Shari B. Kaplan, LCSWIntegrative Mental Health

What Is the Vagus Nerve? How It Supports Calm and Healing

2 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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1:02

In this brief instructional segment, the speaker explains that the vagus nerve controls the balance between the sympathetic (fight‑or‑flight) and parasympathetic (rest‑and‑digest) branches of the autonomic nervous system. A healthy vagal tone is linked to better mood, smoother digestion, and stable heart rate. The speaker outlines three common methods for boosting vagal tone—breathwork, cold exposure, and vocal toning—while warning that cold exposure can be harmful when the body is already highly aroused. The importance of working with a qualified therapist to personalize breathwork, vocal exercises, and temperature‑based interventions is emphasized, with the goal of moving the body from a reactive “loose cannon” state to a calmer, more flexible rest‑and‑digest mode.

Chapters

So the vagus nerve regulates your body's sympathetic nervous system and your rest and digest system. So a healthy vagal tone supports your mood, your digestion, and your heart rate. So most people work on breath, cold exposure, and vocal toning to stimulate it. So a few things you need to know is if your body is in a heightened state of arousal, cold exposure is not your friend. So really work with a qualified therapist. Who can help guide you to what kind of breathwork you should be doing, what kind of vocal toning you can do, and when to use heat and cold appropriately to help you out with getting a stronger vagal tone so that your body is not just a loose cannon responding to everything like there's a threat. When you get to tone up your vagus nerve, you can get your body to be more flexible going back into a more peaceful and calming rest and digest state.