80% of Vagus Nerve Signals Run From Gut to Brain

DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational use only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for personalized guidance.

The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve, running from your brainstem all the way down to your abdomen. What's surprising is that 80% of vagus nerve signals travel upward from the gut to brain, while only 20% go from the brain to the gut. (1)

This means your brain is not only giving signals, but also receiving them. The vagus nerve carries messages from the gut to the brain that shape mood, energy, cravings, and more. This two-way communication forms the microbiota-gut-brain axis, the network linking your digestive system with your central nervous system. (2)

So how do these signals travel from the gut to the brain? 

How and What the Vagus Nerve Communicates

The vagus nerve communicates through its afferent (sensory) fibers, which make up 80% of the nerve. These fibers carry sensory information from the body's internal organs to the brain, this is a process called interoception. Through this constant stream of input, the brain stays updated on the body's internal state and can maintain homeostasis (balance). (3)

The remaining 20% of vagus nerve fibers are efferent (motor) pathways, which send signals from the brain back to the body. These commands help regulate digestion, heart rate, breathing, and other essential functions that keep the body in a state of rest and recovery.

Together, this bidirectional communication makes the vagus nerve the body's main messenger. It carries signals:

• Hunger and Satiety Cues: Through hormones like ghrelin, leptin, and CCK
  
• Immune Signals: Signals that reflect inflammation in the body
• Chemical Messengers: Produced by gut microbes, such as short-chain fatty acids and serotonin precursors
• Stress and Anxiety Cues: Shapes mood, cravings, and energy 
• Digestive Function: Regulates stomach acid, enzyme release, and motility
• Cardiovascular Function: Helps control heart rate and blood pressure (4)

Why the Vagus Nerve Matters For Your Health

When the vagus nerve sends signals, it also determines how well your body responds. This responsiveness is known as vagal tone. Your vagal tone may be high or low, and that difference has a major impact on digestion, mood, immunity, and overall resilience. 

When vagal tone is low, signals between the gut and brain become less effective. This can show up as sluggish digestion, bloating, or IBS, along with mood changes like anxiety, depression, and poor stress response. Low vagal tone also disrupts the body's ability to regulate inflammation, which may contribute to autoimmune conditions and chronic pain.

Overtime, low vagal tone can also impact metabolism. Without clear signals, the body struggles to regulate hunger hormones, fat storage, and blood sugar balance. This raises the risk of weight gain, insulin resistance, and fatigue, leaving you feeling unbalanced physically and mentally. (5)

On the other hand, high vagal tone supports balance all throughout the body. With strong communication, digestion runs smoothly, the nervous system calm more quickly after stress, inflammation stays under control, and mood feels more stable. High vagal tone allows the gut and brain to work together in harmony, creating a foundation for long-term overall health. (6)

Vagal tone is not fixed, it can be strengthen with simple daily habits!

How to Support Your Vagal Tone

Strengthening vagal tone helps improve communication between your gut and brain, supporting mood, digestion, immunity, and stress response. Simple daily practices can make a big difference: (7)

• Slow, deep breathing to activate the parasympathetic nervous system "rest and digest" response
• Humming, singing, or chanting to gently stimulate the vagus nerve 
• Cold exposure like a splash of cold water on your face or a cool shower
• Quality sleep to restore nervous system balance 
• Gut-nourishing foods such as fermented foods, fiber-rich fruits, and bone broth 
• My Vagus Nerve BALANCE™ tincture is our neuro-adaptive blend of botanicals, adaptogens, and functional ingredients like saffron, kanna, blue lotus, passionflower, and GABABLISS ™, formulated to calm the nervous system and support vagal tone. Learn more in our Balance™ Tincture E-Book.
  

If you want to learn more, read our 5 Ways to Strengthen Your Vagus Nerve HERE. Because 80% of signals flow form your gut to brain through the vagus nerve, supporting it through these practices builds that foundation for balance and overall wellbeing.