Overview

The vagus nerves, part of the autonomic nervous system, are the longest cranial nerves connecting the brain to various organs. Comprising the left and right vagus nerves, they regulate involuntary bodily functions, including heart rate, digestion, and respiratory rhythm. Stimulating these nerves can have therapeutic effects on mood, stress, and inflammation.

The vagal nerves carry signals between the human heart, digestive system and brain. Our parasympathetic nervous system depends heavily on the vagal nerves.

Vagus nerve damage can cause the food you eat to get stuck in your intestines and cause gastroparesis. People who have vasovagal syncope are likely to become unconscious due to low blood pressure. Depression and epilepsy can be cured by VNS or Vagus nerve stimulation.

[caption id="attachment_23313" align="alignnone" width="1714"] Vagus nerve and the different organs[/caption]

What Is Vagus Nerve

The human body's parasympathetic nervous system consists of the vagus nerve, also known as the vagus nerve. The parasympathetic nervous system controls some of the vital functions in our bodies, such as heart rate, digestion and immune system. Since these functions are involuntary, there's no way you can consciously control them.

The right and the left vagal nerves contain 75% of the nerve fibres in the parasympathetic nervous system. These fibres send signals between your brain, heart, and digestive system. The tenth of 12 cranial nerves consists of vagal nerves. The vagus is marked as the X cranial nerve, which signifies the Roman number 10.

Function Of Vagus Nerve

The human body's nervous system encompasses the vagus nerves as their part. The role they play in our bodies is significant as it affects our motor functions as well as involuntary sensory functions such as —

- Heart rate
- Digestion
- Blood pressure
- Respiration
- Mood
- Taste
- Immune system responses
- Speech
- Urine output
- Sensation in muscle and skin
- Production of saliva and mucus

Location Of Vagus Nerve

The longest cranial nerve is the vagus nerve, from your brain to the large intestine. The left vagus nerve of your body is situated on the left side of your body. For obvious reasons, the right one is located in the right half of our bodies.

"Vagal" means wandering in the Latin dictionary. The name is appropriate since the vagus nerve detours around the body. The exit point of the vagus nerves is the medulla oblongata, which is situated in your lower brainstem. The nerves then exit and travel around the body to connect with different parts of your body, such as –

- Heart
- Digestive tract or abdomen
- Your jugular vein and the carotid artery in your neck
- Thorax or chest
- Lungs

[caption id="attachment_23314" align="alignnone" width="1582"] Vagus nerve location[/caption]

Conditions Of Vagus Nerve

There are two conditions of vagus nerve damage: —

Vasovagal syncope

Syncope means losing consciousness. When the vagus nerve connected to your heart overreacts when it faces extreme conditions like stress and anxiety, extreme heat, pain, or hunger, that is when vasovagal syncope happens. Your body suffers orthostatic hypotension, which is when there is a drop in blood pressure. It makes you dizzy and lose consciousness.

Gastroparesis: When your vagus nerve is damaged, it hinders the process of digestion by stopping the food from moving in the intestines. That's when gastroparesis occurs. This type of vagus nerve damage can occur due to various illnesses such as viral infections, diabetes, scleroderma and abdominal surgery.

Here are some of the symptoms of vagus nerve damage —

- Gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD
- Bloating
- Abdominal pain
- Irregular heart rate
- Blood pressure
- Blood sugar
- Loss of gag reflex (makes it difficult to swallow)
- Fainting
- Feeling dizzy
- Loss of voice – wheezing or hoarseness
- Sudden weight loss due to loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting

When to Consult a Doctor

Timely medical intervention can help cure many of these ailments or help in managing them. You can also get in touch with the expert Neurology doctors at Narayana Healthcare based in your city to get immediate attention and medical support to treat brain conditions, neurological disorders or any other health concern.

Conclusion

The vagus nerves of the human body play a crucial part in keeping our everyday bodily functions going. The vagus nerve affects some of the most important functions, like regulating the heart rate, maintaining a strong immune system, and managing proper digestion and breathing.

If your vagus nerves are damaged, there are consequences you will face, such as gastroparesis, a weakened immune system, abnormal heart rate, etc. Healthcare providers use VNS to calm down irregular electrical activity in the human brain by sending signals to the brain.