Understanding the Vagus Nerve and Nervous System Regulation

I get asked a lot of questions about mindset. Far fewer about the body. But over the years, the more I’ve worked with founders, leaders and people in the middle of big transitions, the more I’ve noticed that the body is usually a few steps ahead of the mind. It knows something is wrong before you’ve found the words for it.

That’s where the vagus nerve comes in.

It’s a term that’s become popular in wellness circles, sometimes to the point of losing meaning. So I want to slow down and explain what it actually is, why it matters, and what nervous system regulation looks like in practice, particularly if you’re someone carrying a lot of responsibility.

What Is the Vagus Nerve?

The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body. It runs from your brainstem down through your neck, chest and abdomen, connecting to your heart, lungs and gut along the way. “Vagus” comes from the Latin for “wandering,” which is a fitting name for a nerve that touches almost every major organ involved in how safe or unsafe you feel.

Its main job is to carry information both ways. It tells your brain what’s happening in your body, and it tells your body how to respond to what your brain perceives. When people talk about “vagal tone,” they’re talking about how efficiently this two-way communication is working. Higher vagal tone is generally linked to better emotional regulation, recovery from stress and even social connection.

You don’t need to become a neuroscientist to work with this. You just need to understand the basic pattern.

The Three States of the Nervous System

Much of the current interest in the vagus nerve comes from polyvagal theory, developed by Dr Stephen Porges. In simple terms, it describes three broad states we move through:

Ventral vagal — safety and connection. This is the state where you feel calm, curious and able to think clearly. You can hold a difficult conversation, make a considered decision, or sit with someone else’s distress without being pulled into it.

Sympathetic — fight or flight. Your system perceives a threat, real or not, and mobilises. Heart rate rises, focus narrows, and you’re primed to act. Useful in short bursts. Exhausting as a default setting.

Dorsal vagal — shutdown or freeze. When a threat feels inescapable or prolonged, the system moves into conservation mode. This can look like numbness, disconnection, procrastination, or that flat, foggy feeling of just going through the motions.

None of these states are good or bad. They’re the body doing exactly what it evolved to do. The problem isn’t that people move through these states. It’s that many people get stuck in sympathetic or dorsal vagal for far longer than the situation actually requires, and start to think it’s just “how they are.”

Why This Matters If You’re Running a Business or a Team

In my work as a business coach, I see this constantly, usually dressed up as something else. A founder tells me they’ve lost motivation, when actually their system has been in fight-or-flight for eighteen months and has simply run out of fuel. A leader tells me they’ve become short-tempered, when what’s really happening is their window of tolerance has narrowed so much that ordinary friction now reads as threat.

Strategy conversations don’t land well in a dysregulated nervous system. Neither does feedback, delegation, or any decision that requires nuance. If you’ve ever wondered why the same piece of advice lands completely differently depending on the day, this is often why. It’s not always a mindset problem. Sometimes it’s a physiological one.

This is particularly relevant if you’re neurodivergent, since many neurodivergent nervous systems run “hotter” or more reactive to begin with, and can move into sympathetic or dorsal states more quickly than a neurotypical system would.

Signs Your Nervous System Might Be Dysregulated

A few patterns I look out for with clients:

• Feeling “wired but tired,” unable to switch off even when exhausted
• Overreacting to small comments or setbacks, then feeling embarrassed afterwards
• Numbing out with screens, food, or overworking, without really choosing to
• Struggling to make decisions that used to feel simple
• A persistent sense of being braced for something, even when nothing is wrong

None of these mean something is broken. They usually mean the system has been asked to carry more than it was built to hold for this long, without enough recovery in between.

How to Start Working With It, Not Against It

Regulation isn’t about forcing calm. It’s about giving your nervous system enough evidence of safety that it’s willing to come out of high alert on its own. A few starting points I use with clients:

Orienting. Slowly looking around the room, letting your eyes land on a few neutral objects. It sounds almost too simple, but it gives your system current, real information that it’s safe, rather than relying on old threat patterns.

Long exhales. Not a full breathwork practice, just noticing whether your exhale is longer than your inhale. A longer exhale stimulates the vagus nerve directly and nudges the system towards ventral vagal.

Humming, singing, or gargling. The vagus nerve runs through the muscles of the throat, so vibration in that area genuinely does something. It’s one of the more evidence-backed and least glamorous tools available.

Co-regulation. Being around someone whose own nervous system is settled is one of the fastest ways to settle your own. This is part of why a good coaching relationship, or any relationship built on trust, can shift things that willpower alone can’t.

Movement that discharges energy. Shaking out your hands, walking, or any movement that lets built-up activation move through and out, rather than staying stored in the body.

None of this replaces proper support if you’re dealing with trauma, chronic stress or a diagnosed condition. It’s a starting point, not a substitute for working with a qualified professional where that’s needed.

A Different Way to Think About Resilience

We tend to talk about resilience as a mindset trait, something you either have or build through grit. I’d argue it’s more useful to think of resilience as nervous system flexibility: how easily you can move between states, and how quickly you can return to ventral vagal once the threat has passed.

That reframe changes the question. Instead of “why can’t I just think my way out of this,” it becomes “what does my system need right now to feel safe enough to settle.” In my experience, that’s usually a far kinder, and far more effective, place to start.

FAQ: Vagus Nerve and Nervous System Regulation

What does the vagus nerve do? It carries signals between your brain and major organs, including the heart, lungs and gut, and plays a central role in shifting your body between states of stress and states of calm.

What is vagal tone? Vagal tone refers to the strength and responsiveness of your vagus nerve activity. Higher vagal tone is associated with better stress recovery, emotional regulation and overall resilience.

How do you know if your nervous system is dysregulated? Common signs include feeling wired but exhausted, overreacting to minor stress, numbing out, or struggling with decisions that used to feel easy.

Is nervous system regulation the same as breathwork? Breathwork is one tool for nervous system regulation, but it’s not the whole picture. Orienting, movement, co-regulation and vocal vibration are all separate ways of working with the same system.

If you notice yourself living in fight-or-flight, or feeling numb more often than not, this is exactly the kind of pattern I work through with clients, whether that shows up in leadership, career transitions, or day-to-day life.