Can a vagus nerve stimulator reduce stress at home? New technology can improve sleep, focus and anxiety

Thanks, neck!

Pressing a $269 electrical device against the vagus nerve in your neck may be the secret to good vibrations and stellar sleep.

Implantable vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) devices, which can cost $50,000, have long been used to treat epilepsy, depression and stroke. That’s because stimulating the vagus nerve—the longest cranial nerve in the body—can help regulate brain activity, reduce inflammation, and calm the nervous system.

Now, a new crop of noisy non-invasive VNS devices promises to relieve stress, sharpen focus and improve sleep in just minutes for a fraction of the cost. However, scientists caution that more research is needed to fully understand the effectiveness and potential applications of these commercial tools.

“The science is still very young,” Timir Datta, assistant professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, told The Post.

Here’s everything you need to know about this trendy therapy, part of the $8.3 billion neurostimulation market.

What is vagus nerve stimulation?

Datta describes the vagus nerve as a bundle of fibers that runs from the brain to the gut.

The vagus is an essential component of the parasympathetic nervous system, primarily responsible for the body’s relaxation response and involuntary actions such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion.

Sending electrical impulses to the vagus can affect the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain such as norepinephrine and serotonin, potentially improving mood. VNS has been called “a pacemaker for the brain.”

“Stimulating the vagus nerve takes you out of that stressful physiological state. It puts you in a more stable metabolic and healthy state,” Dr. Peter Staats — chief medical officer for Truvaga, a hand-held VNS device launching in 2022 — told The Post.

How do the devices work?

Surgically implanted VNS devices are programmed to deliver gentle, short electrical pulses to the brainstem at regular intervals, such as every five minutes.

Truvaga is recommended for use twice a day, with each session lasting two minutes. Pulsetto, a wearable gadget, takes “just four minutes to reduce stress.” Two or three daily sessions are recommended for optimal results.

There are other key differences between implantable and handheld VNS.

“Since the implantables are in front of the nerve, you can be pretty much guaranteed that they’re going to do something to the vagus nerve,” Datta explained.

With non-invasive devices, “there’s a lot more tissue in between,” he continued. “There is, obviously, your skin, any other tissue, muscle, fat that you might have between the stimulator itself and the nerve, so how it engages the nerve is not well understood.”

The price and potential downsides also vary.

“An implanted device costs about $50,000 and carries a significant risk. There’s a risk of damage to what’s called the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which allows you to speak and can cause hoarseness if damaged,” Staats said. “More non-invasive [gadgets]the risks are extremely low and they are relatively cheap.”

The Truvaga 350, which allows for 350 two-minute stimulation sessions, retails for $299. Truvaga Plus, which boasts unlimited sessions and other features, costs $499.

The Pulsetto costs $269. A premium subscription package, which includes custom software, is sold separately.

Side effects of non-invasive devices include skin irritation, mild headache, throat discomfort, tingling, dizziness and nausea.

How effective are they?

The US Food and Drug Administration approved the first VNS device, an implanted pulse generator, in 1997 to treat seizures. Since then, the FDA has cleared non-invasive devices to treat headaches and respiratory problems from COVID-19.

Research into potential uses for portable devices continues.

“If you were to take a look at disorders like sleep, anxiety, addiction, migraine headaches, cluster headaches, post-traumatic stress disorder, most of the studies on these therapies are non-invasive approaches,” Staats said.

He said that “it’s probably much safer” to have VNS than to take drugs to treat these conditions.

Datta suggests waiting “for the science to be a little more developed” before purchasing a VNS device, unless your doctor specifically recommends one.

For non-invasive VNS to work, you need to locate the vagus nerve. If you can’t find it, you can’t stimulate it, and then you have an expensive paperweight. VNS vendors offer help to those who have problems.

First, feel both sides of the neck for a bump, bump, bump, which is the carotid artery. The vagus runs parallel to the carotid artery. Next, spray or apply gel to the skin of the neck before applying the device.

Alternative ways to stimulate the vagus

These stimulants are not for everyone. Staats said Truvaga may not be suitable for people with pacemakers and defibrillators.

“We haven’t seen any interactions with the pacemaker yet, but that’s what keeps me up at night,” Staats said. He is concerned “that somehow an electric field will be created that the sensor in your heart with the pacemaker perceives as an arrhythmia and then shocks the patient. We haven’t seen that happen, but that’s what I worry about.”

For those unwilling or advised to take the VNS dive, the vagus nerve can be activated by singing loudly, humming, chanting, gargling water, taking slow, deep belly breaths, practicing yoga, soaking in cold water and getting a massage. .