12 science-backed vagus nerve exercises for anxiety relief

What Is the Vagus Nerve?

The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body, running from your brain down to your gut, and it controls your “rest and digest” functions.

More specifically, the vagus nerve is a neural pathway that helps regulate the parasympathetic nervous system—the part that manages your resting heart rate, digestion speed, and breathing patterns. A well-functioning parasympathetic nervous system means you feel safe rather than stressed or anxious.

Think of the vagus nerve as the body’s main communication cable for your parasympathetic nervous system.

“The vagus nerve is like the body’s internal communication highway—one that runs from your brain to your gut, heart, and lungs,” says Easton Gaines, PsyD, founder of MindCare Psychology. This extensive pathway from brain to gut has earned it the nickname “wanderer nerve” and allows it to control multiple body functions: heart rate variability, breathing patterns, mood regulation, and digestion.

The vagus nerve also plays a crucial role in mental health. “It helps regulate your parasympathetic nervous system—the part of your body that says, ‘You’re safe. You can rest. You can exhale,’” Gaines explains. “It’s deeply tied to our sense of calm, presence, and even connection to others.”

How Your Nervous System Responds to Stress

Your parasympathetic nervous system works alongside your sympathetic nervous system, which controls immediate reactions to stressors (fight, flight, fawn, or freeze responses). While both systems matter, the parasympathetic nervous system sets your baseline mood when no immediate threats are present.

Here’s how it works: If you receive a stressful email at work, your sympathetic nervous system controls your immediate reaction. Your parasympathetic system—guided by the vagus nerve—controls how your body responds for the rest of the day. When properly regulated, you should return to a calm, controlled state. If not, you may feel anxious or on edge until bedtime and possibly into the next day.

How Vagus Nerve Dysfunction Contributes to Anxiety

We’ve all felt first date or job interview jitters—racing heart, tense muscles, and difficulty breathing normally. These physical symptoms make it harder to think clearly, which means it’s difficult to show up as our best self.

These anxiety responses are completely normal when they happen in stressful situations and resolve quickly. But if you experience them frequently or they linger long after a stressful event has passed, your vagus nerve may not be functioning optimally. This is referred to as low vagal tone—essentially, your nervous system struggles to return to a calm state after stress.

The good news? Your vagal tone isn’t set in stone; it can be improved with vagus nerve stimulation.

“When we stimulate the vagus nerve, we are essentially telling the body to relax, decreasing heart rate, slowing breathing, and allowing our more creative thought processes to flow,” says Sara Hiebsch, LPC, founder of Hope River Counseling.

Science backs up the idea that improving vagal tone can help with anxiety. A 2022 study found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) effectively stimulated the vagus nerve in participants with autism and anxiety, not only lowering anxiety levels but also reducing depressive symptoms and fear.

How Do I Know If I Have Low Vagal Tone?

“When someone has low vagal tone, it means their nervous system struggles to return to a state of safety after stress,” says Alyssa Kushner, LCSW, a holistic and somatic therapist in New York.

You might recognize some of these common signs of low vagal tone:

• Constantly feeling on edge or scanning for potential problems
• Feeling anxious, even when nothing is obviously wrong
• Digestive issues like bloating, nausea, or stomach discomfort
• Going from calm to highly stressed very quickly
• Feeling overwhelmed by emotions frequently
• Difficulty staying focused on the present moment
• Mind automatically jumping to worst-case scenarios
• Feeling disconnected from your body or emotionally numb
• Trouble falling or staying asleep
• Still feeling wired or tense long after a stressful situation has ended
• Persistent tiredness that rest doesn’t seem to help

12 Vagus Nerve Exercises for Anxiety Relief

The techniques below are organized by strength of scientific evidence, from strongest research support to promising but newer approaches. Each exercise can help stimulate your vagus nerve and improve your body’s ability to return to a calm state.

Here’s what to expect: These techniques don’t work like flipping a switch. Think of them more like building muscle at the gym; They get stronger and more effective with regular practice. 

“Activating the vagus nerve isn’t about quick fixes, but about signaling safety, calm, regulation, and connection to our brain and bodies,” Kushner explains.

