Pulsetto: the vagus nerve stimulator that lowers stress and improves your sleep
Vagus nerve stimulation with Pulsetto
Nick uses his Pulsetto during the work day to keep stress at bay and before bed to help him fall asleep faster
Vagus nerve stimulation is a very promising area of longevity technology.
If you’ve spent much time learning about managing your stress levels, you’ve likely come across the terms ‘sympathetic’ and ‘parasympathetic’. These often appear with the phrases ‘fight or flight’ (sympathetic) or ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic), and as the story goes - we are far too often in one state and should ideally spend much more time in the other.
For most of us, this knowledge sits with us, but we are challenged by actually changing our behaviors enough to really shift the state of the nervous system meaningfully across our busy day.
But what if I told you there was an ‘on switch’ for that rest and digest or parasympathetic part of your nervous system? You might want to know more about that!
Well it turns out, there is, and it is called your vagus nerve, which just so happens to be the longest ‘cranial’ nerve in your body, connecting your brain to nearly every major organ. From the Latin word for ‘wandering’, it is responsible for sending the calming signals (via neurotransmitters) that shift your body into rest and digest.
 |
Given its very important role in the body, it should come as no surprise that science has found ways to stimulate the vagus nerve in order to ‘switch on’ the parasympathetic state. And the benefits of doing so, documented in decades of research, have been pretty powerful.
What turned our heads at A Longer Life, was the important connection between vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), your parasympathetic nervous system and good, quality sleep. The emerging research on how VNS can help you fall asleep faster and wake up less frequently is quite valuable for those of us trying to sleep better (to live longer!)
When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Thank you for supporting our business
Pulsetto: vagus nerve stimulation in four minutes or less?
As we explored the emerging options for at home vagus nerve stimulation, we were attracted to the quality of the product produced by the Lithuanian based company Pulsetto. We connected with their company mission to “empower individuals to thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally, enabling them to savor life’s journey to its fullest”, and arranged to interview their CEO and Co-Founder Povilas.
In particular, we wanted to more fully evaluate the key marketing claims on their website, including
“Vagus nerve stimulation improves sleep quality, which can boost your mood, help you get more rest, and erase fatigue from your daily life”
And
“When your vagus nerve is ‘switched on’ by Pulsetto, it should only take a maximum of four minutes for you to feel more relaxed. In that time, your parasympathetic nervous system does its job, slowing your heart rate, turning off stress responses, and instilling calm across your entire body.”
An ‘on switch’ for the parasympathetic nervous system which is available through a wearable device that sits on your neck and only takes four minutes - that sounds pretty attractive in our overly busy, stressed out world.
Naturally, we knew we had to more thoroughly vet these claims. Our role as your guide at A Longer Life is to help you filter through the noise and hype, in order to find longevity technologies which truly work.
Let’s see what Povilas had to say…
What is the Pulsetto Vagus Nerve Stimulator?
Click on the ‘+’ symbol below to see each question and answer.
-
I'm here today with Povilas, the Co-founder and CEO of Pulsetto. Povilas has a background in neuromodulation and experience working with implantable devices, which he's used to create Pulsetto’s vagus nerve stimulator.
You never know where the next big advancement in biohacking or longevity technology will come from, and I think our audience will see that Pulsetto is doing incredible work in this space. I’m excited to discuss Pulsetto, the device you've created, and I’ll definitely be trying it out during our interview.
We know the vagus nerve runs through most of the major organ systems in the body, and stimulating it is a powerful way to send signals throughout these systems. This process is called vagus nerve stimulation, or VNS.
-
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body, running from the brain to the internal organs. It acts as a communication highway between the brain and these organs. Essentially, it helps regulate the two main states of the nervous system: fight or flight and rest and digest. When you're in a constant state of stress, your body prioritizes dealing with threats, making it difficult to relax.
By stimulating the vagus nerve through the neck or ear regions, we can shift the body into the rest and digest state, helping it regulate various functions. It’s a simple yet sophisticated way to control the body’s physiological state.
How often should you use Pulsetto?
How long does it take to work?
-
When the Pulsetto device stimulates your vagus nerve, it should only take four minutes for you to start feeling more relaxed. During that time, the parasympathetic nervous system activates, slowing your heart rate, reducing stress responses, and promoting calmness throughout the body.
-
The four-minute mark is essentially a baseline. Although you can stimulate the nerve for longer, we find that four minutes generally allows enough time for people to start feeling the effects. When using the device for the first time, it can take some time to find the optimal placement on the neck, which is why we give that buffer.
