06/18/2026
How to Stabilize Cortisol | Stick Your Tongue Out for 40 Seconds
I previously wrote a post about the relationship between the neck and the vagus nerve, and showed people how to massage the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
Many people have since learned that the root of their anxiety may not be in the brain, but in the neck. Likewise, for many people with poor digestion, acid reflux, or stomach issues, the root cause may also be related to tension in the neck.
Some people with anxiety and high cortisol levels take supplements like ashwagandha or magnesium glycinate for a while but still don’t see results. In some cases, they may simply be addressing the wrong problem.
When you spend long hours hunched over a desk, looking down at your phone, or dealing with chronic stress, the muscles in your neck remain constantly tense. This tension can compress the vagus nerve.
The vagus nerve is your body’s braking system. It helps slow your heart rate, deepen your breathing, regulate digestion, and shift your body into a relaxed state.
But when it becomes compressed, it’s like the brakes stop working.
As a result, a system closely tied to your energy levels, anxiety, and overall well-being gets activated: the HPA axis (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis). People experiencing adrenal fatigue often have dysfunction in this system.
At that point, the hypothalamus continuously signals the pituitary gland that there is danger. The pituitary gland then keeps telling the adrenal glands:
“Come on, produce more cortisol! There’s danger—you need to be ready to fight!”
Cortisol is the body’s stress hormone. It’s released when you face danger, experience pressure, or even get into an argument.
In the short term, cortisol can save your life. In the long term, it can damage your health. Chronic high cortisol can affect:
* Sleep
* Memory
* Immune function
* Belly fat accumulation
The key issue is that modern stress is often constant, which keeps you stuck in “fight-or-flight” mode.
So Why Stick Your Tongue Out?
The tongue is connected to the hyoid bone.
The hyoid bone serves as an anchor point for many of the neck muscles that contribute to stiffness and tension.
When you fully extend your tongue and hold it there, these muscles are forced to stretch.
The stretch sends signals back to the brain through pathways associated with the vagus nerve, essentially telling it:
“Hey, relax. There’s no danger.”
Some people claim that holding your tongue out for 40 seconds can double vagal tone and activate the parasympathetic nervous system as effectively as a 20-minute meditation session.
I couldn’t find scientific evidence supporting those specific claims, and they seem somewhat exaggerated. However, after trying it myself, I felt that it was surprisingly effective.
Why 40 Seconds Matters
If you do it for less than 30 seconds, the muscles may not have enough time to relax before you stop, making the exercise largely ineffective.
If you go beyond 50 seconds, the brain may begin recalibrating to a lower baseline level of tension—but most people find it difficult to hold the position that long.
The 30-to-45-second range is considered the “window” during which receptors may help establish a new baseline.
Many people fail to get results from stretching simply because they don’t hold it long enough for the nervous system to adjust.
How to Do It
1. Sit up straight.
2. Open your mouth wide.
3. Extend your tongue as far as possible.
4. Breathe through your nose while lengthening your exhale.
5. Hold for 40 seconds.
6. Rest for 60 seconds.
7. Repeat 3 times.
For best results:
* Do it once in the morning.
* Do it again before bed.
What You Might Notice
Days 1–3
* Immediate feelings of relaxation after the exercise.
* The effect may gradually become less noticeable as your body adapts.
Week 1
* Less tension upon waking up early.
Week 2
* Improved sleep quality.
Week 3
* Lower baseline anxiety.
* Less irritability.
After 1 Month
* Your body may begin regulating cortisol levels more effectively on its own.
Anecdotal Example
Someone on X (formerly Twitter) reportedly shared a case where their serum cortisol level dropped from 23 μg/dL to 14 μg/dL in just two weeks, moving from an anxious state back into the normal range.
