When it comes to understanding your child’s development and daily challenges—from tantrums and sleep struggles to tummy aches and sensory meltdowns—there’s one powerful part of the nervous system that often goes overlooked: the vagus nerve.

This incredible nerve runs from the brainstem down through the neck and into major organs like the lungs, heart, and digestive tract. It’s the main player in the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps our bodies rest, digest, regulate emotions, and connect socially. When it functions well, the vagus nerve helps children stay calm, focused, and physically healthy. But when it’s disrupted early in life, the effects can ripple through every aspect of development.

In this blog, we’ll dive into how vagal tone impacts a child’s regulation, and how parents can use this understanding to support true healing and growth.

The Vagus Nerve: The Superhighway of Calm, Connection, and Healing

Cranial Nerve X, better known as the vagus nerve, is responsible for carrying over 80% of the body’s sensory information from the organs to the brain. It helps regulate heart rate, breathing, digestion, immune activity, and emotional responses. But unlike other nerves, the vagus nerve is uniquely tied to both physiology and emotion.

When a child is feeling safe, connected, and regulated, their vagus nerve is likely doing its job well. They can listen, learn, self-soothe, and respond appropriately to the world around them. But when stressors—whether physical, emotional, or environmental—overwhelm a child early in life, the vagus nerve can become suppressed or hyperactive.

Dysautonomia: When the Nervous System Gets Stuck

Dysautonomia: an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system. Think of it as a nervous system that’s stuck in survival mode—too much gas (sympathetic activation) and not enough brake (parasympathetic calming).

A child with dysautonomia might appear hyperactive, defiant, anxious, or disconnected. Their body might also show signs: chronic constipation, stomach pain, poor sleep, or frequent illness. These aren’t separate issues. They’re clues that the nervous system—and specifically the vagus nerve—is dysregulated.

Research, including studies from Schaaf et al. (2010), confirms that children with sensory processing challenges often show low baseline vagal tone and poor recovery from stress. This tells us that their parasympathetic system isn’t functioning as it should, which impacts their behavior and adaptability.

Retained Primitive Reflexes and Brainstem Immaturity

Another crucial piece of the puzzle involves primitive reflexes—automatic movements that emerge in infancy and should integrate (or “disappear”) as the brain matures. Reflexes like the Moro, ATNR, STNR, and TLR help babies survive and develop during early months, but if they remain active beyond their typical age, it’s often a sign of brainstem immaturity.

Dr. Robert Melillo, a pioneer in functional neurodevelopment, explains that retained primitive reflexes are not just quirks of movement. They signal a delay or disruption in the proper development of the brainstem and hemispheric communication. And because the vagus nerve originates in the brainstem, any immaturity or dysregulation in this area directly affects its function.

Children with retained reflexes often display poor vagal tone and may struggle with emotional regulation, digestion, attention, and behavior. For instance:

• A retained Moro reflex (the startle reflex) leads to hypervigilance, sleep disturbances, and difficulty adapting to change.
• An active ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex) can affect hand-eye coordination and make reading or writing tasks difficult.
• A persistent TLR (Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex) often results in poor posture, balance issues, and motion sensitivity.

These patterns frequently coincide with poor heart rate variability, low stress resilience, and chronic autonomic dysregulation—hallmarks of vagal underperformance.

Hemispheric Imbalance and the Vagal Connection

The left and right sides of the brain must mature in synchrony. If one side lags behind, it impacts everything from behavior to motor coordination.

Here’s where it connects to the vagus nerve: A delay in one hemisphere often correlates with immaturity in the brainstem structures where the vagus nerve lives. The result? Poor integration of primitive reflexes, poor vagal tone, and a nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight mode.

Children with right hemisphere delays, for example, may present with social difficulties, sensory overload, or extreme emotional reactivity. Meanwhile, kids with left hemisphere delays may struggle more with speech, sequencing, or task initiation. Both cases share a common thread: vagus nerve under-function.

By using brain-based stimulation, movement therapy, and sensory-motor integration, we aim to bring balance back to the brain, allowing the vagus nerve to fully engage in regulating emotional and physiological states.

What This Looks Like in Everyday Life

Let’s bring this science down to earth. Here’s what vagus nerve dysfunction might look like in a typical household:

• Your child wakes up irritable, has trouble with transitions, and reacts explosively to small frustrations.
• They struggle to poop regularly, get frequent stomach aches, or avoid certain foods.
• Loud noises or chaotic environments overwhelm them.
• They get sick easily and often take longer to recover.
• Falling asleep is a nightly battle, and staying asleep is rare.

These daily struggles are not isolated issues. They are symptoms of a nervous system that lacks resilience and flexibility—and the vagus nerve is at the center of it all.

