The Vagus Nerve and Digestion… What’s the Connection?

It’s hard not to think of Elvis and the song “Viva Las Vegas” when talking about the vagus nerve.  You can think of the vagus nerve as the “Strip”,  a road that connects the brain to digestive system. So needless to say, the

are intimately connected.

You may be able to improve IBS symptoms by activating your vagus nerve. It may help improve

associated with IBS, SIBO and GERD such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation and acid reflux. Poor vagal nerve function can cause or exacerbate these symptoms.

The vagus nerve springs into action only when the body is in “rest and digest” mode (also known as the parasympathetic state).  This can only happen when you are not in a state of stress (or in a sympathetic state).   The vagus nerve stimulates and regulates digestive organs:

Now that you know how the vagus nerve helps stimulate and regulate the organs of the digestive tract, it’s easy to see how poor vagal nerve function can be connected to the following conditions:

What causes poor vagal function?  The big culprits are stress, fatigue, overwhelm and anxiety – which all go hand in hand.  Activating your vagus nerve has been shown to reduce anxiety and activate the “rest and digest” (parasympathetic nervous system).

There are numerous ways to activate, tone and improve vagal nerve function:

It’s not just what we eat that helps improve digestion but how we eat plays a role in vagal nerve health.

Activating your vagus nerve can be simple, easy, and done at home.  If you have

, like IBS, SIBO and GERD, then the benefits create a more relaxed state of overall well-being and smoother digestion. You can see how important it is to activate the vagal nerve to improve IBS symptoms. So, choose any option above and start stimulating!

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