Vagus Nerve Secrets: The Surprising Key to Burnout Recovery
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You tried resting, but your body feels “on”, still running without any pause. Your vagus nerve is quietly running this show.
Understanding is an empowering step toward recovery from burnout, and we are going deep today to unlock the secret door to the vagus nerve.
What Is The Vagus Nerve?
The Vagus nerve connects your brain and body, extending from your brain stem all the way down to your abdomen. It is the 10th cranial nerve out of 12. It’s the resting part of the nervous system called the parasympathetic system. In essence, it controls the resting heart rate, digestion, and respiration.
The key to unlocking relaxation and response is simple: “rest and digest.” This process regulates not only your heart rate, digestion, breathing, and emotional responses, but also inflammation.
When you experience burnout, your body remains in the sympathetic nervous system’s fight-or-flight response, operating in overdrive, which negatively impacts your vagal tone.
Burnout Vagus Nerve Connection
When chronic stress suppresses your vagal tone, it lowers your heart rate variability (HRV). Your body signals dysregulation of low HRV, which is measurable in burned-out folks.
Burnout adults continue to work in this state for many years until they crumble or implode.
You want your vagus nerve to respond and recover, and the vagal tone to indicate how well this is functioning. For instance, a higher vagal tone is associated with better stress resilience, emotional regulation, and cognitive clarity.
In burnout mode, low vagal tone means our nervous system is struggling to come out of the alert mode.
Importance of Vagal Tone
Vagal tone determines how well your body recovers from stress based on your vagus nerve’s strength and response.
If you have a higher vagal tone, you will recover faster from anxiety, have better emotion regulation, and have a more resilient nervous system. Which is what we are all striving for these busy days.
On the flip side, if you have a lower vagal tone, then your body is like glue and frozen; therefore, it will be sluggish to recover and have difficulty finding calm.
The good news is it’s not final; it’s adjustable.
You build stronger vagal tone through specific, repeatable practices, just as you build physical strength through exercise.
Stimulating the Vagus Nerve
So how do you improve your vagal tone and stimulate the vagus nerve for your high-functioning achievers? You have already conditioned yourself to push through and ignore indications from your nervous system.
Chronic stress will lead to increased levels of cortisol, adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin, even though the stressor has left the scene. In other words, constant increases in amounts can lead to structural modifications in your brain.
Recovery has nothing to do with willpower.
Retraining your nervous system is paramount.
Stimulating To Recovery
Now that we know why burnout affects our vagus nerve, let’s discuss ways to arouse it to recovery through that secret door.
Developing a daily practice of small ways will help you experience reduced stress and improved vagus nerve stimulation of your parasympathetic system. As with most other parts of the body, we need to activate the vagus nerve to keep it functioning optimally.
Given that, here are some ways to get started.
- Deep belly breathing – focus on slow in and out breathing, shifting your focus away from current stress. Don’t hold your breath; instead, breathe for counts of 4-5 on the inhale and 6-7 on the exhale.
- Exercise is a gold standard as it boosts blood vessels to fuel your brain. This will enhance the connectivity with your brain cells while stimulating the vagus nerve. Don’t underestimate the power of exercise; it lifts depression and reduces anxiety with a regular habit.
- Meditate – calms the nervous system network to lower heart rate and blood pressure. Constant elevation is linked to a risk of neurodegenerative disease and declining cognition.
- Cold water – A cold plunge or ending your shower with cold water helps reduce the body’s natural stress response. This is a short-term exposure.
- Inspiration! Creative outlets such as being in nature, walking outside, or inspiring hobbies or interests that leave you astonished or in a state of wonder (this is my favorite)
That’s A Wrap!
Recovery starts in the body with small, consistent practices over time. Begin right where you are today and give yourself a boost with vagus nerve stimulation. Try a splash of cold water on your face, deep breathing in the middle of the day, or hit up a museum for some awe!
I share gentler reflections and practical nervous system support in The Gentle Reset Letter if you’d like company along the way.
This is for educational purposes only. If you are in a crisis or have any thoughts of hurting yourself or anyone else, please call the crisis hotline 988, 911, or go to the closest emergency room for evaluation. This does not replace professional help.
References:
Bolster Your Brain by Stimulating the Vagus Nerve | Cedars-Sinai
