Ever notice how your brain loves to dig up embarrassing memories, worries, and stressors when you crawl into bed? That's why so many people need to listen to rain music, green noise machines, and cozy TV shows to fall asleep. While these usually do the trick, sometimes you need a little something extra — you know, like a handheld vagus nerve stimulator that short-circuits your stress — to drift off to dreamland.
As the reigning queen of bedtime worries, I'm definitely a comfort TV girl. But even with the Love Island crowd chatting softly in the background, sometimes stressful thoughts still creep into my head and keep me awake. That's why I decided to try Truvaga, a cute little device that activates the vagus nerve (aka the main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system) to induce a feeling of relaxation. It sounds futuristic, but the science behind it is sound.
Essentially, the idea is to use Truvaga to reduce your body's stress response, making it easier to fall asleep. You can also use it to calm down in the morning or during stressful times throughout the day, such as before a big meeting. It's small enough to fit in a bag or nightstand, and it's marketed as an effective, safe, non-chemical way to ~cool~.
For a week, I tried Truvaga every night before bed to see if it would help me sleep better. Here's the thing.
Truvaga Truvaga
quick overview
- Price: $299
- Best for: Nighttime anxiety, daily stress
- My rating: 3.5/5
- What we like: Easy to use, portable, effective
- What we don’t like: Pricey, may be intimidating at first, check with your doctor before use
How does Truvaga work?
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Truvaga is a small tool that sends a subtle electric current 1.5 centimeters into your neck to stimulate your vagus nerve, thereby stimulating the "rest and digest" response of your parasympathetic nervous system. The vagus nerve is important because it travels through the abdomen, neck, and all the way to the brain, where it plays a role in regulating heart rate, digestion, and mood.
Your sympathetic nervous system creates that tense "fight or flight" feeling that's all too familiar to the anxious people of the world. These include increased alertness, energy, sweating and heart rate. The parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, is responsible for the rest and digest response, which lowers alertness and blood pressure. This is exactly what your body needs when you're stressed.
If you're constantly on edge—perhaps due to anxiety, a busy schedule, etc.—your fight-or-flight response may become dysfunctional. By stimulating the vagus nerve, it helps strengthen or turn on the parasympathetic system, allowing your heart rate to slow, blood pressure to decrease, and digestion to begin. This nerve also increases serotonin and norepinephrine, neurotransmitters associated with mood and sleep.
By the way, using an electrical current-based device like Truvaga is not the only way to stimulate the vagus nerve. You can also do it by stretching your neck, taking deep breaths, even singing or gargling - but truvaga is appealing because it's quick and requires almost no effort.
How to use Truvaga
Truvaga is said to be most effective when used for two minutes twice a day - usually once in the morning and once in the evening. You can also use it during the day to relieve stress if you wish. It may calm you down instantly, but the company says best results are achieved after a week of use.
To use the device, use two fingers to find your pulse on the side of your neck as it passes through the area to find the vagus nerve. Next, prepare the Truvaga by removing the blue cap and squeezing the pea-sized amount of conductor gel that comes with the device over both electrodes. (This helps ensure that the current waves penetrate your skin.)
Press the + button to turn it on. You'll see a green light and a small display showing how many uses you have left on a charge, as well as the intensity level. Press the electrodes against your neck and tap the + button to increase intensity until you feel a tingling sensation and a slight muscle twitch in the corner of your mouth. (That's how you tell it's hitting the vagus nerve.)
The intensity should be strong but not painful, and this usually occurs between levels 15 and 25. Please note: Increasing intensity does not mean you will activate the vagus nerve more. The options for increasing intensity are out there because everyone's body is different.
When you wear the device around your neck, wiggle it until it's in the right position and hold it steady for two minutes, after which Truvaga will beep and turn off. After the treatment, wipe off the gel, put the electrode cap on, and go to sleep.
first impression
Real talk: I'm a little hesitant to put an electrode in my neck. I was worried I would do it wrong, scare myself, or turn my face into jelly, but actually, the device is super gentle and safe.
The tingling sensation is very similar to the TENS device, which I have used in the past to treat muscle pain. It's like a small vibration or electric shock that you can control with a button. When the corners of my mouth twitched, I knew I'd found the vagus nerve. It worked easily on the first try - and no, it didn't turn my face to jelly.
I decided to add Truvaga to my nightly routine, which usually consists of showering, skin care, and some comfort TV. One week, I lay in bed and put Truvaga on my neck for two minutes as prescribed, even taking a little deep breath for good measure.
result
While truvaga can take up to a week to work, I honestly felt a little more relaxed after my first try. After using the device, I snuggle up in bed like I normally would, but instead of feeling nervous or on edge, I actually feel more zen. I'm not sure if it's the equipment, sitting still and breathing deeply, or a combination of the two, but I'll take it.
The feeling is similar to that cozy, chilled feeling you get after a yoga class, but without any work required. While I didn't fall asleep immediately, I did notice that my mind was quieter and my body felt less tense. It took me less time to fall asleep, and as a bonus, I also noticed that I slept a full night instead of waking up at 3am
Bottom line: If you have mild stress or anxiety, or you have trouble falling asleep, I think this is worth a try. Whenever I use Truvaga, it feels like a switch has been flipped. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a simple, lazy girl way to relieve stress before bed.
Research references:
Bright, S. (2018). The vagus nerve serves as a regulator of the brain-gut axis in psychiatric and inflammatory diseases. Prepsychiatry. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00044.
Gerritsen, S., R. J., & Band, G. P. (2017). Breathing life: A respiratory vagus nerve stimulation model of contemplative activity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience , 12 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00397
Guangjin, C. (2015). Interactions between sleep, stress, and metabolism: From physiological to pathological conditions. Sleep Science. doi:10.1016/j.slsci.2015.09.002.
Noble, L. J. (2019). Vagus nerve stimulation as a tool to enhance extinction in exposure-based therapy. Psychopharmacology (Bell). DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-4994-5.
Nonis, R. (2017). Evidence that non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation activates vagal afferents: an electrophysiological study in healthy volunteers. Headache. Number: 10.1177/0333102417717470.
Tyndall, J. (2022). Neuroanatomy, parasympathetic nervous system. [Updated October 31, 2022]. See: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (Florida): StatPearls Publishing; January 2023-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553141/
