8 vagus nerve exercises to help you calm your body and mind

Stress & Anxiety

Dec 4

Written By Calm Editorial Team

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

Vagus nerve exercises can be a gentle way to ease stress and support your health. Try these 8 mindful practices for balance, calm, and a quick nervous system reset.

If you’ve ever scrolled TikTok or wellness blogs late at night, you may have come across the phrase “vagus nerve stimulation.” It usually comes packaged with big promises — everything from instantly calming anxiety to resetting your nervous system. Tempting, right? Well, there’s a slight catch.

Vagus nerve stimulation isn’t a precise medical term. In hospitals, it can refer to an implanted medical device used to treat conditions like epilepsy. Online, it’s become a broad label for all sorts of practices—breathing, humming, cold showers—that are thought to tap into the body’s natural relaxation system.

That doesn’t mean all of these calming practices aren’t valuable. The vagus nerve is real and important, especially when it comes to how your body manages stress, mood, and even inflammation. The idea behind vagus nerve exercises is less a magic switch and more simple ways to help your nervous system settle. Let’s break down what the vagus nerve does, why people connect it to mental health, and a handful of approachable exercises that can support balance and calm in your daily life.

What is the vagus nerve?

The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body. It starts in your brainstem and weaves through your neck, chest, and abdomen. Along the way, it connects with other major organs like your heart, lungs, and digestive tract. Because of this wide reach, it acts like a communication highway, sending signals between your brain and body.

Its most important job is in the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the “rest and digest” side of your stress response. When your parasympathetic nervous system is active, it slows your heart rate, deepens your breathing, and supports your digestion — helping your body shift out of high alert.

The nerve also plays a role in how you feel emotionally as it affects brain chemicals like acetylcholine and connects to areas of your brain that help manage your mood. Which is why it’s currently being studied for its potential impact on mental health.

Correlation between the vagus nerve and your immune system

Immune health is closely tied to how your body manages inflammation, and the vagus nerve has a hand in that process. While inflammation is a natural part of healing, too much of it has been linked to issues like autoimmune diseases, heart problems, and mood disorders.

Researchers have even identified an “inflammatory reflex,” where the vagus nerve helps tell the body to dial down inflammation. This suggests it plays a role in keeping inflammation at healthy, balanced levels. Early research on medical devices that stimulate the vagus nerve show promise for treating some inflammation-related conditions.

Supposed vagus nerve exercises like face splashing and humming may help boost your immunity, but shouldn't be seen as direct immune boosters. Instead, they can be considered activities that can help support your overall balance, and as a result, your immune system as well.

What are “vagus nerve exercises”?

Vagus nerve exercises are everyday practices—like breathing techniques, gentle movement, and humming— that may influence how your vagus nerve communicates with your body.

These practices help calm the systems connected to your vagus nerve, like breathing, digestion, and heart rate. When these systems start to relax, your nervous system can shift out of stress mode and into a more balanced state.

The appeal of these exercises lies in their simplicity and accessibility. Since many people spend much of the day on high alert, small actions, like taking a few deep breaths before a meeting or humming in the car, can offer quick, practical moments of calm.

While overall vagus nerve research is mixed, most of the evidence agrees that these exercises are safe and simple for most people.

How to “stimulate” your vagus nerve: 8 exercises to try

There are small, everyday actions you can try that may help shift your nervous system into a calmer state. All you have to do is focus on functions like your breathing and your heart rate. Here are eight vagus nerve exercises that can naturally help you do just that.

A note on safety: If you have heart issues, low blood pressure, a fainting history, breathing problems, are pregnant, or use an implanted device, check with your clinician before trying cold exposure, breath holds, or intense breathwork. And stop any practice that makes you dizzy, breathless, or unwell out of an abundance of caution.

1. Paced exhale breathing

Make your exhale longer than your inhale as this sends calming signals throughout your nervous system and can help ease tension.

Try this: Breathe in for a count of four and out for six the next time you’re waiting in line at the grocery store.

2. Diaphragmatic (“belly”) breathing with a light weight

Belly breathing encourages your diaphragm to fully expand and contract, which in turn can activate vagal pathways. Doing this for just a few minutes can settle a busy mind, help digestion, and better prepare you for sleep. It’s also useful if you tend to breathe shallowly into your chest.

