A New Wellness Movement Says the Answer To America's Stress Crisis Isn't Relief, It's Training

New survey shows 9 in 10 Americans experience weekly stress as The Global Wellness Summit names neurowellness a top wellness trend for 2026. Pulsetto emerges as the company defining what comes next.

NEW YORK, May 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- America's stress crisis is clear as a new survey of 820 U.S. adults finds that 68% experience stress daily and more than 90% at least weekly. Alongside those numbers is a signal that the old stress management model (unwind, decompress, cope) is giving way to something more intentional.

The Global Wellness Summit's 2026 Global Wellness Trends Report identifies "The Rise of Neurowellness," among its top 10 wellness trends, describing it as "daily training for your nervous system." Pulsetto, which has built its platform around the concept it has named stress fitness, is cited in the report as one of the leading brands driving this movement forward.

America's Stress Reality: Key Findings

The survey, conducted among a cross-section of U.S. adults, highlights the scale and consistency of stress in daily life:

• 68% report experiencing stress every day and 90%+ at least weekly
• Adults ages 26–45 report the highest daily stress levels, with 79.3% (26–35) and 75.2% (36–45) citing ongoing pressure from work, finances, and family responsibilities
• Lack of sleep (46%) is the leading driver of stress, followed by health concerns (43%), work pressure (38%), and financial stress (30%)
• 71.5% of women report daily stress compared to 62.1% of men, with women more likely to cite health concerns
• Passive coping methods dominate, including watching TV (45%) and resting (36%), while active approaches such as meditation (43%) and exercise (40%) are also common.

"What this data makes clear is that stress is not an occasional disruption for most Americans. It is the baseline," said Dr. Jonė Pukėnaitė, Medical & Science Lead at Pulsetto. "The real question is not how people cope in the moment, but how we can build genuine long-term resilience in the nervous system to better manage stress."

From Reactive Management to Proactive Training: A Category Shift

The survey findings arrive at a pivotal moment for the wellness industry. For years, the dominant approach to stress has been reactive, waiting for the pressure to build, then finding relief. The Global Wellness Summit's 2026 Trends Report signals that this model is giving way to a proactive practice of conditioning the nervous system before stress takes over.

It's a shift Pulsetto has been building toward since its founding, and one it's now helping to define with the category it calls Stress Fitness, or the idea that the nervous system, like the cardiovascular system, can and should be actively trained.

"Stress Fitness is a new way of thinking about wellness," said Ignas Brazdauskas, CEO of Pulsetto. "We've spent decades optimizing for physical performance. Now the data, the science, and the cultural moment are all pointing to the nervous system as the next frontier. You don't just manage it. You train it."

Pulsetto delivers targeted bilateral vagus nerve stimulation paired with app-guided programs to actively train the nervous system. A randomized controlled pilot study, published in the American Journal of Physiology, found that four weeks of daily use reduced anxiety by 45%, depressive symptoms by 56%, and sleep disturbances by 41%, with measurable reductions in cortisol.

About Pulsetto

Pulsetto is a healthtech company focused on practical applications of neuromodulation. Its device stimulates the vagus nerve – a key regulator of the parasympathetic nervous system – to help minimize stress responses and improve recovery. The company has experienced rapid growth, with more than 300,000 global users and 4x revenue growth in 2025 compared to 2024. Pulsetto has also been recognized by Deloitte as a Company to Watch and as part of the Deloitte Technology Fast program, underscoring its momentum and innovation within the global healthtech landscape.

SOURCE Pulsetto