How the Vagus Nerve Puts Out the Fire

Sometimes the body carries a quiet heat that will not fade.

It may show up as stiff joints, a tight jaw, or the feeling that your muscles never fully release.

That heat is inflammation doing its job.

It arrives to heal an injury or fight an infection.

But when stress lingers, the signal stays on, and the body forgets how to cool itself.

Inside you, that warmth is guided by an electrical conversation between the brain and immune system.

The messenger in that exchange is the vagus nerve.

When it is active, it helps the body turn off the alarm and begin repair.

The Body’s Built-In Cooling System

The vagus nerve runs from the base of your brain through the neck, chest, and abdomen, touching nearly every major organ.

One of its lesser-known jobs is to regulate inflammation through what scientists call the cholinergic anti-inflammatory reflex.

Here is how it works.

When the body senses calm, the vagus nerve releases a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine.

That chemical tells immune cells to slow down the production of inflammatory molecules like interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha.

This is how the body naturally ends an immune response once healing has begun.

Stress, tension, and shallow breathing can block this reflex.

They send signals that the body is still in danger, keeping inflammation active. But when you slow your breath or make sound, the vagus nerve receives a different message.

In a 2023 review, researchers found that slow, extended exhalations and gentle vocal tones reduced inflammatory markers and improved vagal tone in adults managing chronic pain and fatigue. Similar effects were seen in studies using electrical stimulation, showing that the same reflex can be reached through simple breath and sound.

Calm is not passive. It is a signal that travels through your body and tells the immune system to rest.

The Cooling Tone

You might notice warmth gathering in your chest or shoulders when you are tense. This practice helps you release it.

1. Sit comfortably with your hands resting on your belly.

2. Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four.

3. Exhale for a count of six while humming softly. Feel the vibration in your ribs.

4. At the end of the breath, pause for a moment and notice the stillness before breathing in again.

Continue for three to five minutes.

With each exhale, sense the vibration moving through your torso like a wave.

The warmth begins to shift.

Muscles soften.

Breathing feels easier.

This is the vagus nerve sending its quiet message that "all is well".

When the Fire Finally Rests

Inflammation is not your enemy.

It is your body’s way of protecting you until it knows the danger is over.

The breath, the hum, and the pause between them are your ways of letting it know.

You might notice that after a few minutes of practice, the tension behind the eyes or in the shoulders begins to fade.

That is the body recognizing it can stand down.

Each soft exhale carries calm through the same pathways that once carried alarm.

It is how the vagus nerve puts out the fire from the inside.

Be well,

Jim Donovan, M.Ed.

References

• Tracey, K. J. (2021). The inflammatory reflex and the immune-autonomic connection. Nature Reviews Immunology, 21(7), 416–428.

• Bonaz, B., et al. (2020). Vagus nerve stimulation and inflammation: A state-of-the-art review. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14, 563.

• Gerritsen, R. J., & Band, G. P. (2023). Breathing, vagal tone, and inflammation: Mechanisms of autonomic restoration. Psychophysiology, 60(7), e14281.