Try this: Lie on your back with a book or folded towel on your belly and observe the rise and fall of the object. This shows you that your breath is reaching deep into your body.

💙 Release the pressure inside by listening to Jay Shetty’s Breathe Into Relaxation on the Calm app.

3. Physiological sigh

The “physiological sigh” is a natural breathing pattern the body sometimes uses to release tension. When you do around three to five rounds of sighs, it can quickly reduce feelings of overwhelm or frustration.

Try this: Take a full inhale, adding a smaller top-up breath, and then let out a long, slow exhale anytime your stress suddenly spikes.

4. Humming, chanting, or singing

Making steady sounds, like humming as you exhale, repeating a calming phrase, or singing along to music, creates vibrations in your throat and chest. These vibrations can then help stimulate your vagus nerve and help you relax.

Try this: Hum, chant, or sing the next time you’re in traffic or in the shower.

5. Cold face splash or brief cool finish

Cold water can help activate your “diving reflex,” which may influence vagal tone and slow your heart rate. Many people find that splashing cold water on their face helps to momentarily shake off fatigue, regulate breathing after exercise, and interrupt looping thoughts.

Try this: As you’re ending a shower, do a brief rinse with cool water to your face, neck, and chest. But ease in gradually.

Safety note: Skip this one if you have Raynaud’s disease, uncontrolled heart conditions, or low blood pressure that makes you prone to fainting.

6. Gentle yoga poses

Restorative yoga positions that emphasize comfort and breath can encourage parasympathetic activity and relax you.

Try this: Hold child’s pose, put your legs up the wall, or do a supported forward fold for one to three minutes while breathing slowly when you get home from work or as part of your wind-down at night.

7. Guided relaxation or body scan

A body scan meditation involves moving your attention from the toes up to the head, then noticing sensations and softening tension with each exhale. This kind of slow, deliberate check-in can help reduce physical tightness and ease mental chatter.

Try this: The next time you wake up in the middle of the night, do a body scan meditation for five minutes to bring yourself back to balance.

8. Box breathing

Box breathing creates a steady rhythm by pairing equal lengths of inhale, hold, exhale, and hold. This practice can be especially grounding if your mind is racing or if your environment feels overwhelming.

Try this: Right before you step into a big meeting, inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four, and then hold again for four.

💙 Feeling overwhelmed? Explore Calm’s Breathing Room session with Prof. Megan Reitz.

Vagus nerve exercises FAQs

How often should I practice vagus nerve exercises?

There’s no strict schedule for how to practice vagus nerve exercises, but consistency is key. A few minutes each day of doing exercises like slow breathing before bed, humming in the shower, or a short grounding break at your desk can all keep your nervous system supported.

In general, long, occasional sessions are less effective than small, regular cues that tell your body it’s safe to relax.

Can vagus nerve exercises help with stress?

Yes, they can help with stress. Vagus nerve exercises help to give your nervous system gentle nudges to recover from stress more quickly. And over time, this can make it easier to navigate your daily stressors without feeling as drained or on edge.

How do you “reset” your vagus nerve?

The idea of a reset button is more of a metaphor than actual science. What these practices do is tell your parasympathetic system to take the lead and slow your heart, deepen your breath, and soften your tension.

In general, vagus nerve exercises like deep breathing, body scans, and humming all help create micro-pauses that bring your body back into balance.

Can vagus nerve exercises boost my immune system?

There’s a promising connection between your vagus nerve and immune health, but it’s still being studied. Since your vagus nerve helps control inflammation, keeping it active might help your body stay more balanced and resilient.

But these exercises are best seen as a way to support your nervous system and reduce stress, rather than as a direct immune booster.

Are there risks to trying vagus nerve exercises at home?

Most of these practices, like breathing, humming, and gentle stretches, are safe for healthy adults. But there are some risks to be aware of, as exercises that involve cold exposure, breath retention, or strong breath patterns are not suitable for everyone.

If you have a heart condition, very low blood pressure, a history of fainting, or an implanted medical device, check with your doctor first to be safe.

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Calm Editorial Team