Joseph and Dr. Richard Blake sit down with Pulsetto founder Povilas Sabaliauskas to explore how non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and lift HRV—without adding more to your to-do list. They dig into the science, the origin story (including plane-crash supply chain chaos), real-world use cases, and simple stacking protocols you can use tonight.
Key Takeaways
- Capacity > Boundaries: Many “boundary” problems are actually capacity problems; train the nervous system and fewer things spill your bucket.
- Vagus Nerve = Mind–Body Highway: Toggling between sympathetic “go” and parasympathetic “slow” is trainable; VNS is one fast switch.
- Pulsetto in practice: 4 minutes AM for stress, 10 minutes pre-bed for sleep; feels like a gentle tingling/vibration on the neck.
- Stacking works: Pair VNS with breathwork, red light, a walk, or post-gym wind-down to accelerate the shift out of “gym mode” into “sleep mode.”
- Sleep quality > sleep quantity: Users often see shorter sleep latency, more REM/deep, and less restlessness—even when total time doesn’t change.
- Cortisol, HRV, & momentum: Lower stress hormones can unlock consistency in diet, training, and sleep—creating a positive compounding loop.
- Athlete angle: Use VNS to avoid pre-competition overhype and to downshift quickly after evening training so Day-2 performance doesn’t crater.
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