Strongest Evidence

1. Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing

“Diaphragmatic breathing—those long, slow belly breaths—is one of the kindest things we can offer ourselves,” says Gaines. “Each breath tells your vagus nerve, ‘You’re safe.’” Research shows that even 10 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing can decrease anxiety levels, improve the balance between inhaling and exhaling, and lower heart rate.

How to do it: Lie on your back and place one hand on your belly, the other on your chest. Breathe in slowly through your nose, letting the hand on your belly rise while the hand on your chest stays relatively still. Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting the hand on your belly return to its starting position. While you don’t need to count during your inhale or exhale, it is crucial to make your exhale longer. That’s what activates your vagus nerve and calming response.

Best for: Daily stress management and immediate anxiety relief

Safety: Generally safe for everyone; stop if you feel dizzy

2. Cold-Water Face Immersion

“Dipping your face into cold water can trigger something called the diving reflex, which slows your heart rate and stimulates the vagus nerve,” Gaines says. Research from 2022 found that participants who applied cold water to their faces for just five to 35 seconds after a stressor were able to return to a calm state faster than those who didn’t.

How to do it: You can submerge your face in cold water, splash cold water on your face, use an ice roller, or press a cool washcloth to your face for 30 seconds. “You don’t need to dunk your whole head—just splashing cold water or pressing a cool washcloth to your face for 30 seconds can do the trick,” Gaines says.

Best for: Panic attack relief

Safety: Don’t stay in the cold too long and avoid extreme temperatures; not suitable for those with heart conditions

3. Humming and Singing

“Deep humming is another way to activate the vagus nerve and also just feels soothing,” Kushner says. “Since the vagus nerve connects to the vocal cords and ear, sound vibrations from humming, chanting, or singing stimulate it directly, which brings you back to that calm regulated safe state.”

Research supports humming as a daily practice. One study found that regular humming helps regulate the parasympathetic nervous system (your body’s “rest and digest” mode), helping us respond thoughtfully to stress, rather than react impulsively.

How to do it: Complete five to ten slow, steady rounds of humming with your ears plugged or gently covered. To best stimulate the vagus nerve, Kushner recommends humming from your chest rather than just your throat, using a low pitch that you can feel vibrating in your body.

Best for: Daily stress management

Safety: No restrictions

4. 4-7-8 Breathing

“The 4-7-8 breath is a nice quick way to stimulate the vagus nerve and bring your nervous system into a more regulated state,” Kushner says. Like diaphragmatic breathing, the slow exhale activates the vagus nerve and helps regulate your parasympathetic nervous system (your body’s calming response). The structured counting makes it especially useful when your mind is racing.

How to do it: Breathe in through your nose slowly for four seconds, hold your breath at the top for seven seconds, then slowly exhale through your mouth for eight seconds. The longer exhale is what triggers the calming effect.

Best for: A daily practice to build vagal tone, especially when transitioning from work to rest mode

Safety: Stop if you feel lightheaded or dizzy

Moderate Evidence

5. OM Chanting

The next time a yoga teacher leads an OM chant at your studio, you may want to join in. “Chanting OM works similarly to humming since both create deep, low vibrations that are felt throughout the body,” Kushner explains. Research shows that chanting OM for just five minutes can be effective, and it may work best after a yoga practice or other gentle movement.

How to do it: Start by inhaling deeply through the nose. On the exhale, chant “ohmmmmm” in as low of a tone as you can manage. Focus on feeling the vibration in your chest and body. Repeat three to five times with gentle pauses between each round.

Best for: Daily nervous system regulation, often paired with yoga or movement

Safety: No restrictions

6. Orienting to Safety

“When you pause to look around your space and really take it in, you’re doing more than just observing,” Kushner says. “You’re sending cues of safety to your nervous system.”

This technique helps activate the vagus nerve by engaging your parasympathetic nervous system. In moments of panic or anxiety, our nervous system can get stuck in threat-detection mode. Orienting to safety helps shift your body back to recognizing that you’re actually in a safe environment.

How to do it: Look around the room and let your eyes rest on different things that feel safe and comforting, such as pictures, a favorite coffee mug, or a bookshelf full of books. You can also focus on what you feel, taste, smell, or hear—like the texture of your clothing or birds chirping outside your window. The goal is to ground yourself in the present moment through your senses.

