Can This New Wearable Reduce Stress By Vibration? Our Honest Review

Feelmore Labs conducted extensive clinical research led by experts in neuromodulation, mood disorders and sleep science for more than four years. This research was conducted nationally, including in part at Brown University, led by a Harvard Medical School researcher. So far, however, Cove has not been part of a published peer-reviewed study. (Feelmore Labs added that several studies on Cove have been peer-reviewed and presented at professional conferences. Several of these and other studies are currently being peer-reviewed in peer-reviewed journals and will be published shortly.)

We asked two physicians who are not affiliated with Feelmore Labs and who have not used a Cove device to share their thoughts on the science behind the Cove device.

dr Sanam Hafeez is a neuropsychologist who monitors Understand the spirit, and is a faculty member at Columbia University. "There's science behind it, and I'm fascinated by it," Dr. hafeez

dr Hafeez compared Cove to Transcranial magnetic stimulation Devices that allow parts of your brain to be externally stimulated. "A good massage can make you feel amazing, and Cove sounds similar. [Cove] purports to stimulate the skin behind your ears and stimulate your posterior insular cortex, the part of the brain that controls emotions but also anxiety and stress and the relief of both of those things. Deep in your brain, this area is not accessible in any other way. However, nerve endings in different parts of the body can help connect these dots. It's like acupuncture; stimulate the nerves here and your brain can be affected there.”

Something that's non-invasive and naturally stimulates the brain would help produce more alpha waves, says Dr. hafeez “These are the relaxation waves. When we listen to music we like or get a massage, these alpha waves start. Even meditation can produce alpha waves,” she says. Couple that with the fact that you can actually train the brain - "It can adapt and learn. It's an amazing organ” — if Cove is able to induce alpha waves on a regular basis, the brain could learn to produce more alpha waves on its own, resulting in an increased state of relaxation. "I do not know if [Feelmore] was able to prove that this happens with science; I haven't seen the actual research to see this and I'd love to see more peer and empirical research. But that gives me courage," concludes Dr. hafeez

Since a core claim of Cove is that it improves sleep, we spoke to them too dr Alice Hoagland, who is director of the insomnia clinic Rochester Regional Health and a board-certified sleep specialist. "This is relatively new research that could actually have some utility in the long term," says Dr. Hoagland. “I remember some interesting research with Parkinson's patients with ambulatory mobility. Getting them to walk to the beat of the music when their brains are free to focus will greatly help with mobility. It's different from stimulation, but it tells you that you can train people to overcome basic neurological problems with frequencies and sounds.”

"There is a modicum of science to suggest that external cranial stimulation, through stroking or vibration, can stimulate the brain to produce alpha waves," she tells us. “Alpha waves are associated with relaxed alertness. If Cove actually routinely stimulates this, it might help with chronic anxiety. People who are anxious have fewer alpha waves and more beta waves.”

dr Hoagland is quick to add, "Whether this ultimately translates to more sleep or better sleep quality is a gargantuan question. Many patients with insomnia are not at all anxious. Hoagland reiterated a desire to see more peer-reviewed studies. "When [Cove] makes you relaxed and awake and less excited, it might be a bit of an exaggeration to say it improves your sleep. I'm not saying it doesn't help you reduce anxiety and make you feel more relaxed and sleep better because of both of those things. There just isn't enough data with a placebo arm.”

By: Can This New Wearable Reduce Stress By Vibration? Our Honest Review