Vagus Nerve: Definition, Function & the Body’s Information Superhighway
The vagus nerve is the tenth cranial nerve, governing heart rate, digestion and the body’s anti-inflammatory reflex through brain-organ signalling.
High stakes environments trigger the sympathetic nervous system, trapping many leaders in a chronic “fight or flight” state. This article explains how to manually toggle your autonomic nervous system using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) training, breathwork, and cold exposure protocols. Learning to activate the Vagus Nerve on command is the biological key to staying calm under pressure.
The vagus nerve is the tenth cranial nerve, governing heart rate, digestion and the body’s anti-inflammatory reflex through brain-organ signalling.
Vagal tone quantifies parasympathetic influence on the heart via HRV, predicting stress resilience, emotional regulation, and cardiovascular health.
The sympathetic nervous system mobilises the body under acute stress, releasing catecholamines that prime the heart, lungs, and muscle for rapid action.
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