A Vagus Nerve Reset Can Calm Stress in 60 Seconds—a Stanford Doctor Says It Really Works
Bonus: Learn how one woman used vagus nerve stimulation to soothe her rheumatoid arthritis too!
Key Takeaways
- Simple vagus nerve exercises may calm stress and anxiety in under a minute.
- Humming, cold water and deep breathing help reset the vagus nerve naturally.
- Experts say improving vagus nerve function supports sleep, mood and digestion.
If you feel simultaneously on-edge and burned out—wired but exhausted, foggy by 3 p.m. and still tossing at midnight—your vagus nerve could use a tune-up. The good news? A vagus nerve reset doesn’t require pricey gadgets, hours of free time or anything you don’t already have at home. Here’s why this remarkable nerve matters so much when life feels like too much, plus the gentle ways to switch your body out of “go” mode and finally relieve chronic stress.
What is the vagus nerve—and why should you care?
The vagus nerve, also known as “the great wandering protector,” starts at your brain stem and branches down both sides of your neck, sending tendrils of nerve fibers through the heart, lungs and digestive tract. It plays a key role in heart rate, digestion, mood regulation and immune response.
“The vagus nerve activates the relaxation response, the healing response and the restorative response in the body,” says Eddie Stern, a yoga teacher and author of One Simple Thing. “It’s bidirectional, which means it helps the body communicate with the brain, and the brain communicates with the body so that we can stay in balance.”
Woman's World Answers
It’s also pretty much the whole ball game when it comes to managing stress: The “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system is composed of 75 percent vagal nerve fibers. Research in the Journal of Personalized Medicine even suggests that stimulating the vagus nerve could even help with mental health problems stemming from stress, such as anxiety, depression symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“When the vagus nerve is fired, it causes slowing of our heart rate, lowering of our blood pressure and blood sugar and increased digestion,” says Greg Hammer, MD, professor and researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine. In other words, “it neutralizes the stress response.”
What causes vagus nerve dysfunction? Signs you may need a reset
Aging naturally weakens the vagus nerve. So does chronic stress. “In modern life, we activate the sympathetic nervous system just by our thoughts, even when there is no danger,” Dr. Hammer says. “We’re meeting with our boss or we’re having a disagreement with our spouse and we get this flood of adrenaline.” Skimping on sleep, ultra-processed foods, smoking and alcohol pile on, too.
The symptoms of vagus nerve dysfunction will likely sound familiar:
- Chronic anxiety
- Exhaustion
- Brain fog
- Insomnia
- Poor digestion
6 simple ways to do a vagus nerve reset
Stern says just 10 minutes a day (or less!) of these exercises can shift your nervous system’s baseline in about five weeks. Here’s how to do a vagus nerve reset at home:
Breath slowly and deeply
Both Dr. Hammer and Stern recommend this calming vagus nerve exercise. “The six-breaths-per-minute cycle is the most widely studied breathing cycle,” Stern says. “It’s a breath ratio that can induce states of calm, healing and improving cardiac health.” Try inhaling through your nose for three counts, pausing for three, then exhaling for four.
Hum or gargle
The vagus nerve runs near your vocal cords, so humming a favorite song while you fold laundry—or gargling cold water for 30 seconds, three times—gives it a tune-up. A study in Frontiers in Psychology found that regular singing boosts the nerve’s activity. “Plus, how anxious or bummed out can you be while you are humming your favorite song?” Dr. Hammer says.
Try a ‘carotid sinus massage’
One easy way to do a vagus nerve reset: Find your pulse on the left side of your neck, where the vagus nerve passes through. With gentle pressure, press down for about three minutes. “This activates the vagus nerve and lowers your blood pressure,” says Dr. Hammer. For a visual how-to, check out Dr. Hammer’s YouTube video.
Splash on cold water
Research from the American Physiological Society points out that cold water stimulates thermo-receptors in the skin that boost vagus nerve function. While a two-minute cold shower activates the vagus nerve fast, you can also simply splash cold water on your face to stimulate the body’s “diving reflex,” a natural process that boosts vagus nerve activity. Dr. Hammer also suggests draping a cold pack over your face (covering your eyes and cheeks) for one minute.
Try a loving-kindness meditation
Silently repeat phrases like “May I be happy,” “May you be healthy” and “May they be safe.” University of North Carolina researchers found this stimulated the vagus nerve in study participants, boosting its strength significantly in nine weeks.
Sniff jasmine
Sipping jasmine tea or inhaling the scent of jasmine may help reset the vagus nerve in as little as 15 minutes and promote relaxation, with effects lasting an hour, according to research in Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry. Cedarwood and lavender scents have similar soothing perks. One easy option: Apply Sand + Fog Jasmine and Cedarwood Perfume Oil to your wrists and neck and breathe deeply to inhale the scent.
How one woman reset her vagus nerve and eased her arthritis
Sometimes, with severe vagus nerve dysfunction, the body may need a little extra help with that reset. For Dawn Steiner, a speech pathologist from Massapequa, New York, vagus nerve stimulation was nothing short of life-changing. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in March 2009, Steiner spent years cycling through medications that either failed or worked for only a few months at a time. “I was not getting the relief that I needed so badly,” she said.
In July 2023, she enrolled in SetPoint Medical’s clinical trial and received a tiny implant—about the size of a multivitamin—placed along her left vagus nerve. The implant sends electrical impulses to the vagus nerve, and within a week, her symptoms began to improve. Two years later, she has experienced no side effects, just relief from her vagus nerve reset.
“There were times where I spent the entire weekend in bed or on the couch, because all I could do was go to work every day and do my thing there,” Steiner said. “And now I’m exercising. I’m going out. I’m living my life again.”
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