Truvaga Plus review 2026: I was skeptical of this vagus nerve stimulation device, but 30 days later I'm still using it

Ever find yourself awake at 3 a.m., reliving every awkward moment from an event you attended six months ago? Me too. I've spent years trying to better manage stress , regulate my nervous system and actually get a good night's sleep: therapy, exercise, journaling, even midday reminders to unclench my jaw and take a few deep breaths. But my brain just doesn't always want to cooperate. So when I came across Truvaga Plus — a vagus nerve stimulation device — that claims to help you feel calmer, think more clearly and sleep better, I had to see if it lived up to the hype.

I'm usually pretty skeptical of products that seem "too good to be true" (because, let's be honest, they usually are), and holding a small device up to my neck for just a few minutes a day felt too easy. But as I started researching, I realized there's actually science behind these electrical stimulation devices. "Stimulating the vagus nerve can help shift the nervous system out of a constant high-alert state," says Nneoma Oparaji, MD, DipABLM, DABOM , a lifestyle and obesity medicine physician.

Open to trying almost anything to lower my stress levels, I decided to give Truvaga Plus a shot. I used the device once or twice a day for 30 days — and, spoiler alert, I still use it several times a week, because it actually made a noticeable difference in my sleep quality and mood. Here's what I learned about the benefits — and limitations — of vagus nerve stimulation, and my experience trying it.

What is the vagus nerve — and why is it helpful to stimulate?

At first, the device feels gimmicky, but once you understand the significance of the vagus nerve and how it works, it starts to make sense. "The vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) is the longest [cranial] nerve in the body, running from the brainstem down through the neck and into the chest and abdomen," says Kara Wada , MD, a board-certified allergist, immunologist and lifestyle and functional medicine physician.

You can think of the vagus nerve as the main highway for your brain and body to communicate with each other. It's also a key part of the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as your "rest and digest" system. "It plays a role in regulating heart rate, breathing, digestion, immune responses and recovery from stress," explains Wada.

On the flip side, stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, which sends your body into "fight or flight" mode — increasing your heart rate, diverting blood flow from the digestive tract to the muscles and releasing stress hormones that promote inflammation and oxidative stress. In the case of a short-lived stressful event, like a deer running in front of your car, an activated sympathetic nervous system helps you react quickly, hit the brakes and avoid the crash. The parasympathetic system kicks in shortly afterward, helping your body recover from the damaging effects of that stress.

Unfortunately for some of us, our brain and body can respond to a client meeting, an inbox full of emails, a stack of bills or the news in ways that resemble a near-miss crash — so we regularly live in a heightened state of stress, and our parasympathetic system has a hard time keeping up. While an older study published in Current Behavior Neuroscience Reports  suggests that practices such as deep breathing, aerobic exercise and yoga can help stimulate the vagus nerve, these handheld devices use electrical impulses to directly activate the nerve.

How do vagus nerve stimulation devices work? 

A vagus nerve stimulator delivers electrical impulses to the vagus nerve, thereby activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Implantable devices are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat medication-resistant depression and epilepsy, but come with high cost, risk and potential complications from the surgical procedure itself, including possible infection.

"External devices, often called transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), deliver small electrical impulses through the skin, usually near the ear or neck, to activate vagal pathways," says Wada. As the vagus nerve receives those impulses, various areas of the brain are activated . Scientists have found that stimulation may affect multiple brain regions, which may help explain the many potential benefits currently being studied.

Truvaga Plus, for example, stimulates the cervical branch of the vagus nerve to support sleep and stress relief.

Are vagus nerve stimulation devices backed by science? 

Since the late '90s, implanted vagus nerve stimulators have been used to treat refractory epilepsy and depression, with prescription and over-the-counter non-invasive handheld devices gaining popularity in recent years as a safer, drug-free way to activate the "rest and digest" part of the nervous system.

While research is ongoing, studies suggest that external vagus nerve stimulators may reduce perceived stress and anxiety symptoms, improve sleep and alleviate headache and migraine pain . Smaller studies are also finding preliminary evidence that they may improve exercise capacity and digestive symptoms in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Just keep in mind that many studies are conducted or funded by companies that produce vagus nerve stimulation devices, so there's a risk of bias. With that in mind, here's a closer look at the science behind some of the potential benefits of vagus nerve stimulation.

Stress and anxiety symptoms

Vagus nerve stimulation may support your mood and even reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety , for people with or without a diagnosed condition. For example, implantable devices approved for the treatment of depression have been shown to produce changes in blood flow to brain regions affected by depression, in a similar way to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

While implantable devices require medical necessity, non-invasive ones may benefit people with milder anxiety and depression. "Research suggests that non-invasive VNS can reduce physiologic markers of stress and improve self-reported anxiety, likely by increasing parasympathetic activity and dialing down the stress response," says Wada. In one small 2025 study, participants without diagnosed depression or anxiety who used a tVNS device for two weeks reported less perceived stress and fewer anxiety symptoms than those using a sham device. How this translates to commercial vagus nerve stimulators isn't entirely clear, as the study doesn't specify duration of use or stimulation intensity.

