

3. Social connection

Human connection is one of the most powerful regulators of the nervous system.

Spending time with people who make you feel safe, heard, and supported can naturally stimulate parasympathetic activity. Even small moments, like a shared laugh, meaningful conversation, or eye contact, can signal safety to the body.

We are, after all, wired for connection.

4. Cold exposure for the vagus nerve

Cold exposure, such as cold water swimming or a cold shower, is another way to engage the vagus nerve. Initially, cold water triggers a stress response. Over time, as the body adapts, parasympathetic activity may increase, which can help build resilience to stress.

It’s worth noting that much of the research has been conducted on men. Women’s nervous systems and hormonal rhythms can respond differently to cold stress, particularly during more depleted or hormonally sensitive phases. If you’re new to cold exposure or already feeling burnt out, it’s best to start slowly and pay close attention to how your body responds.

5. Gut support for your vagus nerve

Because the vagus nerve is a central communication pathway within the gut–brain axis, supporting gut health may also play a role in healthy vagal function.

A healthy and balanced gut microbiome plays a role in maintaining communication within the gut–brain axis.

True Biome supports this terrain through a blend of postbiotics, prebiotics, and amino acids to help maintain microbial balance and gut integrity⁺. Your daily True Collagen ritual can complement this by providing structural support for connective tissues, including those found in the digestive tract.

It’s also worth remembering that digestion begins in the brain. Eating mindfully and taking time with your meals can support digestive comfort and overall ease within the system.

6. Voice exercises for the vagus nerve

The vagus nerve connects to your vocal cords and throat muscles, which is why singing, humming, chanting, and even gargling can help stimulate vagal activity.

Research also suggests that chanting “OM” may have particularly strong effects on vagal tone. It’s no surprise many people feel more relaxed after practices like meditation or sound work

Conclusion: Support your vagus nerve, build your resilience

Calm is more than just a state of mind. It’s a biological response that can be supported through consistent, daily practices.

By reconnecting with your vagus nerve through simple rituals, you begin to create the conditions for a more regulated, resilient, and supported system over time.