Thread by @jonwillbanks

Your vagus nerve can calm your anxiety in 60 seconds without any drugs.

It controls heart rate, mood, digestion, & brain plasticity.

But only if you know how to actively control it.

7 science-backed techniques to control your vagus nerve for peak mental & physical performance:

First, some context.

The vagus nerve is a massive connection system between your brain and nearly every organ in your body.

85% carries signals UP from body to brain.

15% carries signals DOWN from brain to body.

Here's what most people miss:

When you exhale, neurons in your brainstem send a signal to your heart that makes it slow down.

You can control this consciously.

This is the fastest way to calm anxiety without drugs.

TECHNIQUE 1: The Physiological Sigh

• 2 inhales through nose (first longer, second sharp)
• 1 long exhale through mouth until lungs empty

It calms you down in under 60 seconds. Heart rate drops immediately.

TECHNIQUE 2: Extended Exhales Throughout the Day

Just do slow, long exhales 10-20 times whenever you remember.

WHAT IT DOES: Strengthens the calming pathway. Improves Heart Rate Variability during the day and while you sleep.

This pathway gets weaker as you age, causing lower HRV and worse stress responses.

But if you use it regularly, you keep it strong.

The pathway literally rewires itself based on how much you use it.

Now here's the weird part:

The vagus can also wake you up and make you alert.

When you move large muscles, your adrenals dump adrenaline into your bloodstream.

That adrenaline can't get into your brain directly.

So it binds to sensors on the vagus nerve, which sends a signal up that says "body is active, brain should be too."

Your brain floods itself with norepinephrine.

This makes you feel alert, motivated, & focused.

TECHNIQUE 3: Exercise Before Learning

Do high intensity exercise with your legs and core (don't go to exhaustion).

Then do your learning in the 1-4 hours after.

WHAT IT DOES: Opens a window where your brain can rewire itself faster.

The vagus also controls mood through serotonin.

90% of your body's serotonin is made in your gut.

When gut serotonin hits certain levels, the vagus signals your brain to make its own serotonin.

This is why gut health directly impacts mood.

TECHNIQUE 4: Fermented Foods Protocol

Eat 1-4 servings of low sugar fermented foods daily:

• Kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, kombucha

Plus foods with tryptophan (turkey, dairy).

This feeds gut bacteria that help produce serotonin. Improves mood within 4 weeks.

Now for the direct calming techniques:

TECHNIQUE 5: Behind the Ear

Gently rub behind your ears or just inside the ear opening in circles.

It activates vagus fibers near the surface. Mild calming effect you can do anywhere.

TECHNIQUE 6: Neck Stretch

Look up and to the right (feel left neck stretch).

Then up and to the left (feel right neck stretch).

Do this a few times back and forth.

It stretches the vagus nerve along your neck & triggers a calming response.

TECHNIQUE 7: Extended Humming

Focus on the "H" sound (not the "M").

Try to move the vibration from your throat down into your chest and belly.

This vibrates vagus nerve branches in your throat = Deep relaxation that works fast.

These techniques are clinically proven.

Doctors use vagus nerve stimulation to wake people from anesthesia, treat severe depression, and speed up stroke recovery.

You're tapping into the same pathways, just non-invasively.

The vagus nerve controls your:

• Heart rate (calming pathway)
• Brain alertness (activation pathway)
• Learning ability (plasticity pathway)
• Mood (serotonin pathway)

You now have 7 techniques to control each one on demand.

Thanks for reading!

A bit about me:

I share evidence-based biohacking protocols that actually work.

If you liked this, follow me @jonwillbanks for more.

Check out the thread below to see how I reversed lifelong metabolic syndrome:

Video Credit:
Control Your Vagus Nerve to Improve Mood, Alertness & Neuroplasticity