Once placed correctly, the device sends an electrical signal to the vagus nerve, exciting the fibers needed to replicate the body's relaxation state. Our research, along with data from earlier devices, shows that around two minutes of stimulation is usually sufficient to activate these fibers, but four minutes provides a safe starting point.
As we gather more data, we may discover that specific conditions require tailored timing—for instance, three minutes might be optimal for general relaxation, while burnout relief might benefit from a slightly longer session, around eight minutes. This is an evolving process, and if you've noticed in the app, users can connect their wearable devices to track results. This data allows us to fine-tune the experience, potentially creating a closed-loop system for personalized usage in the future.
-
That’s interesting and brings up a unique point. In my research on Pulsetto, I noticed that people have varied responses to the device. Many users report significant stress reduction, while some feel minimal effects. Occasionally, someone might even feel increased anxiety.
-
Absolutely. Personalization is key to making this therapy effective for everyone. Currently, we’re stimulating afferent nerve fibers based on a general model, but not everyone’s vagus nerve is positioned the same. For some, it may lie deeper, so the standard frequency might not reach it as effectively.
By gathering more data on user responses, we can identify patterns—such as cases where heart rate variability doesn’t improve after a session—indicating we may need to adjust the stimulation frequency for deeper penetration. As a biomedical engineer, I see individualization as essential for maximizing the effectiveness of this technology for all users.
Pulsetto - Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Improved Sleep
-
We’re hearing from a lot of users that they experience very vivid dreams when they use the Pulsetto before bed. You mentioned that about 60% of users report this effect. After a retrospective analysis, it appears to be quite a common experience.
-
It’s something we didn’t expect initially, and it’s interesting! About 60% of users are reporting these vivid dreams. I’ve spoken with neurosurgeons, neurologists, and electrophysiologists, and no one seems to know exactly why this happens. I haven’t found any data in the scientific literature about this either. We’re considering applying for a grant to study this further and see if it’s somehow pushing people into REM sleep or triggering other changes in the brain. It’s a fascinating area we’d like to explore.
-
That’s intriguing. To clarify, when using the sleep program on the Pulsetto, it’s not extending sleep duration, but it does seem to improve sleep quality by reducing the time and frequency of waking up during the night. Plus, with people reporting these vivid dreams, there could be an effect on REM sleep. I’d count myself among that 60%, by the way—I’ve had quite a few vivid dreams since I started using the Pulsetto over the last two weeks! It makes me wonder if this could be linked to improved REM sleep.
There’s also some evidence in the literature that vagus nerve stimulation can affect sleep latency, or the time it takes to fall asleep.
-
That’s a good question. Right now, we don’t have specific numbers on sleep latency because it’s difficult to measure precisely with wearables alone. For example, someone could be in bed watching TikTok or YouTube, and the device may not accurately track when they actually fall asleep. To assess this properly, we’d need a controlled study with strict conditions to get clear data. I’d love to have that data, but at this point, we can’t make any definitive statements.
-
I understand. For me, I track sleep latency in a less scientific way—by how many pages of my sci-fi book I get through each night on my Kindle! In our Sleep Basics Toolkit course, I talk about the importance of bedtime routines. Since starting with the Pulsetto, I’ve noticed I’m reading fewer pages because I’m falling asleep faster. This personalized feedback is interesting, and I can see how Pulsetto could be valuable for people with insomnia or difficulty falling asleep.
How does Pulsetto vagus nerve stimulation work?
Do you have to use the green gel?
-
For issues like stress, anxiety, and sleep disorders, just a bit of vagus nerve stimulation can help shift the body into a more relaxed state, promoting its natural functioning. Implantable devices are still used for certain cases, but the beauty of transcutaneous, or “through-the-skin” stimulation, is that it allows us to use this technology at home. With Pulsetto, you place it on the neck, add some electrode gel, and it’s ready to go.
-
When you place the Pulsetto on your neck with the gel applied, the two electrodes create an electrical current. This current penetrates the skin and muscles, stimulating afferent fibers of the vagus nerve—those that carry signals from the body to the brain. We’re only sending signals upward, not downward to the body, so it’s a very specific type of activation.
The reason we position the device on the neck is due to the proximity of the vagus nerve here. The nerve runs from a hole in the skull called the jugular foramen and travels through the neck, where it’s about 1.3 to 1.6 centimeters deep. This is a very consistent depth across different individuals, making it an optimal site for effective stimulation unless someone has a significant amount of tissue in that area.
-
Fascinating! I had assumed the stimulation was more direct, but it sounds like the signal is sent upward from the neck toward the brain, where it then triggers a response. Could you clarify that?
