Does Vagus Nerve Stimulation Work? A Scientific Cure-all Explained.

On TikTok, vagus nerve stimulation sounds like a miracle cure. Influencers claim it can help with a long list of ailments, including—but not limited to—anxiety, stress, depression, and inflammation. You’ll find no shortage of hacks for stimulating your vagus nerve, from eye-rolling and neck massages to humming and cold plunges. 

But vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) isn’t just a wellness trend—it’s also a real medical treatment involving specially designed VNS devices. Earlier this year, in July 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first implantable VNS device for rheumatoid arthritis, a painful autoimmune disease that attacks the joints. It’s the latest step in a long line of FDA approvals for VNS devices, which is already used to treat epilepsy, treatment-resistant depression, obesity, migraines, cluster headaches, strokes, and opioid withdrawal.

So, what exactly is vagus nerve stimulation—and how true are influencer claims?

What is the vagus nerve?

The vagus nerve is one of the body’s longest nerves, running from your brain all the way to your large intestine. (Despite being referred to as a single nerve, there are actually two vagus nerves—one on the left of the body and another on the right.)

Think of it as “a communication pathway between the brain and many organs, including the heart, lungs, and digestive system,” says Dr. Mill Etienne, an associate professor of neurology and medicine at New York Medical College. It controls many body functions, including your digestion, heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing, immune system responses, mood, mucus and saliva production, skin and muscle sensations, speech, taste, and urine output.

What is vagus nerve stimulation?

Vagus nerve stimulation “works by delivering small electrical impulses to the vagus nerve, usually via an implanted device that sits in the chest,” says Etienne. “The impulses are typically delivered at a fixed interval and can also give additional stimulation on demand.”

You can also stimulate the vagus nerve using special external devices that deliver targeted electrical signals to vagus nerve branches on the skin in the ear or in the neck, says Dr. Dave Rabin, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist.

“In doing so you are electrically activating the most important recovery nerve of the entire body,” he says.

There are also many natural ways to stimulate the body’s longest nerve, from cold plunges to meditation.

Vagus nerve stimulation really does work

For conditions already cleared by the FDA, stimulating the vagus nerve has proven benefits. In epilepsy, a surgically implanted VNS device helps quiet the overactive neurons that cause seizures. It usually isn’t curative, but it often lets patients cut back on medications—and that means fewer side effects, says Etienne. He’s seen hospitalizations drop, relentless seizures (called status epilepticus) disappear, and patients’ overall quality of life improve.

In stroke recovery, a VNS implant can boost the brain’s ability to “rewire” itself after damage, says Etienne. A clinical trial showed that pairing VNS with physical therapy improves arm and hand function more than physical therapy alone.

The vagus nerve also carries fullness signals from the stomach lining to the brain, and a VNS implant has been shown to reduce hunger and promote modest weight loss in obesity.

Additionally, research has shown that a VNS implant significantly improves mood, vitality, and overall well-being in people with depression for whom traditional antidepressants are ineffective.

The newly-approved VNS implant for rheumatoid arthritis helps to reduce inflammation by activating the body’s anti-inflammatory pathways. In a clinical trial, about 51.5% of patients who used it had a significant reduction in symptoms after 24 weeks.

In another study, people with migraines who used a handheld VNS device (gammaCore) on the side of their neck were significantly more likely to be pain-free within 30 minutes to an hour of VNS, compared to those receiving a sham (placebo) treatment. Yet another noninvasive VNS device (NSS-2 Bridge)—placed behind the ear—reduces the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Both devices can be bought on prescription from a doctor.

Because the vagus nerve influences almost every major organ system, scientists are investigating whether VNS could help with a wide range of conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, long COVID, and mental health disorders, such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Vagus nerve stimulation at home

Implanting a VNS device in your chest is a big step, and not everyone has access to this kind of treatment, says Etienne. But you can also fine-tune your vagus nerve through lifestyle changes, without the use of a device. 

The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in regulating your nervous system, helping you switch from a stress to a rest response. Video: 5 Ways to Stimulate and Regulate Your Vagus Nerve, Cleveland Clinic

One of the simplest ways to stimulate the vagus nerve is through slow, deep breathing, says Etienne. He recommends a technique called boxed breathing, where you inhale for a count of four, hold your breath for four, exhale for four, and then repeat the cycle. Meditation, mindfulness, and forest bathing (sitting, walking, or sleeping in the forest) can also help to control the vagus nerve, he says.

“Listening to music or engaging in musical activity like singing, humming, or chanting is also great.” Other ways to stimulate the vagus nerve include cold exposure, like splashing cold water on your face or taking a brief cold shower.

“These activities all help to restore the balance between your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system,” says Etienne. The sympathetic system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response, while the parasympathetic system activates the body’s rest-and-digest mode. 

“For many people, the sympathetic system is overactive, which can make you anxious and cause many other long-term health problems,” says Etienne. Activities that stimulate the vagus nerve increase the activity of the parasympathetic system activity in the long term, which is much better for your body, he says.

“Stress tricks the body into thinking that it’s not safe,” says Rabin. VNS counters that by “sending safety signals through the vagus nerve,” encouraging the body to slow down and recover. 

Etienne recommends DIY vagus nerve stimulation techniques to patients with all kinds of neurological disorders, not just epilepsy and stroke. “I find that these are generally good for your overall health.”

However, according to Dr. Kevin Tracey, a neurosurgeon and president of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, it’s important to distinguish between viral health hacks and the science-backed, FDA-approved therapeutic VNS devices. In the lab, scientists can precisely target vagus nerve fibers to control heart rate or inflammation. An ice bath, by contrast, jolts the whole nervous system—not just the vagus nerve, Tracey wrote in an op-ed published in 2024.

What experts definitely agree on is that vagus nerve stimulation has real medical power, and scientists are just beginning to explore its full potential. 

This story is part of Popular Science’s Ask Us Anything series, where we answer your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

The post Does vagus nerve stimulation work? A scientific cure-all explained. appeared first on Popular Science.