Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard for you to relax and calm down, even when you know you’re in a safe place? You know on an intellectual level that everything is fine, but your body hasn’t gotten the message. Your heart races unexpectedly, you feel constantly on edge, you have trouble sleeping, or you startle easily at everyday sounds.
These reactions are signs of a nervous system that has spent a long time protecting you. Vagal tone is one concept that explains this experience.
What Is the Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in your body. Beginning in the brainstem, it extends through your neck and chest into your abdomen, connecting your brain with your heart, lungs, digestive system, and other organs.
It is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates automatic, “rest-and-digest” functions such as your heart rate, breathing, digestion, immune function, and stress recovery. Your parasympathetic nervous system works alongside your sympathetic nervous system, which activates your body’s fight-or-flight response during stressful situations. Ideally, these two systems work together to help you respond to challenges and then return to a calm, balanced state afterward.
What Is Vagal Tone?
Vagal tone refers to how effectively the vagus nerve helps your body respond to stress. People with healthy vagal tone are generally better at bouncing back from stressful situations. Your heart rate slows, your breathing becomes steadier, and your body recognizes that the threat has passed.
People with lower vagal tone may have a harder time transitioning smoothly out of survival mode. Your nervous system can remain activated long after a stressful event is over. That doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. It reflects how your nervous system has adapted over time.
Trauma Can Keep Your Body Stuck in Survival Mode
Healing is equal parts emotional and physical. Recovery involves teaching your nervous system to live outside survival mode.
Trauma affects far more than your memories. It also changes the way your brain and nervous system respond to the world. Many women experience multiple forms of trauma:
- Childhood abuse or neglect
- Sexual assault
- Domestic violence
- Emotional abuse
- Sudden loss or grief
- Chronic instability or unpredictable environments
Your brain will become highly attuned to danger in response to these experiences, which is a highly adaptive survival response. The challenge is that your nervous system may continue reacting as though you’re always in danger, even when you’re objectively safe.
This phenomenon can contribute to symptoms such as:
- Hypervigilance
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Difficulty relaxing
- Emotional overwhelm
- Trouble sleeping
- Digestive issues
- Feeling constantly “on guard”
These responses are not choices. They are protective patterns your nervous system developed to help you survive.
The Connection Between Vagal Tone and Addiction
Living in a constant state of stress is exhausting. When your nervous system rarely feels calm, alcohol or drugs can seem like an easy way to create temporary relief.
Many women drink or use to quiet racing thoughts, reduce anxiety, fall asleep, or numb overwhelming emotions. Unfortunately, these substances won’t help your nervous system heal. While they may provide short-term relief, they often make it harder to regulate stress and restore well-being.
Can You Improve Vagal Tone?
Research suggests that healthy habits may lead to better nervous system regulation over time.
- Slow, deep breathing: Diaphragmatic breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system and can signal to your body that it is safe to slow down.
- Regular physical activity: Movement regulates stress hormones while supporting physical and emotional health.
- Quality sleep: Sleep allows your brain and body to recover from daily stress.
- Spending time outdoors: Nature reduces stress and promotes calm for many people.
- Humming, singing, or chanting: Because your vagus nerve connects to your throat and vocal cords, gentle vocalization may promote relaxation.
- Mindfulness and meditation: Mindfulness practices can improve awareness of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations while helping your nervous system become more resilient.
- Healthy relationships: Safe, supportive relationships can have a powerful calming effect on your nervous system. Healing often happens through connection rather than isolation.
The Value of Trauma-Informed Therapy
A persistent misconception is that healing from trauma is merely a matter of positive thinking or willpower. If you’ve ever felt frustrated because you couldn’t relax or self-soothe, remember that you’ve survived your experiences because trauma has changed your brain and body.
While healthy lifestyle habits can regulate your nervous system, they cannot replace professional trauma treatment. Trauma-informed therapies address the underlying experiences that keep you stuck in patterns of fear and hypervigilance.
The encouraging news is that the brain and body are remarkably adaptable. In working with a therapist, you can teach your nervous system that the danger has passed, creating a foundation for lasting recovery, healthier relationships, and improved emotional well-being. Contact us to learn how we can give you the opportunity to experience the peace you’ve always deserved.