The effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on cycling ergometry and recovery in healthy young individuals

Background: It is aimed to examine the potential benefits and effects of the use of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for sporting purposes on recovery, fatigue, and sportive performance level. Methods: In this study, 90 people between the ages of 18–23 were participated. They were randomly divided into three groups as bilateral sham, unilateral left, and bilateral VNS. A 4-day protocol was applied to the participants. Cycling exercise was performed with maximum performance for 30 min under the same watt load. Pulse, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, distance, pain, fatigue, lactic acid level, and autonomic nervous system were evaluated. Results: Within the groups, there was a statistically significant difference between the data (p <.05) except for the distance covered parameter. When we compare the groups, in addition to the distance traveled in all groups, there is no statistically significant difference in the 1st day 1st measurement and 2nd measurement data of all parameters (p >.05 When we compared the data according to days, there was a statistically significant difference between bilateral stimulation (BS) and unilateral stimulation, only pain and fatigue levels (p <.05). Conclusion: In our study, we saw that BS application gave positive results in reducing pain and fatigue due to cycling exercise compared to other applications. Similar results were obtained when we evaluated the data on a daily basis. We believe that VNS will be beneficial in reducing pain and fatigue, especially during and after the competition halftime.