Effects of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Recovery

After exercise loading, active ear VSS was applied to Group 1. Application was made simultaneously in both ears, with a 300 microsecond pulse duration, a biphasic asymmetric waveform, and a frequency of 25 Hz, for a total of 20 minutes. All assessments were recorded 3 times: at the beginning of the test, after exercise loading, and after active VSS application.

After the exercise challenge, Group 2 underwent sham VSS. Device parameters were set to the same as Group 1 (300 microsecond pulse duration, biphasic asymmetric waveform, and 25 Hz frequency). Both headphones were worn for a total of 20 minutes. However, the participant heard only the device's power-on tone and received no current. All assessments were recorded three times: at the beginning of the test, after the exercise challenge, and after sham VSS.