yōjō Vagus Nerve Stimulator review: could this handheld device be the secret to a better you?

The ‘wanderer’, the ‘reset button’, the ‘safety switch’ – the vagus nerve has many names and its role in helping shift the body out of stress mode and into a state of rest and recovery has been celebrated in recent years by the wellness industry. But what exactly is the vagus nerve, and why would you want to stimulate it with the yōjō?

The vagus nerve is the longest of the 12 cranial nerves, carrying vital signals between the brain and body. It runs from the brainstem through the neck and into the chest and abdomen, playing a key role in regulating the parasympathetic nervous system – the body’s ‘rest and digest’ mode. When the vagus nerve is well regulated, it can support a range of wellbeing functions, including a slower heart rate, improved digestion, reduced stress-related inflammation, and better focus, sleep and recovery after exercise.

Vagus nerve stimulation has been used in clinical settings for decades to treat serious conditions, including epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression, typically through implanted devices that activate specific nerve pathways. Commercial vagus nerve stimulators, such as the yōjō, offer non-invasive (nVNS) treatment by sending low-level electrical pulses through an earpiece placed in the left ear, targeting branches of the vagus nerve.

In a noisy world, could regulating the vagus nerve be the key to feeling more balanced? Armed with a decent amount of hope – and, I’ll admit, a healthy smidgeon of scepticism – I was curious to see whether using the yōjō Vagus Nerve Stimulator had a noticeable impact on my wellbeing.

yōjō review: price and availability

The yōjō was launched in the UK in November 2025 and is available to buy now at yojo.health for an annual subscription of £399 / €456. It’s not currently available in the United States.

The cost includes the device, a personalised wellness programme, real-time biofeedback, personal coaching and health literacy courses and content.

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yōjō review: design

The yōjō looks and feels like a premium product. Open the hard case to find a small handheld device, a USB charger, a single earpiece and two conductive gel pens, which twist to release a gel that’s applied to the node of the earpiece to help ensure good contact during use.

The yōjō is turned on using a side button, and the intensity of the electrical pulse is controlled using either the buttons on the front of the device or via the app. Although the yōjō can be used on its own, downloading the app and pairing it with the device via Bluetooth gives you the full experience.

When you’re ready for your first session, plug in the earpiece, lightly coat the node with the conductive gel and tuck it snugly into the nook of your left ear.

The aim of this device is to help soothe the nervous system, and it’s a fuss-free start with an easy set-up and clean, stylish design.

yōjō review: features

You can use the yōjō up to twice a day and each session is timed to last 30 minutes. It starts with a 30-second face scan via the app – logging key biometrics, such as heart rate, HRV (heart rate variability), PNS activity (parasympathetic nervous system), stress index and blood pressure.

With the earpiece in situ, choose from four modes: energy, sleep, relax or stress and adjust the intensity of the electrical pulse. yōjō advises that the pulse should never feel uncomfortable, so if the sensation feels distracting, dial it down a notch – the range is 0 to 30.

At the end of the session, take a second face scan to see how your pre- and post-session biometrics compare. The more you use the yōjō, the more data is logged providing increasingly in-depth data tracking the state of your nervous system and how your body responds.

As part of the yōjō annual subscription you also get access to a personal coach (a human, not a bot) to help you set goals and answer questions. This support is enhanced by regular prompts from yōjō’s library of educational features, courses, breathwork sessions and meditations. Regulating the vagus nerve takes a multi-faceted approach, and there’s plenty to explore here.

The yōjō takes three hours to fully charge, giving a healthy six to eight hours active usage.

yōjō review: performance

The device is easy to use, stylish and discreet, making it effortless to incorporate into your routine. The resource library is engaging, and I found the daily prompts a helpful reminder. Access to a personal coach is another valuable addition, with responses to questions arriving quickly.

One drawback I encountered was the face scan, which requires a strong light source to register biometrics. If you’re using the yōjō before bed, this can be disruptive, as you may need to turn the lights up just when you’re trying to wind down.

It was interesting to have comparative biometrics to hand and the dashboard on the app is easy to use. You can sit with topline results or dive in deeper by hitting the ‘insights’ tab. As a personal trainer I spend a lot of time looking at health metrics, but I’m also a firm believer that how you feel takes priority over numbers. We all love a metric when it’s going in our favour, but did I experience tangible results?

In short: yes. After two weeks of using the yōjō, my sleep had noticeably improved. I’ve always been a light sleeper, and even after eight hours I can wake feeling unrested. After a fortnight of daily sessions, I had found an ‘off’ switch in my brain during sleep. With improved sleep quality, I also saw an uptick with my energy and focus levels throughout the day. I can’t back up its claim to improve digestion or exercise recovery but I’m sticking with this new routine, so time will tell.

yōjō review: verdict

While commercial vagus nerve stimulators are relatively new to the market, stimulating this ‘rest and digest’ button is an ancient practice. There are many ways to activate it, including cold showers, meditation, humming – even gargling! All of which are free. The yōjō costs £399 per year, which equates to around £1 a day. So is it worth the cost?

To enjoy significant and long-term improvements to the state of your nervous system, consistency is key. The yōjō makes this easy. It’s discreet and easy to use so you can do a session when you’re cooking, walking or even working at your desk. The addition of a personal coach and a huge library of resources backs up the daily sessions and helps to create a more healthy understanding of how to keep calm, and carry on.

yōjō review: alternatives to consider

At £399, the yōjō sits within the mid-price range, when compared to other leading nVNS devices, such as the Pulsetto Lite (£235.99) and Nurosym (£599). The yōjō wins on the style stakes compared with the more clunky over-ear design of the Pulsetto Lite. The Nurosym features a similar in-ear design but yōjō pips it to the post with its white, smooth features.