--- title: "What Happens in Vagus: The Missing Link to Resilience, Digestion & Hormone Balance" entity: "blog" canonical_url: "https://www.drkellylivingston.com/blog/what-happens-in-vagus-the-missing-link-to-resilience-digestion-hormone-balance" markdown_url: "https://www.drkellylivingston.com/llms/blog/what-happens-in-vagus-the-missing-link-to-resilience-digestion-hormone-balance" lastmod: "2026-08-18T22:16:32.482Z" --- If you feel like you've tried everything to balance your hormones, heal your gut, and find peace in your mind and body, but you're still not feeling like yourself—this episode is for you. So many of my patients arrive at my door after months or years of hard work: they've cleaned up their diets, tackled gut infections, taken the right supplements, even committed to hydration and better sleep. And yet, they're still exhausted, bloated, anxious, and disconnected. In these cases, there’s often one missing piece: the vagus nerve. In Episode 6 of The Vital Spirit Podcast, I dive deep into this incredible, often-overlooked nerve and its essential role in healing. You can listen on all podcast platforms, or watch on Youtube. This is so important because hormone balance, digestion, and nervous system regulation don’t live in separate silos—they’re intimately connected, and the vagus nerve is the bridge. Why the Vagus Nerve Matters The vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) is your body’s built-in stress regulator. It runs from your brainstem down through your neck, chest, heart, lungs, digestive tract, and into key immune and endocrine organs. It plays a vital role in the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs your rest, digest, and heal state. If your vagus nerve isn’t functioning well, your body may stay locked in fight-or-flight mode. And when you're stuck in that state, hormone production, digestion, and immune function are compromised. This is why working on vagal tone is often the key to unblocking stubborn symptoms. Vagal Tone & The Therapeutic Order Before we jump into hormone or neurotransmitter protocols in my practice, we start with the foundations—and the health of your nervous system is foundational. If your body doesn’t feel safe, it can’t heal. This is the essence of the Therapeutic Order: starting with the least invasive interventions to create the conditions for health. Low vagal tone can lead to: Chronic anxiety, panic, or insomnia Bloating, constipation, and slow digestion Hormonal imbalances and low libido Brain fog and poor stress resilience Chronic inflammation or autoimmune flares When the vagus nerve is activated and functioning well, digestion improves, hormone balance stabilizes, inflammation decreases, and your emotional resilience increases. But most importantly, you feel more like you. The Three States of the Nervous System: According to Polyvagal Theory, there are three primary nervous system states: Ventral Vagal ("I am safe"): Social engagement, creativity, connection, and healing happen here. Digestion and hormone regulation thrive. Sympathetic ("I must act"): Fight-or-flight mode. You might feel wired but tired, anxious, or on edge. Dorsal Vagal ("I am helpless"): Freeze or shutdown mode. This state is associated with numbness, fatigue, disconnection, and often chronic health issues. Our goal isn’t to be calm all the time. A healthy nervous system is a flexible one—able to respond to life’s ups and downs without getting stuck. Healing is about building that resilience and range. A Case Study: From Stuck to Resilient One of my patients, a woman in her mid-40s, had previously treated her SIBO with antibiotics but was still dealing with bloating, constipation, anxiety, and fatigue. We supported her gut and ran hormone and cortisol testing, but she felt too overwhelmed to commit to breathwork or meditation. So, I introduced her to the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), a research-based, filtered music therapy that gently stimulates the vagus nerve and helps the body shift into a state of safety. Once she began SSP, she was finally able to sit quietly, breathe deeply, and engage with the body-based tools that previously felt impossible. Her digestion improved. Her mood stabilized. Her window of tolerance expanded. This is the power of vagal tone. How to Support Your Vagus Nerve at Home You don’t need fancy tech to support your vagus nerve. Here are a few practices you can start today: Slow, Deep Breathing: Especially practices with longer exhales, like 4-7-8 breathing Humming, Chanting, or Singing: Activates the vagus through the vocal cords Cold Exposure: Try a splash of cold water on your face or end your shower with 30 seconds of cold Social Connection: Laughter, eye contact, even petting your dog or cat Gentle Yoga: Especially movements linked with breath and grounding poses like Legs-Up-the-Wall Gratitude & Heart Coherence: Breathing warm feelings of appreciation into your heart space And of course, tools like the Safe and Sound Protocol can be incredibly helpful for those who need extra support to access a state of safety. Too Much of a Good Thing? Most people are dealing with low vagal tone, but some may have excessive vagal activation. This can look like bradycardia (slow heart rate), dizziness, digestive slowdown (like gastroparesis), or emotional numbness. This is why flexibility is the goal. We want your nervous system to move fluidly between activation and relaxation. Healing Is a Whole-Body Experience Your vagus nerve is involved in everything from mood to digestion to immune function. And while supplements and protocols have their place, true healing starts when your body is in a healing state. The vagus nerve is your body’s invitation into that state. As I often say, healing isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being Fully Human, Deeply Healed. That means embracing the dark and the light, the dysregulation and the return. Because your body is how your soul experiences life. And when you support your nervous system, you begin to create the internal safety needed to fully live it. Want to explore your vagal tone and nervous system health further? Download my free Vagal Tone Guide at drkellylivingston.com Follow along on Instagram @DrKellyLivingston for more tools and inspiration And if this post resonated, share it with someone who could use a little more ease and resilience today