Mini Case Example: Ava’s Story

Ava was 6 years old when her mom brought her in. She had intense meltdowns, couldn’t sit still in class, and refused most foods. Bedtime was a two-hour ordeal, and she often woke up several times a night. Her mom had tried therapy, occupational therapy, elimination diets, and supplements. Nothing seemed to stick.

We ran an HRV scan and found extremely low vagal tone. Her reflex assessment showed retained Moro and ATNR reflexes. Her right hemisphere appeared delayed. Within four weeks of starting neuro-integrative care focusing on primitive reflex integration, vestibular stimulation, and vagus nerve activation, Ava was falling asleep in 20 minutes and waking only once. Her meltdowns decreased significantly, and she was more willing to try new foods. Her mom cried tears of relief during a re-evaluation: “I finally feel like I have my daughter back.”

Sensory Processing and the Vagus Nerve

Children with sensory processing difficulties may seem to overreact to normal stimuli—like loud sounds, certain fabrics, or movement—or they may appear under-responsive and crave intense sensory input. These patterns are rooted in the brain’s ability to organize sensory input and respond appropriately.

The vagus nerve is the main conduit of sensory input from the body to the brain. When its tone is low, the brain receives garbled or exaggerated messages. This leads to overactivation of protective responses, like meltdowns, withdrawal, or aggression. It’s not a behavior issue—it’s a regulation issue.  This is called dysafferentation. Imagine instead of your child’s brain receiving calm clear information from their body, like listening to classical music, they are receiving noise, like heavy metal music.  The brain is getting bombarded with noise, called nociception, instead of good information, called proprioception.

When the vagus nerve is supported and activated through neurological care, improved sensory processing, self-regulation, and even emotional resilience often follow.

Oppositional Behaviors and Emotional Dysregulation

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and similar behavioral concerns are often rooted in a child’s inability to access calm states. When the nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight mode, even simple transitions or requests can feel threatening. The child isn’t choosing defiance—their nervous system is wired for defense.

A suppressed or dysregulated vagus nerve means the child struggles to downshift into calm, cooperative modes. You might see explosive outbursts, intense mood swings, or difficulty recovering from upsets. These behaviors are survival strategies, not character flaws.

Instead of focusing solely on discipline or behavior modification, supporting the child’s neurological regulation can open the door to real transformation.

Sleep Struggles: A Vagal Clue

The vagus nerve plays a key role in initiating sleep and maintaining deep, restorative rest. A healthy vagal tone helps signal the body that it’s safe to wind down. But when the nervous system is overstimulated or stuck in hypervigilance, sleep becomes shallow or elusive.

Many of the children we see have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or wake up still tired. This isn’t just a lifestyle issue; it’s a neurological one. Nighttime is when the parasympathetic system should be most active, and if vagal tone is low, the child stays stuck in stress physiology.

By assessing nervous system patterns and supporting vagus nerve function, we often see significant improvements in sleep within weeks.

Gut Health, Immune Function, and the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is deeply involved in digestive processes and immune regulation. It’s the communication bridge between the brain and gut—the so-called “gut-brain axis.” It controls functions like enzyme secretion, peristalsis, and inflammation regulation.

When vagal tone is compromised, digestion becomes sluggish or hypersensitive. Children may experience reflux, constipation, food intolerances, or gut-related inflammation. This, in turn, stresses the immune system.

Groundbreaking research from Matteoli & Boeckxstaens (2013) shows how vagus nerve stimulation actively reduces gut inflammation and restores immune balance. So when you address vagus nerve function, you’re also impacting gut health, immune strength, and systemic inflammation.

How We Restore Vagal Function in Practice

At Omega Functional Health, we assess vagal tone through heart rate variability, brain-based scans, and detailed clinical history. We then create a personalized plan that may include:

• Gentle chiropractic and cranial nerve care
• Sensory-motor integration and balance training
• Primitive reflex integration
• Breathwork, vagus-nerve-stimulating tools
• Cold laser or pulsed frequency devices
• Nervous system-focused nutrition and gut repair

These tools work together to shift the child from chronic stress states to states of healing and connection.

What Parents Can Do Today

If your child is struggling, you don’t have to wait for a diagnosis to begin supporting their nervous system:

• Start observing patterns: sleep, digestion, meltdowns, sensitivities.
• Learn about primitive reflexes and how to test for them.
• Practice vagus-activating activities: humming, deep breathing, cold exposure, movement.
• Seek out a practitioner who understands brain development and the autonomic nervous system.

You are your child’s best advocate. And every step toward nervous system regulation is a step toward healing.

Your Child Deserves a Calm, Connected, Healthy Future

If your child is struggling with sensory sensitivities, oppositional behaviors, digestive or sleep challenges, know that you are not alone—and there is hope.

Through neurologically-informed care that restores vagal tone, we can help kids regulate, connect, and thrive.

Schedule a complimentary consultation to learn how we can help your child step into a more resilient, healthy future.