I've been testing health and fitness tech for nearly two decades, but my recent experience with the vagus nerve stimulating Sona was one of the most memorable and stand-out jumps forward.
You may already have some of the best fitness apps and have benefited from measuring your health metrics. But, once you get into kit that actively affects your body, known as biohacking, the whole wearable game changes.
Yes, this isn't the only vagus nerve-stimulating device out there with the Nurosym already getting headlines. But this is one that uniquely pairs vagus nerve stimulation with real-time adaptation to your exact needs.
All that means this earpiece is a way to actively calm the body while in a state of stress. Sure, measuring metrics has offered us a way to catch states of stress and stop – or make better life choices – but they're all far more passive.
This actively helps reduce stress in the moment – something that could prove hugely supportive for many people who suffer or have struggled with stress and anxiety.
Personal peace
The Sona experience was one I was invited to try, using a pre-production headset, at the HQ overlooking the river Thames, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London. So to begin I was coming in from the hubbub of central London with a fairly elevated heart rate.
Sona was recently granted funding and a place in the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering. So on arrival, there was already an element of calm from being in such a new building with a buzz of scientific exploration in the air.
Met by the founder and CEO, Jane Ollis, I was welcomed in to see the pre-production headset and give it a try. After some explanation on the science from the chief neuroscientist, I was ready to put it on.
They explained to me that the vagus nerve has a termination point in the ear – something dating back evolutionarily to our fish days – where we can stimulate the nerve. Since this nerve is associated with activation of the parasympathetic nervous system – in charge of automated systems like breathing and heart rate – it can help the body to move into a calm state.
What was also interesting to hear was all the research being done by the Sona team – as they work towards clinical medical grade advances – in seeing how this can affect the neuroplasticity of the brain. That is essentially the brain's ability to rewire, like when a person recovering from an injury or trauma, can find new pathways in the brain to reconnect and continue to use a limb or find ways to calm when panicked. Or learn something new. Yup, the potential here is huge.
So from lower stress and trauma reactions, to enhanced cognitive adaptability or mood recovery, and even enhancing sleep architecture – this has huge potential to work with your body and brain to achieve what you need.
The neuroscientist described it like Neo when he downloads programs in The Matrix movie, in that this will help your brain learn more quickly and easily, making it an all round aid to improve learning and adaptability. Huge claims. So I put it to the test.
I should also mention that I'm a working psychotherapist, so exploring the mind from both a mental health and fitness perspective is something I do daily. So, with a deep understanding of how my mind and body work, I went in to see if this would change that.
What I loved
On went the headset, I sat comfortably and put in headphones with calming music. The second, music part, is a separate feature which will be part of the app at launch.
Here it represents how you can work with other stimuli to help enhance the effects of the Sona. Plans to integrate Spotify and the likes should help make this even easier at launch.
The device was calibrated, which involved upping the power until I was at a point that it got uncomfortable – like a little pin prick or pinch on my ear. It was then turned down to a comfortable level, just below the pinch point, to have maximum affect. As was pointed out, after a short while I no longer noticed it, most of the time.
I sat there and relaxed while it did its thing – which involved measuring my HRV like one of the best heart rate monitors, and adjusting the nerve stimulation in real-time feedback to how my body reacted. At first I thought not much was happening. Then I noticed myself wishing I'd asked them to do longer than 15 minutes. I caught myself thinking that and realised I must be enjoying it to think that, even though this was super subtle.
I was right. Once it ended I genuinely felt more relaxed, my muscles feeling like they'd had a massage in what I could only describe as feeling "smoother". A bit like I'd been swimming or awoken from a really rejuvenating nap. My mood was up and I felt my thoughts coming very fluidly – it all just felt like there was less resistance. Was this my brain achieving neuroplasticity with greater ease?
What I didn't love
This is very much a pre-production phase right now, so for me I was trying the version that isn't exactly what will launch. That meant an external housing unit clipped to me, manual adjustment of settings, a separate phone and headphones for stimulation and no app to play with. However, despite all that, this still did what is was created to do.
I say all this as I can imagine that this can only get better. From an app that adds more options, to feedback from users, leading to new ways this can be used. All it lacks now represents an exciting opportunity for how this can grow and serve people better in the near future.
The price is also a point of contention initially, as this will go on sale for an early adopter price of £695 (around $950 / AU$1,400).
This could sound a lot, but also when you think about the positive effects you could achieve, that actually may be a very reasonable price. You'd pay more for one of the best Garmin watches and that only measures your body, with none of the active affects that the Sona can offer.
Early Verdict
Vagus nerve stimulation is a relatively new phenomenon, but with proven results it represents an exciting new area of research and development.
At a time when stress management is in demand, this could offer an affordable way to self-regulate that doesn't involve alcohol, sugar or screens – essentially doubling down on the positive affect.
The idea that this can treat tinitus, aid physio recovery, tackle chronic pain and more are all potential realities that make this an exciting area where the Sona is making strong stride forward towards a potentially calmer and more healthy future.
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