Sleep

Not sleeping well makes it hard to do, well, just about anything. Poor sleep impacts your memory, mood, focus, health and immune system — and your vagus nerve plays an important role in all of it. "External vagus nerve stimulators help improve sleep by calming the nervous system and regulating the sleep-wake cycle, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep," says Oparaji.

Several studies have found that vagus nerve stimulation leads to significant improvements in sleep scores in adults with insomnia , but the device use time in research is considerably longer than what most home-use devices recommend — typically two 20-to-30-minute sessions per day, compared to the two-minute sessions my device and many other consumer products call for. Because of differences in timing and variability in impulse strength between clinical studies and home devices, it's not entirely clear how effective home devices will be at helping people get a good night's sleep.

Headaches

If you're prone to migraines or cluster headaches, you know just how debilitating they can be. Vagus nerve stimulation devices — both implantable and non-invasive — may help reduce symptoms in some people, and certain devices have received FDA clearance specifically to treat these conditions.

A small 2023 study published in Scientific Reports suggests that headache duration, number of attacks and intensity may improve for some people. However, due to limited research and inconsistent results, the International Headache Society doesn't recommend these devices for the treatment of cluster headaches or migraines.

How do at-home devices compare to clinical devices? 

Implantable vagus nerve stimulation devices have a long history of use and research to support their use in certain patient populations, but they aren't without risk or side effects. "Non-invasive, at-home devices are much lower risk, but only a limited number have FDA clearance for specific indications," says Wada. At the time of publication, only gammaCore — which requires a prescription — is FDA-cleared to treat migraines and cluster headaches. Other devices, including Truvaga Plus, are considered general wellness products and are not marketed as medical devices to treat a specific condition.

Wada also cautions that not all consumer devices marketed as vagus nerve stimulators truly target the nerve, emphasizing the importance of proper placement and device quality. Clinical devices used under the direction of a health care provider tend to be more standardized in terms of frequency, intensity and placement.

My experience trying Truvaga Plus

Why I tried a vagus nerve stimulator

Like most adults, I find daily life somewhat stressful. Always moving, never enough time and constantly forgetting things because sometimes it's all just too much for one lil ol' person. Sound familiar? 

When sleep is regularly interrupted even after doing all the "right" things (therapy, medication, exercise, daylight, downtime and balanced meals ), I'm all for trying something a bit unconventional. I was hitting the basics and still needed a little help, so trying this device seemed like a natural next step. Low-risk, non-invasive and easy to work into my daily routine.

It's easy to set up, but placement has a bit of a learning curve

The Truvaga Plus is slim and easy to hold in one hand, with two small round electrodes at the tip. You'll want to charge it up using the included USB-C charger and download the app before your first use.

The instructions recommend using the stimulator twice a day for two minutes for best results, and for most of the first month, I did — though sometimes I only managed once. My favorite times were first thing in the morning, while reading in bed and right before sleep. Since it's quick and only requires one hand, it fit easily into my morning and nighttime routines .

Once the app is downloaded and the device is on, spray the included electrode spray on your neck between your ear and collarbone, then place the device in position. This is the trickiest part: if you don't place it in the right spot, it may not work as intended. It took me some trial and error to reliably nail the placement on the first try. Once positioned, slowly increase the intensity until it's just below the threshold of discomfort — you should definitely feel it, but if it hurts, dial it back a notch.

I started at level 5 and eventually found levels 7 to 8 to be my sweet spot. After two minutes of stimulation, I was genuinely surprised by how relaxed I felt. Is it because I'm coming down from a tense state, or is it actually activating areas of my brain to induce relaxation? I couldn't tell you — but I definitely notice a difference.

It's not a miracle cure, but it actually does help

Did it transform me from a stressed-out single mom who's always losing her keys into a calm, zen best version of myself? Unfortunately, no.

But I did notice that I was able to wind down more easily at night, and I fell back asleep more often than I had in the months prior. Sometimes during those early-morning wakeups, I'd do a quick session and find it easier to drift back off afterward. There are still nights when I'm up for good at 3 a.m., though (some nights, going back to sleep just isn't in the cards). I used the Truvaga Plus daily for 30 days and now use it a few times a week when my sleep starts to slip or my stress feels harder to manage.

Bottom line

Meet our experts 

• Kara Wada , MD FAAAAI, DiplABLM

• Nneoma Oparaji , MD, DipABLM, DABOM

Our health content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional on questions about your health.