When you think of all the ways to relieve stress, things like deep breathing, cracking up to a comedy special, or getting a relaxing massage might come to mind. But there is one thing that many stress relief tools have in common: they often involve the vagus nerve.
Scientists have long been researching this nerve for its ability to improve mood, soothe stress, and even help with certain medical conditions. And if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed — or simply want to give your body a boost — vagus nerve massage could be worth a try.
Read on to learn about the potential benefits of vagus nerve massage, along with how it works and three ways to try it.
What Is the Vagus Nerve?
Nicknamed the “wandering nerve,” the vagus nerve is the longest of 12 cranial nerves. It’s made of a complex network of branches that weave throughout the body, starting in the head and stretching all the way down to the large intestine.
This busy nerve also contains 75% of the nerve fibers in your parasympathetic nervous system, otherwise known as your “rest and digest” system.
It plays a key role in linking your brain to your heart, digestive system, and even your lungs. Its fibers also collect signals from other organs, your throat, and even partially through your tastebuds, bringing all of that information together to support many of your body’s automatic functions.
What Does the Vagus Nerve Do?
Compared to other cranial nerves, the vagus nerve is most known for its ability to reduce stress and regulate emotions — but its functions don’t stop there. Because it interconnects so many systems, it also plays a role in:
- Digestion and gut motility (or the movement of the muscles in your digestive tract)
- Speaking, humming, and swallowing
- Immune system reactions
- Mucus and saliva production
- Heart health and blood pressure
- Breathing
- Mood and overall emotional well-being
The Vagus Nerve and the “Rest and Digest” System
When you feel anxiety, your sympathetic nervous system (aka fight-or-flight mode) activates to help you cope with stressors and prepare for danger. In contrast, the vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts stress and allows your body to “rest and digest.”
When you’re in rest and digest mode, your stress hormones drop, and your body is able to redirect its energy toward recharging and recovery. It can also lead to effects like:
- More relaxed muscles (and a decrease in overall tension)
- Increased saliva production
- Slower heart rate
- Deeper breathing
- A reduced dilation of the pupils
Symptoms of Vagus Nerve Dysfunction
Certain mental and physical health conditions can disrupt the vagus nerve, which can impact the systems and organs that it’s connected to. For some, this can show up as symptoms like:
- A hoarse voice
- Difficulty speaking or swallowing
- Loss of gag reflex
- Digestive symptoms
- Heart rate or blood pressure changes
What Is Vagus Nerve Massage?
Massage has recently been gaining attention for its ability to stimulate the vagus nerve — but what actually is a vagus nerve massage, and what does it look like?
In truth, there are a few different ways to go about vagus nerve massage. But in general, the idea behind it is to lightly massage areas that are close to the nerve branches — such as the ears, neck, chest, and trapezius muscles.
Regardless of where you focus, vagus nerve massage is all about gentle touch as opposed to deep pressure. It uses techniques like sweeping, circular, or sometimes tapping motions to help activate the nerve fibers through sensory input, all with the goal of regulating and relaxing the body.
What Are the Benefits of Vagus Nerve Massage?
Of all the natural methods you can use to target this vast highway of nerve fibers, massage is one of the most popular. But what kind of positive effects can you expect, and what does the science say?
While more studies are needed to understand the full effects of vagus nerve massage, some of the potential benefits include:
Reduced Stress and Calmer Emotions
Because the vagus nerve plays a key role in your parasympathetic nervous system, a good massage could help with regulating emotions, reducing stress, and bringing your body into its “rest and digest” state.
Plus, massage in general is a known mood booster, and studies have pointed out that other forms of vagus nerve stimulation can bring surprising benefits for mental health.
In one 2020 study, researchers compared how shoulder massage fared against vagus nerve-focused massage on mood and mental well-being. Remarkably, they found that both interventions led to a boost in relaxation and decrease in perceived stress.
Better Sleep
Many kinds of massage soothe stress and boost relaxation, and these benefits can make it easier to get a good night’s rest. With that in mind, if you’re having trouble sleeping (or feeling dysregulated at night), a vagus nerve massage might help.
