As conversations around athletic performance evolve, recovery has become just as important as training. Professional athletes are now placing greater emphasis on quality sleep, stress management, and mental resilience, recognizing that peak performance depends on how effectively the body and mind recover.

Reflecting this growing focus, Pulsetto has unveiled its biggest brand campaign yet, featuring NBA players Jonas Valančiūnas and Matas Buzelis. The campaign introduces the concept of Stress Fitness, highlighting the belief that the nervous system can be strengthened through regular training in much the same way as muscles. Titled "Calm Is a Habit. Train For It.", the initiative launches during the NBA offseason, a period when players prioritize recovery, conditioning, and preparation for the upcoming season.

Shared Challenges Across Different Careers
Pulsetto's relationship with NBA athletes began in 2025 through a partnership with All-Star Domantas Sabonis before expanding to include Valančiūnas and Buzelis. Although the two players are at very different stages of their careers—Valančiūnas as a seasoned veteran and Buzelis as one of the league's emerging talents—they describe experiencing similar challenges related to stress, recovery, sleep, and maintaining mental focus.

Rather than simply promoting the brand, both athletes discuss the recovery habits they rely on to unwind, improve sleep quality, and prepare for the physical and mental demands of professional basketball.

Matas Buzelis explains that pressure is part of competing at the highest level. According to him, post-game adrenaline often makes it difficult to relax, and incorporating Pulsetto into his nighttime routine helps him unwind, fall asleep more easily, and make recovery a daily priority.

Jonas Valančiūnas shares a similar perspective, noting that an active mind filled with thoughts about upcoming games and responsibilities can interfere with rest. He says he uses Pulsetto before bedtime to quiet his thoughts, emphasizing that quality sleep directly influences performance the following day.

Their experiences reinforce Pulsetto's philosophy that recovery is an active process and that resilience can be developed through consistent nervous system training rather than being viewed as an innate ability.

Research Supporting Stress Fitness
Pulsetto's technology uses non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation with the goal of helping users improve resilience over time instead of only addressing stress after it has built up.

According to a peer-reviewed study indexed on PubMed and published in the American Journal of Physiology, participants who used the device for four weeks reported measurable improvements, including a 56% reduction in depressive symptoms, a 45% decrease in anxiety, a 41% improvement in sleep disturbances, and a 36.7% reduction in cortisol levels.

Dr. Jone Pukėnaitė, Medical & Science Lead at Pulsetto, says that while elite athletes have long recognized recovery as a key component of performance, current research suggests the nervous system also becomes more resilient through repeated training. She notes that improvements in stress regulation, recovery, and sleep are skills that can be strengthened over time rather than fixed characteristics.

Recovery Beyond Professional Sports
Although the campaign features NBA players, its core message is intended for a much wider audience. Pulsetto emphasizes that the body's response to pressure is similar whether someone is preparing for a championship game, an important business presentation, a major exam, or simply managing everyday responsibilities. The company believes that consistent nervous system training can help anyone improve their ability to recover from stress.

The "Calm Is a Habit. Train For It." campaign will roll out across multiple platforms with a hero film, athlete interviews, social media videos, and campaign photography, all aimed at introducing the concept of Stress Fitness and encouraging broader conversations about recovery as a skill that can be developed through regular practice.

As part of the PhD Students and Early Career Academics Research Grant Program, the IOC Olympic Studies Centre (OSC), in collaboration with its Grant Selection Committee, has chosen four research projects based on their academic excellence and relevance to Olympic studies.

Recipients of this grant receive financial support to conduct their research and, if applicable, access the resources available at the Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland. The findings of these studies are to be submitted to the OSC by the end of 2025.