We track everything to stress less and feel better. But as Dr. Jo Brown, a performance coach, author, and the Head of Human Performance at Nuropod, puts it, we’re often “measuring without modulation.“
All this data—the sleep and heart rate variability (HRV), and the recovery and stress—can help us understand how our nervous system is doing. But it’s only useful if it can also help us identify and change what is keeping us stuck in a stressed state.
Breathwork, cold plunges, and even $160,000 relaxation chambers may help in the moment. But lasting change could take more than a few nervous-system “resets.”
That means looking beneath all the tips and tricks to the root—the vagus nerve—and the thoughts, habits, and patterns that influence it.
Key takeaways
The vagus nerve connects the brain with organs throughout the body. It helps influence your stress response, heart rate, digestion, memory recall, and other critical functions.
There are different ways to influence the state of the vagus nerve, which can impact inflammation, recovery, and aging.
Devices and tools can help, but addressing the thoughts, habits, and patterns driving stress is just as important.
What’s keeping you “on” right now?
The vagus nerve is more than a relaxation switch
It’s natural for life to get stressful sometimes, but today’s environment can make us feel more wired and tired than restored.
“We're on — all of us are on — more than any other time in history," says Dr. Brown.
To shift from stress to recovery, our body uses the vagus nerve. Being a major part of the parasympathetic system—this is the part of our nervous system that puts us in ‘rest and digest’ mode and controls other automatic functions like heart rate and breathing—it’s also a major communication line between the brain and body.
The vagus nerve helps the nervous system assess “Am I safe?" That can determine how stressed we feel.
A “toned” vagus nerve may be more adaptable to stress, which could be linked to healthier autonomic functions such as heart rate.
But persistent stress can also wear it down. Over time, it can affect these automatic functions and may be linked to more sympathetic activity (ie, stress), which has been linked to greater inflammation, poor sleep, and worse cardiometabolic health.
And still, the influence of the vagus nerve can go well beyond this.
What happens to the vagus nerve as we age?
The vagus nerve isn’t just a health influencer. Normal aging can also influence how the nervous system functions.
As we get older, Dr. Jo explains that our endocrine, immune, cognitive, and cardiovascular systems change. Research also suggests that aging increases the risk of living in a sympathetic-dominant state, which could make recovery from physical and emotional stress feel less automatic.
This doesn’t mean aging is bound to keep you stuck in fight-or-flight, but age-related autonomic changes have been shown to contribute to slower recovery, sleep disruption, fatigue, and changes in cardiovascular health.
Menopause can also add another stress to the system. Hormonal changes can create unpredictability and increase sympathetic drive, says Dr. Brown. It’s encouraging news, then, that women's physiology is designed to adapt, and habits and tools that support the nervous system could make recovery feel more manageable.
Emerging research suggests that noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation—whether it’s the breathwork, vagus nerve stimulators (VNS), or the motley of other techniques—can improve mood, gut health, sleep, and other age-related changes. But balancing a nervous system may be even bigger than any tool.
What most people miss about a healthy nervous system
Yes, commercial devices designed to stimulate vagus-nerve pathways can support a healthier nervous system. And tracking these changes on a wearable (via HRV, energy scores, or other biometric data) can provide insights on high-level stress and recovery trends.
Yet neither identifies the pressures, beliefs, habits, or environments keeping you on high alert, says Dr. Brown. That could be the real difference between a healthy nervous system.
“It doesn't matter how much you use a VNS device,” says Dr. Brown. “If you don't know who you are and what's stressing you out, you don't really know the pattern and when to use it as well.”
This is where awareness can become important. The nervous system, for instance, positively responds to positive thoughts and can influence aging patterns.
Optimists have also been observed to live 15% longer than their less-positive peers. Even viewing aging in a more positive light has been linked with a healthier and longer lifespan.
Dr. Brown likens this awareness to following an elephant’s trail: The droppings are the “crap you need to clean up,” while the footprints reveal the patterns—and direction—worth following.
Ask yourself:
When do you feel most wired?
What happened?
What’s the trigger?
How are you interpreting a situation?
Notice the patterns, then change them.
4 simple ways to support the nervous system
Supporting your nervous system does not have to be complicated. Start with the basics:
Routine: “Routine is really important,” Dr. Brown says. Predictable anchors can create safety and support recovery. Consider consistent sleep and wake times, regular meals, or a short wind-down ritual.
Hum/gargle water: Humming, singing, or gargling water are low-risk ways to promote relaxation and stimulate the vagus nerve via the neck. Try one when you notice yourself becoming tense.
Slow, deep breathing: Take a few minutes to breathe slowly and deliberately during moments of stress (consider the 4-7-8 method), which may help lower arousal and shift your body toward recovery.
Consider a device: Commercial devices stimulate the vagus nerve via the ear or neck. Evidence is still small and limited, but they may support mood, learning, memory recall, inflammation, and HRV. Dr. Brown works closely with Nuropod (we are not affiliated with them). Check with your doctor first if you have a heart condition, a pacemaker, or take medication that affects heart rate.
Big picture
We need nervous system regulation and vagus nerve stimulation more now than ever, says Dr. Brown.
“It's not just health — it's impacting your happiness, your relationships, your quality of life," she says.
Supporting your nervous system doesn’t require obsessing over it or buying a device. Start by noticing your patterns, build routines that help your body feel safe, and layer in tools and techniques if it’s useful.
“We're all measuring, but we're not modulating,” she says. By understanding the vagus nerve and the language of our nervous system, we could change how we age— and live.
A helpful reminder: “The nervous system is trainable, and most people don’t even realize they can influence it.”
Updates
Earn CE credits: Members of the Livelong Women's Inner Circle™ can now earn 10 CE hours through Pinnacle Conference, LLC. Use code CECREDIT for $50 off your first year.
Make friends with women who enjoy women’s health: Join the Livelong Women’s Circle™.
Until next time!
Erin
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The information provided about wellness and health is for general informational and educational purposes only. We are not licensed medical professionals, and the content here should not be considered medical advice. Talk to a doctor before trying any of these suggestions.
