05/14/2026
My favorite nerve to talk about đ
Your vagus nerve is one of the most powerful regulators in your bodyâand most people donât even know itâs there.
Itâs the main pathway of your parasympathetic nervous system (aka your ârest, digest, and regulateâ mode). When itâs not functioning well, the body can get stuck in fight-or-flight⌠Many of my patients experience this as dizziness, fainting, or feeling like their system just âoverreactsâ to stress.
Hereâs the part no one talks about:
There is direct innervation in the roof of the mouth that connects into this system.
When the tongue rests fully up on the palate, itâs not just about teeth and jaw developmentâitâs actually providing important sensory input that helps regulate the nervous system. That gentle, consistent tongue-to-palate contact can support vagal tone and help the body feel safer and more stable.
But when the tongue sits low?
We lose that inputâand the nervous system can stay on high alert.
Myofunctional therapy isnât just about oral function⌠itâs about helping the entire system regulate from the inside out. We also work on respiratory patterns to help in times of distress and work towards regulatory homeostasis.
Because when we support the vagus nerve, weâre not just changing habitsâ
weâre changing how the body responds to the world. đŠľ