The Gut-Brain Reset Series: Part 2 - Vagus Nerve Exercises for Gut Health
In Part 1, I talked about the gut-brain highway—the constant communication between your digestive system and your nervous system.
In this post, you’re going to learn how to actually use that highway to send calming signals to your gut.
The key player? Your vagus nerve.
This is where things get practical. No complicated protocols, no expensive supplements. Just simple exercises that can shift your nervous system out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest mode—right when you need it most.
What Is Vagal Tone (And Why Should You Care)?
Think of your vagus nerve like the brake pedal on your stress response. When it's working well (high vagal tone), you can calm down quickly after stress. Your digestion works smoothly. You feel resilient.
When vagal tone is poor, you stay stuck in stress mode. Your gut stays sensitive and reactive. Even small triggers feel overwhelming.
The amazing news? Vagal tone is trainable. Just like you can strengthen a muscle, you can strengthen your vagus nerve's ability to calm your system.
People with IBS often have lower vagal tone, which means their nervous system struggles to shift into the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state. But with consistent practice, you can improve this—and see real changes in your symptoms.
The 5-Minute Morning Vagus Reset
Start your day by priming your nervous system for calm. This takes just 5 minutes, and many of my clients report it changes the entire trajectory of their day.
Here's the routine:
1. Cold Water Face Splash (30 seconds) Splash cold water on your face, especially around your eyes and cheeks. Or hold a cold, wet washcloth over your face for 30 seconds.
Why it works: Cold stimulation on your face activates the vagus nerve through something called the "dive reflex"—an ancient mechanism that immediately shifts you into parasympathetic mode.
2. Humming or Singing (2 minutes) Hum your favorite tune, sing in the shower, or just make a low humming sound. Feel the vibration in your throat and chest.
Why it works: The vagus nerve runs right past your vocal cords. The vibration from humming or singing directly stimulates it. Bonus: this is why some people find that singing or humming helps calm their stomach.
3. Gargling (1 minute) Gargle water vigorously enough that your eyes might water a bit. Do this twice.
Why it works: Like humming, this activates the muscles at the back of your throat that are connected to the vagus nerve. It's simple, but surprisingly effective.
4. Deep Belly Breathing (1.5 minutes - about 6 breaths) Place one hand on your chest, one on your belly. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of 4, letting your belly rise while your chest stays relatively still. Pause for 2 counts. Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 6.
Why it works: The exhale is longer than the inhale, which signals safety to your nervous system. Belly breathing engages your diaphragm, which has direct connections to the vagus nerve.
Do this routine right after waking up, before you check your phone or start thinking about your day. You're setting the baseline for your nervous system.
The SOS Technique: When You Feel a Flare-Up Coming
You know that feeling—your gut starts to signal trouble. Maybe you feel cramping, or that urgent sensation, or just a wave of anxiety about your symptoms. This is your emergency vagal activation technique.
The 4-7-8 Breathing Pattern:
Inhale quietly through your nose for 4 counts
Hold your breath for 7 counts
Exhale completely through your mouth for 8 counts (making a "whoosh" sound)
Repeat 4 times
This pattern is specifically designed to activate your vagus nerve and trigger the relaxation response. The extended hold and long exhale are key.
Add this tactile element: While doing the breathing, press firmly on the roof of your mouth with your tongue, and press your thumb into the palm of your opposite hand. This gives your nervous system additional sensory input to focus on, which can interrupt the symptom-anxiety spiral.
Many people report that symptoms either don't develop fully or are significantly less severe when they catch them early with this technique.
The Valsalva Maneuver: For Constipation-Predominant IBS
This one is specifically helpful if you struggle with IBS-C or have trouble with bowel movements. It stimulates the vagus nerve in a way that can promote motility.
How to do it:
Take a deep breath
Bear down gently as if you're trying to blow up a balloon but your mouth is closed (don't actually strain hard)
Hold for 10-15 seconds
Release and breathe normally
Do this 2-3 times when you're trying to have a bowel movement, but avoid doing it if you have hemorrhoids or high blood pressure.
Why it works: This briefly increases pressure in your chest and abdomen, which stimulates the vagus nerve. After you release, there's a rebound effect that can help promote gut motility.
The Ear Massage: The Weird One That Works
This sounds strange, but your ear contains a branch of the vagus nerve, and stimulating it can have surprisingly powerful effects on your gut.
Here's how:
Use your index finger to gently massage the inside of your tragus (that little triangular flap in front of your ear canal)
Use small circular motions for 30-60 seconds on each ear
You can also gently pull on your earlobes, or massage the area behind your ears
Do this anytime you feel tension or before meals. Some people find this so effective they do it during meals to help digestion.
The Post-Meal Posture Protocol
Remember from my first series how eating position matters? Here's the vagal-activation upgrade:
After eating:
Sit upright in a chair with your feet flat on the floor
Place both hands on your belly
Take 5 slow, deep belly breaths
Then sit quietly for 10 minutes (read, listen to music, or just be)
Avoid looking at screens during this time
This ritual tells your nervous system: "We're safe. We can digest." Over time, your body learns to associate eating with this calm state rather than with stress.
The Social Connection Hack
Here's one that doesn't feel like an "exercise" at all: positive social connection activates your vagus nerve.
Genuine laughter, warm conversation, feeling connected to others—these all increase vagal tone. This is why stress eating alone often feels worse than eating the same food with people you care about.
Practical application: When possible, eat meals with people who make you feel comfortable and safe. If you're eating alone, call a friend or watch something that makes you laugh genuinely.
Your Vagus Nerve Training Schedule
Don't try to do everything at once. Here's a realistic progression:
Week 1: Just the morning routine. That's it. Build the habit.
Week 2: Add the SOS breathing technique when you notice symptoms starting.
Week 3: Add the post-meal posture protocol for one meal per day.
Week 4: Add the ear massage whenever you think of it throughout the day.
After a month, these practices should feel natural. Many people notice changes in their symptoms within 2-3 weeks of consistent practice.
The Long Game
Here's what you need to know about vagus nerve work: consistency matters more than intensity. Doing the 5-minute morning routine every day for a month will have more impact than doing 30 minutes of vagal exercises once a week.
Your nervous system learns through repetition. You're essentially teaching it a new default state—from chronically stressed to resilient and responsive.
What's Next
In Part 3, I’m diving into sleep, because no amount of vagus nerve work can compensate for poor sleep. Sleep is when your gut-brain axis does its maintenance and repair work.
I'll cover the specific sleep strategies that work for IBS, why your gut symptoms might be disrupting your sleep (and vice versa), and how to build a sleep routine that actually supports healing.
