Wearing This Vibrating Headset Actually Works to Release Stress
The Cove promises less anxiety and a better night’s sleep.
Photographer: Frank Frances for Bloomberg Businessweek
It’s a pledge that countless purveyors of medicine, meditation apps, herbal supplements, and therapy have made: less stress and a good night’s rest. Chances are you’ve tried a few of these, with middling success—we’ve all got fatigue-fighting fatigue.
But the $490 Cove wearable has an inventive premise: Gentle vibrations to the skin behind your ear transfer signals to the insular cortex in the brain, which manages incoming sensations from your body. Like a loved one’s comforting touch, the sensation has a calming effect. The Cove’s creators at Feelmore Labs in New York say wearing the device for 20 minutes a day can, over time, teach your brain to better manage your body.