ReliefBand is a wristband that sends mild electrical pulses through the skin on the underside of your wrist, stimulating a specific nerve that travels up to the brain and interrupts nausea signals. It’s FDA-cleared for nausea and vomiting from motion sickness, morning sickness, migraines, chemotherapy, hangovers, anxiety, and as a supplement to anti-nausea medication after surgery.
The Nerve Behind the Device
The device targets what’s known in acupuncture as the P6 (Neiguan) point, located on the inner wrist about three finger-widths below the crease where your wrist bends, centered between the two tendons you can feel there. This spot sits directly over the median nerve, which runs from the hand up through the arm and connects to the brainstem, where nausea signals are processed.
When the device delivers gentle electrical pulses to this nerve, those signals travel upward and modulate the brain’s nausea response. The basic principle is called neuromodulation: using an external electrical signal to change how a nerve behaves. In this case, the stimulation appears to normalize the nerve messaging between the gut and brain that produces the sensation of nausea. It’s the same general concept behind acupressure wristbands, but instead of passive pressure, ReliefBand uses active electrical stimulation to create a stronger, more consistent effect.
What You Feel When It’s Working
When the device is on and properly placed, you should feel a tingling sensation in your palm and middle finger. That tingling confirms the electrical pulses are reaching the median nerve. If you don’t feel the tingling, the device likely isn’t positioned correctly or the intensity is too low to be effective.
ReliefBand has multiple intensity levels. The manufacturer recommends starting at level 1 and gradually increasing until you feel that characteristic tingle at a comfortable level. Some people are more sensitive than others. If level 1 already feels too strong, applying extra conductivity gel can soften the sensation by improving how evenly the pulses spread across the skin.
Why Conductivity Gel Matters
The device requires a small amount of hypoallergenic conductivity gel applied to the skin beneath the electrodes. Without gel, the electrical pulses don’t transfer efficiently from the metal contacts into your skin. Dry skin creates resistance, which can make the stimulation feel sharp or uneven while reducing how much of the signal actually reaches the nerve. The gel creates a smooth, consistent pathway so the pulses penetrate to the right depth. You’ll need to reapply the gel periodically during extended use, especially if you’re sweating or the area dries out.
Getting the Placement Right
Placement is the single biggest factor in whether the device works for you. The target is precise: the P6 point on the underside of your wrist. To find it, place three fingers across your inner wrist starting at the crease where your wrist bends. The spot directly below your index finger, centered between the two tendons running up your forearm, is where the device contacts should sit. You can feel those tendons by flexing your wrist slightly and pressing gently.
If the band drifts even slightly to one side, the electrical pulses may miss the median nerve entirely. That’s why the tingling in your palm and middle finger serves as your feedback signal. No tingle means the positioning needs adjusting.
Clinical Evidence for Morning Sickness
The strongest published clinical data comes from a randomized controlled trial of 230 pregnant women between 6 and 12 weeks of gestation who had experienced nausea and vomiting for at least three days. The study, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology in 2003, compared the active device against a sham (placebo) device that looked identical but delivered no therapeutic stimulation.
Women using the real ReliefBand showed significantly greater improvement in nausea and vomiting scores compared to the sham group, with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.02). They also gained more weight during the study period (2.9 pounds versus 1.2 pounds), suggesting they were able to eat and retain food more effectively. About 81% of participants completed the trial. Only one adverse effect was reported: a single case of skin irritation at the electrode site from an active device.
One important detail from that trial: roughly 72-75% of women in both groups still used additional anti-nausea medication, with no significant difference between the groups. This suggests the device helped reduce symptoms on top of medication rather than replacing it entirely for most participants.
What It Can and Cannot Do
ReliefBand is designed to reduce nausea, not eliminate it completely in every case. For some people it provides substantial relief on its own, particularly with motion sickness, where the onset is predictable and the device can be activated before symptoms start. For more persistent causes like chemotherapy-related nausea or severe morning sickness, it tends to work better as one tool alongside other treatments.
The device works on demand. You turn it on when you feel nausea coming or before a situation you know triggers it (a boat ride, a car trip, a chemotherapy session). There’s no buildup period or loading dose. The electrical stimulation begins affecting the nerve pathway within minutes, and the effect stops when you turn the device off. This makes it fundamentally different from medications, which take time to absorb and linger in your system. It also means the device carries almost no systemic side effects, since nothing enters your bloodstream. The main risk is minor skin irritation from the electrodes with prolonged use.