Best for: Immediate anxiety relief

Safety: No restrictions

7. Side Eye Movement

The next time stress strikes, give it the side eye—literally. The vagus nerve connects to other nerves in your body, including the cranial nerves that control eye movement. In stressful situations, this simple eye movement can help reset your vagus nerve and activate your parasympathetic nervous system.

“Because the vagus nerve comes into contact with our visual system as it makes its way down the body, side eye movement sends a signal to the nerve, helping shift the body into a calmer state,” Hiebsch explains.

How to do it: Hold your gaze to the right for five seconds, then to the left for five seconds. You can repeat this as many times as needed. There’s no limit on how often you can use this technique when stress or anxiety arises.

Best for: Immediate relief when a stressor occurs

Safety: Not suitable for those who are blind or have severe eye complications

8. Gentle Massage

If you’ve ever felt deeply relaxed after a massage, there’s science behind that feeling. A 2020 study with 60 participants found that vagus nerve massage offers similar full-body relaxation effects, specifically targeting the parasympathetic nervous system. This technique works because the vagus nerve has branches that connect to your ear, making it an accessible spot for stimulation.

How to do it: Find the hollow in the upper part of your ear (called the cymba concha) and gently massage it forward or backward for about one minute. Use light pressure and circular motions. You can do this on one or both ears.

Best for: Building long-term resilience and daily relaxation

Safety: Avoid if you have an ear infection or other ear-related medical conditions

Promising Evidence

9. Moderate Exercise

You know that great feeling you get after a good workout? Turns out, your vagus nerve likes it too. Physical activity stimulates the vagus nerve, which helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system (your body’s calming and recovery mode). This is one reason why athletes tend to have lower resting heart rates; Their vagus nerve function is typically stronger from regular training.

How to do it: Research on exercise and vagus nerve stimulation is still developing, so the best approach for now is any consistent routine you enjoy. Aim to meet or exceed the CDC’s physical activity guidelines: 150 minutes of moderate cardio (like walking or biking) or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio (like running or swimming) per week, plus two strength training sessions weekly.

Best for: Long-term anxiety resilience and overall mental health

Safety: Consult a doctor before starting any new exercise program and start gradually; choose activities appropriate for your current fitness level

10. Safe Place Guided Meditation

Most of us have heard the advice to “meditate more,” but trying to clear your mind can feel overwhelming when you’re already anxious. Safe place guided meditation offers a more structured approach that can be easier for beginners, Hiebsch says.

“Meditation focused on an internal safe place has been shown to engage the vagus nerve, helping to reduce cortisol (your stress hormone) and inflammatory markers in the body,” she explains.

How to do it: Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed and get into a comfortable sitting position or lie on your back. Put on a safe place guided meditation (you can find free options online, like this 10-minute one, or through meditation apps. These typically guide you through visualizing a peaceful, secure environment while focusing on your breathing.

Best for: Preparing for stressful situations and building daily resilience

Safety: Only the obvious considerations: Don’t meditate while driving or operating machinery

11. Yoga (Twists & Forward Folds)

“Yoga, especially gentle, breath-led movement, can be a profound way to tune into the vagus nerve,” Gaines says. “It asks us to slow down, to listen to our bodies, and to stay present.”

Research supports yoga’s effects on the nervous system, particularly yin yoga, a slower style where you hold each pose for three to five minutes. This sustained, gentle approach helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system, with twists and forward folds being especially effective for vagus nerve stimulation.

How to do it: Try a yin yoga class or follow along with online videos designed for beginners. Focus on poses that involve gentle twisting of the spine or forward folding, holding each position for several minutes while breathing deeply. The combination of sustained poses and mindful breathing is what makes this practice effective for vagus nerve activation.

Best for: Daily or weekly nervous system regulation and stress relief

Safety: Consult with a doctor before starting any new exercise routine, including yoga; listen to your body and don’t force any poses

12. Controlled Laughter

Laughter naturally creates the kind of rhythmic breathing and diaphragmatic movement that stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system.