How? By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, it can help you shake off the effects of stress from your day. It can also bring physiological changes such as:
- A slower heart rate
- Deeper, calmer breathing
- Temporary lower blood pressure
Taking advantage of these calming effects at night could help you fall asleep more easily — and even help you feel a bit more well-rested in the morning.
May Promote Healthy Digestion
The vagus nerve stretches from your head all the way to your colon, meaning it plays an important role in your digestion. It also helps regulate the gut-brain axis (GBA) — the vast network of nerve fibers that help your brain and digestive system communicate.
When your GBA is thrown off due to stress, it can cause your body to divert energy away from your digestive tract. In turn, it can slow down your gut motility and even impact the signals your vagus nerve sends between your gut and your brain.
The good news? Vagus nerve massage can curb stress — both physically and mentally — which could have positive effects on your digestive health. In turn, it may help you ease bloating, constipation, and other signs of digestive discomfort.
Pain Relief
The vagus nerve is active in relaxation and anti-inflammatory responses, which can affect the way we perceive pain. And although not on massage, studies on vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) have found that it may be helpful for headache disorders — and even shows promise for other types of chronic pain.
While more research is needed on vagus nerve massage specifically, massage on its own is already well-loved for its pain-soothing benefits — and it may work even better paired with calming effects on the nerves. A good massage can:
- Reduce muscle tension
- Stimulate pressure receptors
- Boost feel-good endorphins, which may affect pain perception
3 Massage Techniques for Stimulating the Vagus Nerve
Whether you need to regulate your emotions or simply want to support your overall health, here are three simple vagus nerve massage techniques to know about:
Gentle Ear and Neck Massage
A gentle ear and neck massage can be a simple way to naturally stimulate the vagus nerve. It works by lightly targeting upper body muscles near the nerve to help reduce stress, ease pain, and boost your mood.
Here’s how to try it:
- Have a seat somewhere comfortable, and take a few deep belly breaths.
- With both hands, lightly take hold of the top part of both of your ears. Begin to gently massage in circular motions for 20–30 seconds.
- Move your fingers downward and continue to massage in circular motions closer to your inner earlobes. Repeat for another 20–30 seconds.
- Then, split your fingers to make a “V” shape with both of your hands.
- Gently place your hands around your ears, so that your earlobes are in the center of the “V”s. Your pointer and middle fingers should be behind your ears, with your pinky and ring fingers in front.
- Lightly massage in forward and backward motions for another 60 seconds.
- Finally, use your knuckles to massage the back sides of the neck with light, sweeping motions. Continue for 1–2 minutes.
Foot Massage
Your feet aren’t exactly next to your vagus nerve, but some research suggests that a form of foot massage called reflexology could stimulate parasympathetic nervous system activity. This system is closely linked with vagal tone — a measure of your vagus nerve’s functioning.
To get started, here's one simple foot massage technique to help balance and relax the body:
- Sit in a comfortable chair, and cross one leg up over your opposite knee. (This will help you more easily access your foot for massage.)
- Begin by using your thumbs to massage the bottom of the foot in upward sweeping motions to warm up the tissue. Repeat for 1–2 minutes.
- Then, use your knuckles to massage your foot’s arch more deeply. Repeat the upward sweeping motions from your heel to your toes for another 1–2 minutes.
- Spend some time pulling on each toe gently. Then, spend a few seconds pressing on each toe pad with moderate pressure.
- Massage for a total of 5–6 minutes, and repeat with the other foot.
Upper Body Massager
A user-friendly massage tool can also help you stimulate the upper body muscles near the vagus nerve — like the trapezius and neck muscles. One option is the MedMassager Body Massager Plus, an expert-trusted tool built to deliver deep, restorative massage while you relax at home.
Here’s how to use it on the neck and shoulder region:
- Start the massager to its lightest setting.
- Situate it between your left trapezius muscle (the upper back muscle spanning from the neck to the shoulder) and a high-back chair or couch.
