Meet The Brain Stimulating Headband That’s Promising ‘Better Periods’

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There’s a lot of pressure to become a better version of yourself around this time of year.

New Year’s resolutions are great and all, but sometimes the wellness and productivity of it all is just… a bit much.

With everything from our disrupted routines after the holidays to reduced daylight and seasonal mood changes to the financial pressure of recovering after all those holiday gifts and parties, the pressure to get back on track, only better, can be crushing.

Add the special hell of PMS on top of that, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for the month from hell.

In the UK, unmanaged menstrual symptoms are the cause of millions of lost working days every year.

But even so, PMS is still wildly underfunded when it comes to research and innovation — especially when you compare it to other conditions that have similar levels of prevalence and impact.

Typical advice on PMS management involves painkillers, hormonal contraception, lifestyle advice, and antidepressants.

But these days, new research has begun to show that PMS is a brain–body health issue, rather than just hormonal and/or psychological.

One company that’s looking into ways the symptoms of your cycle are shaped by the brain is Samphire Neuroscience.

Our brain’s love rhythm and routine: things like consistent sleep, regular meals, and stable inputs help it regulate our moods and the pain we feel. And remember what we said about the disrupted routines of the holidays?

Samphire Neuroscience’s flagship product, Nettle™, might be able to help you with that.

No, it can’t fix your calendar for you or rebalance your bank account, but it can help your PMS, period pain, and cycle-related mood symptoms by using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

What’s that when it’s at home? It’s a kind of gentle, non-invasive brain stimulation that has been studied in research and clinical settings for more than three decades. In simple terms, Nettle™ targets the pathways of your brain that concern pain perception and emotional regulation.

If that sounds a bit scary to you, it’s important to note that Nettle™ is regulated as a medical device in the UK and EU, and it’s even been piloted in the NHS.

According to a double-blind study in 2024, 94% of users feel better in just three months, and after one cycle, users reported a 53% reduction in menstrual pain and 67% reduction in low mood-related symptoms.

It’s designed to be worn for 20 minutes a day for five days before you get your period, so using it can easily fit around whatever your daily routine is.

While there’s no doubt it costs more than some ibuprofen and a hot water bottle from Boots (£449, to be exact), Samphire Neuroscience is offering 10% off Nettle™ with the code NEWYEARNOPMS.