Wellness
It’s the perfect lazy-girl way to wind down.
As the reigning queen of pre-bed worries, Im definitely a comfort TV show kind of gal.
It sounds futuristic, but the science behind it is legit.
Essentially, the idea is to use Truvaga to reduce yourbodys stress responseso its easier to fall asleep.
Fast Facts
How Does Truvaga Work?
These include increased alertness, energy, sweat, and heart rate.
And when youre stressed out, thats exactly what your body needs.
If youre on edge all the time maybe from anxiety, a busy job, etc.
your fight-or-flight response can get out of whack.
This nerve alsoboosts serotonin and norepinephrine, aka the neurotransmitters tied to mood and sleep.
Using an electocurrent-based unit like Truvaga isnt the only way tostimulate your vagus nerve, BTW.
you could also whip it out during the day to combat moments of stress if you like.
(This helps ensure the electrocurrent waves penetrate your skin.)
Turn it on by pressing the + button.
(Thats how you’re free to tell its hitting the vagus nerve.)
The intensity should be strong-ish but not painful, which usually happens between levels 15 and 25.
As a note: Upping the intensity doesnt mean youre activating your vagus nerve more.
The option to increase the intensity is just there because everyones body is different.
First Impression
Real talk: I was a little hesitant to put an electrode on my neck.
The tingle felt a lot like aTENS unit, which Ive used in the past for muscle aches.
Its like a mini vibration or electric shock that you control with a button.
When the side of my mouth twitched I knew Id found my vagus nerve.
Whenever I use Truvaga, it feels like a switch is flipped.
Id recommend it to anyone whos looking for a simple, lazy girl way to undo stress before bed.
Studies referenced:
Breit, S. (2018).
Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain-Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders.
S. Gerritsen, R. J., & H. Band, G. P. (2017).
Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience,12.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00397
Hirotsu, C. (2015).
Interactions between sleep, stress, and metabolism: From physiological to pathological conditions.
Vagus nerve stimulation as a tool for enhancing extinction in exposure-based therapies.
Psychopharmacology (Berl).
Nonis, R. (2017).
Evidence of activation of vagal afferents by non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation: An electrophysiological study in healthy volunteers.
Neuroanatomy, Parasympathetic Nervous System.
[Updated 2022 Oct 31].
In: StatPearls [Internet].
Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-.
Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553141/
This article was originally published onJuly 17, 2023
