Does the Pulsetto Vagus Nerve Device Really Help Marathon Runners Recover? Study Says Yes
A new Pulsetto study tied to the HOKA Hackney Half Marathon is making the rounds, and runners want to know whether vagus nerve stimulation actually delivers on the recovery claims.
What Did the Pulsetto Marathon Runner Study Find?
Runners using the Pulsetto vagus nerve stimulation device reported feeling more relaxed, more recovered and better rested during training for the HOKA Hackney Half Marathon in London, according to results shared by the brand.
The HOKA Hackney Half Marathon Runner Recovery Project looked at how vagus nerve stimulation affected recovery, training readiness, sleep quality and stress resilience in both recreational and competitive endurance athletes. Participants started with a baseline assessment, then followed individualized stimulation protocols designed by Pulsetto’s clinical team, according to a press release from the brand.
Researchers tracked weekly survey responses alongside wearable-device metrics, including heart rate variability, sleep quality and recovery readiness. The brand said participants reported being able to unwind more easily after hard sessions and felt more recovered between efforts.
How Did Elite and Everyday Runners Respond to Pulsetto?
Two runners highlighted in the project — an elite athlete and a working dad — both reported meaningful improvements in freshness, sleep and stress, with one logging his fastest half-marathon of the year.
Elite runner Nicholas Bester, who logs more than 140 kilometers per week, used the device after hard sessions and before bed. His heart rate variability improved throughout the protocol, his self-reported freshness rose from seven to nine out of 10, and he rated Pulsetto’s usefulness a nine out of 10.
“When I was training, the hardest part was trying to stay fresh between each race. I used Pulsetto after hard sessions and before bed each night to help me feel recovered mentally and physically,” Bester said.
Michael Adeniran, a father of two juggling daily stress and limited sleep, said the demands of training on top of family life were wearing him down. “The hardest part of training was a massive lack of sleep, being able to settle down, and finding time to rest,” he said. After incorporating Pulsetto into his routine more consistently, his ratings for evening relaxation and morning freshness rose from three out of 10 to eight out of 10. Wearable data also revealed a growing number of high sleep-quality scores throughout the protocol. By the end of the period, he went on to post his fastest half-marathon result of the year at the HOKA Hackney event.
“The biggest change since using Pulsetto has definitely been sleep and feeling less mentally overloaded. I wake up way more refreshed, and it helps me manage my stress,” Adeniran said.
What Is ‘Stress Fitness’ and How Does Vagus Nerve Stimulation Fit In?
Stress Fitness is Pulsetto’s term for proactively training the nervous system to become more resilient, which the brand calls the most overlooked variable in athlete training programs.
Dr. Jone Pukėnaitė, Medical and Science Lead at Pulsetto, framed recovery as a neurological process, not just a physical one. “What this study reinforces is that recovery is just as much neurological as it is physical. The nervous system is the foundation that every other aspect of training is built on, and when athletes learn to train it intentionally, the results show up across sleep, readiness, and resilience. These runners showed what it looks like to prepare the nervous system the same way you’d prepare your muscles,” Pukėnaitė said.
The brand points to a peer-reviewed, PubMed-indexed clinical study showing a 56% reduction in depressive symptoms, a 45% reduction in anxiety and a 41% improvement in sleep disturbances among participants. Pulsetto says it has more than 300,000 users globally and uses an AI-personalized Stress Resilience Score that adapts to each user’s biomarkers and usage history.
When Should Runners Use a Pulsetto Device During Training?
Pulsetto recommends runners use the vagus nerve stimulation device at specific points in their training and recovery cycle — not as an in-race tool, but as a way to downshift the nervous system around hard efforts.
Pulsetto’s page for athletes lists the following recommended times:
- After practice or games
- Before sleep
- During travel after games or training
- After dinner or on rest days
- More than 5 hours before competition, and only if resting
Runner Francesca Evans said the device fits into a broader recovery routine rather than replacing the basics. “Balancing marathon training with everyday life can put a lot of stress on your body and nervous system. I’ve been using Pulsetto after harder runs to help my body switch out of that ‘go-go-go’ mode and into recovery. It’s not a magic fix, but alongside good sleep, nutrition and easy runs, it’s another tool that helps me look after my body and keep showing up for training,” Evans said, per the website.
Runner Ari Petrou said the sleep function has become part of his evening routine. “I’ve recently incorporated Pulsetto into my daily routines & it’s been a game changer for me so far. I’ve been using it straight after my tougher runs to help bring my body back down and rejuvenate me for the rest of the day ahead and I genuinely feel more switched on afterwards. One of my favourite features is the sleep function, it’s become part of my evening routine. Helping me properly wind down and get deeper sleep which has made a big difference to how I’m recovering overall to help me get the best out of my upcoming sessions,” Petrou said.
Bester emphasized that recovery is the foundation of hard training. “The most important form of recovery is getting good sleep- You need to recover hard in order to train hard and hit optimal perforce levels.- Take recovery seriously, especially in this fast paced world we live in.- Often I find that when life stress is low, that’s when I am able to train at my full potential,” Bester said.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