- Lean into the massager for 60 seconds, allowing the vibrations to absorb into your muscle tissue.
- Then, move the massager to the right trapezius muscle, and repeat for another 60 seconds.
- Finally, adjust the massager to gently target the muscles on the back of the neck. (If it’s easier, you can ask a partner for help with this step.)
- Repeat for a total of 5-10 minutes.
(Tip: When using any electric massage tool near the neck, it’s important to stick with delicate pressure and focus on the muscles on the back of the neck to avoid injury.)
Is Vagus Nerve Massage Safe for Everyone?
Vagus nerve massage around the back, ears, and chest is unlikely to do any harm to most people, especially if you stick to gentle pressure. However, in some cases, it’s key to check with your doctor before trying massage focused on stimulating the nervous system.
For example, you’d want to get the OK first if you have:
- Cardiovascular disease or uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Any open wounds or infections around the target massage area
- Epilepsy or other seizure disorders
- Digestive issues
- Had a recent surgery around the neck or head
- Any implanted medical devices
- Nervous system conditions
- Pregnancy concerns
How Often Should You Use Vagus Nerve Massage?
Vagus nerve massage is noninvasive and gentle, and using it just a few times per week can be a great way to support your body’s ability to recharge. However, as long as you don’t have any conflicting health conditions, you can opt for it whenever you could use a boost — whether that’s once a month or a few times daily.
Other Ways To Stimulate the Vagus Nerve
The truth is that living a generally healthy lifestyle — with diet, exercise, and stress management tools — is the best way to support your vagus nerve health. But if you’re looking for more specific in-the-moment options to activate this vital nerve, you can try:
Humming
Your vagus nerve extends through your head, neck, throat — and yes, even your voice box. Humming sends relaxing, reverberating sounds throughout the nerve, which can result in a cascading calmness throughout the body. It’s also been shown to bring benefits like:
- A slower heart rate
- Calmer breathing
- Making it easier to fall asleep
- Improving focus and attention
Cold Exposure
Ever splashed cold water on your face to calm yourself down after feeling anxious? It can work surprisingly well, but it turns out that it might not just be due to the shock of the cold. In fact, studies show that cold exposure could help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, relax the body, and even slow down heart rate.
For activating the vagus nerve, one recent trend has been to apply a cold compress to the chest or back of the neck. But you could also practice controlled cold exposure by:
- Taking a cool shower
- Spending a few minutes in a cold bath
- Splashing cold water on your face
- Stepping outside in chilly temperatures
Meditation and Breathwork
Another simple way to boost vagus nerve health? Practice daily meditation and/or breathwork. Both of these tools can work with the parasympathetic nervous system to improve vagal tone, and they can also help you form a deeper mind-body connection.
Mindfulness meditation can be an easy method to start with. Simply bring your attention to your breath and focus on the present moment, aiming to stay the observer of your thoughts and emotions.
When it comes to breathwork, diaphragmatic (or belly) breathing is a good option for vagus nerve health. Simply place your hand on your belly, inhale deeply, and purse your lips to slowly exhale out of your mouth — almost like you’re blowing out a candle.
Medical Devices for Vagus Nerve Stimulation
In some medical situations, doctors will use pharmaceutical devices to stimulate the vagus nerve. These devices can be implanted within the body or used externally to electrically stimulate the nerve, aiming to soothe the body and improve vagal tone. They may be prescribed for those with:
- Depression or other mental health disorders
- Epilepsy or seizure disorders
- Certain types of headache disorders, like migraine or cluster headaches
The Takeaway
As the wandering nerve, the vagus nerve links your brain to a vast number of other functions and organs in your body, including your parasympathetic nervous system. Massage is just one of many natural tools that people use to activate its network of nerve fibers, bringing potential benefits like reduced stress, better digestion, and a boost in overall well-being.
An easy way to get started is to try a gentle self-massage focused on the ears, neck, and upper back muscles while practicing deep breathing. But if you want to reap the full benefits of massage daily, a home massager can help.
Pick up the MedMassager Body Massager Plus today, or learn more about how it can soothe the upper body here.