-
Yes, exactly. The electrical signal travels between the electrodes, passing through the skin and muscles, and activates the vagus nerve fibers that carry signals from the body to the brain. There are three main types of fibers in the vagus nerve, afferent fibers (going to the brain), efferent fibers (going to the body), and mixed fibers. We’re stimulating only the afferent fibers, which are specifically responsible for sending signals from the body up to the brain.
-
Got it! And by doing this, you’ve collected some impressive user data. Through the Pulsetto app, users can choose settings to reduce stress, anxiety, pain, or improve sleep, and you’ve seen some remarkable results. I noticed on your website that 86% of users report feeling calmer and less stressed or anxious after just two weeks.
-
We’ve collected data from users through the app, and it’s shown us that 86% of users experience a reduction in stress and anxiety within two weeks of regular use. We track these effects using feedback through the app and wearable data when available. The graph on our website reflects this trend, showing significant decreases in stress levels. This ongoing data collection is helping us refine the device settings and better understand how users benefit across different needs.
The science of vagus nerve stimulation
with the Pulsetto
-
This approach is almost like an A/B test, designing algorithms that can be tailored and tested for individual users. In a way, it’s creating a fully personalized loop for each customer. Of course, it might take a few months to get right, especially since we don’t know if users will use it daily as we hope. The goal is true personalization, though, which is certainly a challenge.
I’d love to hear more about personalization possibilities with Pulsetto, especially considering the scientific background on vagus nerve stimulation. There’s a few decades of research on this, mostly targeting specific conditions like epilepsy, particularly drug-resistant epilepsy, which we discussed earlier.
There’s substantial research on wearable vagus nerve devices, though most focus on stimulation through the ear rather than the neck.
-
The ear is more commonly used, partly because it’s been tested in real-world settings through practices like acupuncture and massage therapies. The neck, on the other hand, has some associated risks, applying pressure here can compress the jugular vein and, in rare cases, cause fainting. Massages are generally avoided on the front of the neck for this reason, whereas the ear region is safer for various treatments.
In the ear, the vagus nerve is specifically the tragus branch, which represents about one-third of the vagus nerve itself. It’s not the entire nerve, but stimulation there is easier since it’s close to the skin’s surface and doesn’t require sophisticated algorithms. However, there’s a challenge, anatomical differences. While about 80% of people share similar nerve placement in the ear, others have slight variations, with the nerve located a bit higher or lower.
This variance can pose issues. If the device doesn’t hit the tragus branch directly, it may stimulate another nearby nerve, potentially causing unintended effects. While this doesn’t make ear stimulation inherently unsafe, it does mean you may not achieve the desired results if other nerves are stimulated unintentionally.
Can the Pulsetto reduce stress?
HRV may hold the answer
What data is used to demonstrate reduced stress amongst Pulsetto users?
-
There are questionnaires to measure stress, but they need to be conducted by a medical professional skilled in asking the right questions to accurately gauge stress levels. We decided this wasn’t the best approach for us. Instead, we want to be a data-focused company, relying on biological markers that can be easily tracked today.
Many people now use devices like the Apple Watch, Oura Ring, or Whoop strap, which provide metrics such as resting heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV). Resting heart rate reflects overall fitness, but it can increase when you’re overstressed. HRV, on the other hand, is a key longevity metric and is a reliable indicator of how well your body manages stress, especially while sleeping or meditating. Our aim is to improve these two metrics, allowing us to show users concrete, measurable reductions in stress.
When we see improvements in resting heart rate and HRV, we can more confidently say that stress levels are decreasing. Although stress can be hard to perceive internally, these metrics provide tangible evidence. We’ve used this data-driven approach with our own customer base, which has helped us gather real insights, though of course, people often want to know how we collected the data. Essentially, we asked our users, and they shared this data with us.
-
You’ve verified this through feedback from users, showing not only subjective feelings of improvement but also measurable changes in stress, specifically improvements in HRV, with Pulsetto.
-
Both, actually. Some people experience benefits immediately, though we’re still trying to identify the factors that contribute to such quick results. Generally, we’ve compared two weeks of baseline HRV data before using Pulsetto with two weeks of data after using it, which shows a clear improvement. If someone already tracks their HRV data, it’s even better because they can easily see the improvements themselves. For people familiar with these metrics—like you and your audience—this approach is especially useful, as it confirms results they can track and understand, potentially encouraging long-term use or additional sessions to optimize results.
That’s the end of the interview, unless you want to see the FULL INTERVIEW and BONUS CLIPS.
Subscribe below to see more Pulsetto content!
|
