Out of all the cranial nerves in the body, the vagus nerve is the largest and one of the most important.
Due to the size of vagal nerves, many things can cause someone to suffer from vagus nerve disorders. Without knowing how to treat them, you may experience lifelong health problems that’ll decrease your quality of life.
Fortunately, we’ve put together a guide with various things you should know about cranial nerves. Whether you or someone you know has a vagus nerve disorder, you’ll soon know about the right way to treat them.
Read on to explore vagus nerve disorder treatment options in this guide.
What Are Vagus Nerves?
The parasympathetic nervous system consists of many vagus nerves. These nerves are some of the most important in your body because they allow the nervous system to control several functions, such as digestion and heart rate.
Vagus nerve function is involuntary, so you can’t consciously control the nerves. Should your vagus nerves stop working, you’ll run into a plethora of health problems that’ll prevent you from getting the most out of life.
What Are Vagus Nerve Disorders?
When a vagus nerve gets damaged, you’ll quickly notice a variety of symptoms because of how many areas the nerve affects. Some of the most common symptoms are difficulty swallowing, low blood pressure, and abdominal pain, though the symptoms you experience will vary depending on where the damage is.
Heart Rate
One major vagus nerve disorder involves your rate. When a vagal nerve stops functioning, you can see either an increase or decrease in heart rate.
Bradycardia, which is a slow heart rate disorder, can be caused by the overactivity of a vagal nerve. Tachycardia, a fast heart rate disorder, is caused when a vagal nerve doesn’t have much activity.
If your vagal nerves are damaged, you can perform vagus nerve stimulation at home to manage your heart rate.
Gastroparesis
Vagal nerve damage can also cause gastroparesis, which affects your digestive system. Gastroparesis comes with many symptoms, including nausea, loss of appetite, acid reflux, and weight loss.
Those with diabetes have a higher risk of gastroparesis, so many people experience it without having vagus nerve damage.
Normally, various muscles contract to pass food through your digestive system. However, gastroparesis weakens the muscles, preventing the stomach from emptying. This can lead to hydration, malnutrition, and an overall decreased quality of life.
Vasovagal Syncope
Vagal nerves are responsible for slowing your heart rate, and when it overreacts, you can see a massive decrease in heart rate and blood pressure. This is a condition known as vasovagal syncope, which can result in fainting episodes.
During an episode, one may have jerky movements, a weak pulse, and dilated pupils. The episodes don’t last long, but you shouldn’t get up too soon after fainting. 15 to 30 minutes of rest may be necessary to ensure you don’t faint again.
Aside from fainting, the symptoms of vasovagal syncope are similar to other disorders. Even if you don’t experience other symptoms, you should immediately seek medical attention after fainting.
How Vagus Nerve Stimulation Works
Treating vagal nerves with stimulation is an effective way to avoid long-term health problems, but few people know how exactly it works.
Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) involves sending mild pulses of energy to the brain through the cranial nerve. This treatment option isn’t available for everyone, so you must consult a doctor to see whether you qualify.
Those that aren’t suitable for VNS often have other health issues that can be complicated from it. For example, receiving other forms of brain stimulation can prevent you from getting VNS.
VNS Implant
Before you can enjoy the benefits of vagus nerve stimulation, you must get an implant. This procedure doesn’t take long as it requires only two incisions.
The device itself is small and flat, like a coin, though the exact size varies depending on the model. It also has a battery that can last several years.
After a patient receives the implant, they are given a small magnet to control the stimulator at home. Holding the magnet over the implant can turn off the stimulation, and removing it will continue the cycle.
Advice for Patients
After receiving a VNS implant, you must regularly monitor your health for as long as you use it. If you experience things like a hoarse voice, painful stimulation, or increased drowsiness, call your doctor.
You should also call your doctor if you plan on taking medical tests that could affect the VNS. Anything that involves magnets can affect it, so ensure you ask questions about future tests and implants.
Keep in mind that many people that get VNS implants experience minor side effects. Both infection and inflammation are common, but you may also have a hard time speaking and swallowing for some time.
Now You Know How to Treat Vagus Nerve Disorders
Although vagus nerve disorders can be devastating, knowing how to treat them can help you or a loved one avoid a ton of stress. If you know someone that may have vagus nerve problems, pass them this info so they can get the treatment they need.
Keep in mind that many things can cause vagus nerve disorders. If someone has something like gastroparesis or vasovagal syncope, vagal nerve damage may not be the main cause, so a consultation will be necessary to determine the problem.
To learn more about vagus nerve function, take a look at our other articles.