The Vagus Nerve: Is It the Sleep Swith?

0:00Welcome back to Night Shift with Justin S. King, how to transform your life one night at a time. Tonight we are going to be talking about Vegas nerve and whether or not Vegas nerve stimulation can help you sleep better. So the Vegas nerve is a major part of your parasympathetic nervous system. The side of your nervous system that helps you slow down, digest, recover, and downshift. And sleep tends to come easier when your body can move out of a stressed, activated state and into a calmer one. Insomnia is often tied to that exact problem. Not being fully awake, but not being able to truly downshift. So the best way to say is that the Vegas nerve doesn't put you to sleep. It helps support the kind of body state that makes sleep more possible. That matters because if you've ever felt tired, but still awake, it can support the kind of state your body needs to be in to fall asleep. Slow breathing, humming, gentle exhaling, and other so-called Vegas nerve exercises may help you feel more relaxed. But the first go-to line for

1:02falling asleep faster and staying asleep is still CBTI or chronicle behavior or cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia, which includes timing and many of the factors we've discussed on this podcast in the past. I've seen lately a lot of gadgets about Vegas nerve stimulation, and there is some promising research about this. In 2024, around the nice clinical trial, but with chronic insomnia, used ear-based Vegas nerve stimulation, had a greater improvement and sleep quality than the other group, and the benefit lasted after treatment ended. In 2025, an analysis also found improvements in insomnia measures, but rated the overall evidence quality as low to very low. That means it's promising, but there's no proven, it's not proven enough to be a slam dunk for everyone. The broader consumer gadget world right now is like wearables and common bracelets and necklaces. These are a lot of the progo ducts that you will see on

2:08Facebook, marketed with language, but not much specifically for insomnia, and they may help you feel relaxed, and whether that's more placebo or a personal experience, you'll have to try that for yourself. So don't make the mistake that thinking a gadget is going to help solve your evening, your insomnia. Still, for now, it's my preference that we cut off electronics an hour before bed. Stick with the consistent sleep times if you haven't. Nail that down yet, going to bed at the same time, waking up at the same time, stopping electronics an hour before bed. If you haven't nailed those down yet, get to those before you add some kind of gadget into your routine. So for tonight's night shift, take a look at the 103210 formula. And as yourself, are you following that? Are you going to bed at the same time every night? Are you waking up

3:08at the same time every day? Are you stopping screens one hour before bed, stopping work two hours before sleep, stopping heavy meals, three hours before bed, and ending caffeine 10 hours before sleep? Look at those first. If you're just looking to solve your insomnia or your sleep problems, and then look at experimenting with other devices. My name is Justin S. King. If you'd like a free checklist of the 103210 formula, head over to my website JustinSKing.com slash fast. I help entrepreneurs find peace tonight. Tomorrow and for the rest of their lives, through sleep optimization, emotional regulation, and discovering their purpose. Good night.