Track progress using our N1-Headache app

This clinical program has been developed for individuals experiencing episodic migraines who (a) utilize pharmaceuticals or devices that do not fully alleviate the pain accompanying their migraine attacks or (b) individuals who aim to reduce their reliance on pharmaceuticals, perhaps  because of undesirable side effects and/or, (c) would like a natural approach to managing their migraine.

The effects may range from a feeling of relaxation and well-being to and we are running studies to see if it gives improved control of headache pain and reduction in attack frequency and/or medication use. You may notice some effects immediately, while the more prominent and consistent effects may come over time with daily practice.

The duration of time for beneficial changes to occur may dependent on the frequency and severity of your state of migraine at the start of the program, as well as how many times a day the exercises are being done. These are powerful tools living within us every moment of every day and the more often we practice and utilize these tools, the greater the opportunity for the body to come back into balance.

On this website we have a short instruction video for the portable exercises and also a 10-minute video to instruct and accompany you during the sit down exercise.

The N1-Neuromod program contains one guided, 10 minute, sitdown exercise accompanied by a video, this exercise encourages you to find a relaxed environment in which to engage in paced breathing. You will be guided to breathe deeply for 10 minutes at a pace of 6 breaths per minute. It is intended to be easy on the body and mind and resetting for the nervous system. We recommend at least one session per day, but more sessions are encouraged!

Once learned, this sit down exercise can also become a powerful, short portable exercise. Practice in shorter sessions whenever you are seated and have a quiet moment. Do multiple sessions per day!

If you start noticing beneficial effects after a few weeks or months, then you should consider permanently adopting the exercises of this program into a new anti-migraine lifestyle.

The vagus nerve is a vital component of the autonomic nervous system and integrates the functions of many of the body’s most important organs. It plays a crucial role in the body’s “rest and digest” response, counterbalancing the “fight or flight” response triggered by the sympathetic nervous system and its response to daily alarms, stressors and a sedentary lifestyle.

The vagus nerve can also be naturally stimulated through various non-invasive methods, such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga. Additionally, practices like singing,cold and cold water exposure have been proven to promote vagal tone. This therapeutic approach has been clinically validated in various conditions, including epilepsy, depression, and migraine headaches. Non-invasive VNS methods harness the body’s own mechanisms to modulate vagal activity, offering a promising avenue for treatment when other methods have proven ineffective.

The program consists of two simple types of exercises: portable and sitdown. These exercises are intended to be practiced everyday.

The portable exercises can be added to your usual bathroom routine in the morning and be done throughout the day, each time you find yourself in the bathroom washing hands or brushing teeth etc. Each session takes 1-2 minutes and involves splashing cold water on your face and humming. It will leave you feeling refreshed and bright. Aim to complete at least 5 to 10 sessions a day for more effective results.

The sitdown exercise can be  done while  sitting at home or at work, or while traveling – not driving, though! This exercise gives important training to the rhythm and quality of your breath.  Follow along with our instructional video to align with a paced breath of 6 seconds in and 6 seconds out. This breathing technique balances the rhythms of the heart, lungs and brain. Each sit down session is about 10 minutes long. One session per day is recommended and more are encouraged!

A portable exercise session lasts 1-2 minutes and can be done anywhere, anytime – designed to seamlessly be integrated into your bathroom routine so that time doesn’t become an issue. 

The greatest benefits of the sitdown exercise will come from devoting 10 minutes a day to quieting the body and mind and allowing the breathing pattern to return to a consistent, reliable pattern. We find that one of the most difficult things for people to do is to replace activities requiring movement and that demand energy, with self care rituals that relax the nervous system and rebalance health. With that said, if you are in a phase of life in which it is challenging to find ten minutes for yourself, you will benefit from any time devoted to this breathing exercise. Sit for a minute or 2 in the morning and 3 or 4 more in the afternoon or evening. Do what you can and allow it to be a time in the day that feels like a sanctuary for you, rather than yet another demand in your life.

The N1-Neuromod program contains two portable exercises that can be done virtually anywhere and at multiple times during the day. They are designed to be integrated into your lifestyle.

The first portable exercise is cold water splash with ‘bumblebee breath’ exercise that can be done whenever and wherever you’re in a bathroom. As the name implies, bumblebee breathing is a form of humming.

The second portable exercise involves paced, deep breathing at a rate of 6 breaths per minute. TThis is a shortened form of the sitdown exercise which can be done in just a few minutes, making it suitable for use anywhere you’re seated – be it at home, work, or during travel.

The program is free.

By running human studies and using biomarkers to measure changes in vagal tone (such as heart rate variability), we determined that some exercises are touted as vagal nerve stimulating but in fact they are not! We have found that some exercises actually depress vagal tone and that only certain ones could be shown to increase  vagal tone. Based on our studies in humans, we have selected the most potent exercises and developed a novel, simple vagal nerve stimulation program.