What Is The Vagus Nerve And What Does It Do?

Vagus in Greek means “wanderer” or “traveller”. It’s the perfect name for this special nerve, which “travels” throughout the body, taking in more or less everything as it goes. It begins in the brainstem before heading down and into the front of the neck via the carotid artery sheath.

The vagus nerve travels into the body, passing the cardiovascular system, the digestive system, the reproductive system, and many other organs. It takes readings from each and passes on messages from the brain, like a neuronal superhighway. As the largest nerve in the body, it covers a stunning amount of ground – there’s little going on in your internal organs in which the vagus nerve is not involved.

Finding Your ‘Inner Hum’

The vagus nerve is also involved in the profound calm embodied by lifelong practitioners of meditation and breathwork. The act of repeating the humming sound ‘OM’ produces an effect that stimulates the vagus nerve via internal vibrations.

And this is the feeling that something called ‘Sensate’ has been designed to recreate in a dependable, effortless way, whenever we need a lift or to calm ourselves down. The magic of Sensate is that these benefits can be experienced without dedication to a lifelong meditation practice or a perfected chanting of ‘OM’. It will be there in times when we're too stressed out to focus – no matter how long we've been practicing our other healthy techniques.

[In a hurry? For more on how vibration affects bone density, pain relief and inflammation reduction, visit getsensate.com to learn more about how you can help yourself, with a little help from Sensate. And receive £20 off every Sensate device ordered, for a limited time only!]

How it works - the Sensate Technique

Place the Sensate on the chest bone (sternum). When powered on, it produces sub-audible, engineered tones that are felt rather than heard. This provides a pleasant sensation, designed to stimulate the all-important vagus nerve. The vagus nerve originates in the brainstem and extends to the heart, lungs, gut, and through the entire nervous system.

Your Own Personal Purr

Without having used a Sensate, it can be hard to imagine the sensation! Luckily, nature has provided substantial reference points to support our case. Think of it this way – cats have a built-in Sensate. No other techniques required!

The purring behaviour serves multiple purposes, but a prolonged purr indicates satisfaction, healing, relaxation, and wellbeing.

Without a built-in Sensate mechanism, humans can experience this sensation for themselves. Power on your Sensate, place the device on your chest, and reap the widespread benefits of infrasonic vibro-acoustic stimulation.

Is it Love or is it Sensate?

The vagus nerve is also the originator of the “butterflies” in the stomach effect that emotions involved in love and excitement produce. Because of this, the sensory experiences of Sensate vary on a case-by-case basis. People who begin a Sensate session under a great deal of stress may notice a reduction in stress or anxiety. Individuals who begin their Sensate session in a state of relaxation may experience feelings of wellbeing and euphoria. Similar feelings to the “butterflies” of excitement or love.

To find out more about the Sensate device and to get your hands on one with our special Live Well offer of £20 off every device go to https://www.getsensate.com/Live-Well-London