“When we laugh, we’re engaging the muscles and breath patterns that activate the vagus nerve,” Gaines says. “Even intentional laughing (yes, really) can help your body tap into that same calming effect. It’s beautiful for daily resilience and for shifting out of a stress spiral when you feel stuck.”

How to do it: Watch a video or show that you find genuinely funny and give yourself permission to laugh fully. This could be comedy clips, funny animal videos, or old episodes of your favorite sitcom. (One suggestion: This compilation of Nick Miller from New Girl’s funniest moments). The key is choosing content that actually makes you laugh rather than just smile—you want those deep belly laughs that engage your diaphragm.

Best for: Immediate anxiety relief and daily mood support

Safety: No restrictions

How to Use These Techniques Effectively

Building a sustainable vagus nerve stimulation practice doesn’t require mastering all 12 techniques. Start by choosing two or three that resonate with you and fit easily into your daily routine. Create a five- to 10-minute daily practice combining techniques that offer both immediate stress relief and long-term nervous system resilience.

It’s also helpful to build a toolkit of techniques for when acute stress strikes. Consider bookmarking this article on your phone or writing a few favorite techniques in your journal (if you have a journaling practice) so they’re accessible when you need them most. The key is consistency rather than perfection. Even a few minutes of daily vagus nerve stimulation can make a meaningful difference in how your body responds to stress.

Quick Reference Guide for Vagus Nerve Exercises

For Immediate Anxiety Relief:

• Cold water face immersion: Splash cold water on your face or use an ice roller for 30 seconds
• 4-7-8 breathing: Inhale for four, hold for seven, exhale for eight seconds
• Humming: Do five to 10 rounds with your ears covered, focusing on chest vibrations
• Side eye movement: Look right for five seconds, then left for five seconds, repeat as needed
• Orienting to safety: Look around your space and notice safe, comforting objects
• Controlled laughter: Watch something genuinely funny and allow yourself to laugh fully

For Daily Stress Management:

• Diaphragmatic breathing: Practice the longer exhale technique for five to 10 minutes
• Brief humming sessions: Incorporate throughout your day during transitions
• Safe place meditation: Use guided meditations before stressful situations
• OM chanting: Pair with yoga practice or gentle movement for nervous system regulation

For Long-term Anxiety Resilience:

• Gentle ear massage: Massage the upper ear hollow (cymba concha) for one minute daily
• Regular moderate exercise: Follow CDC guidelines for cardiovascular and strength training
• Consistent breathing practices: Make diaphragmatic or 4-7-8 breathing part of your routine
• Yin yoga: Practice weekly sessions focusing on twists and forward folds

FAQs About Vagus Nerve Exercises

Q: Which technique is best for beginners?
A: Diaphragmatic breathing and humming are the best vagus nerve exercises for beginners. Both are simple to learn, safe for everyone, and can be done anywhere without special equipment.

Q: Can you do too much vagus nerve stimulation?
A: No, most people cannot overdo vagus nerve stimulation. However, start slowly with each new technique and listen to your body. For cold water therapy, begin with a cool washcloth rather than ice water immersion.

Q: Should I tell my therapist about these vagus nerve exercises?
A: Yes, absolutely tell your therapist about vagus nerve exercises. Your therapist can help you choose the most effective techniques for your specific needs and may recommend additional approaches that complement these exercises.

Q: Are there any side effects to vagus nerve exercises?
A: Vagus nerve exercises are generally safe with minimal side effects. However, some techniques may not be appropriate for people with certain medical conditions, such as heart problems (cold water therapy) or ear infections (ear massage).

Vagus Nerve Exercises for Anxiety: The Bottom Line

A well-functioning vagus nerve supports better heart rate variability, improved parasympathetic nervous system regulation, and a calmer, more grounded mental state. These evidence-based exercises can be powerful tools for managing anxiety on their own.

However, vagus nerve stimulation often works best when combined with professional therapy, especially if anxiety significantly impacts your daily life. A qualified therapist can help identify the root causes of your anxiety and provide personalized guidance on which vagus nerve exercises might be most effective for your specific situation. Together, these approaches can offer a comprehensive path toward better mental health and nervous system resilience.

If you want to learn more about therapy options for anxiety, we’re here to help. You can browse providers online or call us (855) 204-2767 for help finding someone who meets your needs.