If I tightened my truss rod slightly would I be able to bend strings easier?

Hi, Mike. Tony B's spot-on about the set-up. My take is that you're wanting a bigger note change when you do a bend without moving the string any further than you have been. Well, both pulling and bending are pretty much limited to how far you can go across the neck before mashing up against adjacent strings, muted or otherwise, or even sliding right off the edge of the neck. If it's a matter of the note you want to bend up to, try a different starting position on the neck. For more extreme results, use the whammy/tremolo bar if you have one, but be prepared for string breakage.

Like a lot of people nowadays, you've totally misunderstood the purpose of the truss rod and when, if ever, it needs adjusting! Scale length and string gauge have an effect on string tension ("tightness"), but on a given guitar with a particular set of strings, the only thing that will affect tension is how high or low you tune them.

The truss rod is not meant to be adjusted at all unless there is a problem with the curvature (relief) of the neck. It is possible that if you put especially heavy strings on a guitar, or went from heavy to very light strings, that minor adjustments to the truss rod might be needed. Curiously though, you have adjusted the truss rod the "wrong" way in both situations - heavy strings would suggest that, if anything, the truss rod would need to be tightened to compensate or the increased pull of the heavier strings. Conversely, light strings mean less pull so, if anything, the truss rod might need to be loosened to compensate.

A simple answer to you original question - no, of course not!

Tony is correct.

The truss rod adjustment is only to correct the neck if it is out of true.

Lighter string gauges is the only way to get an acoustic to be easier to bend strings on.

Even then It might not help.

I had a Fender acoustic that was a ***** to play. Even with light strings, I couldn't bend the strings to save my mother's life!! and I had been playing for over 30 years!!

And, it is not how easy it is to bend that makes the note go higher. It is the distance you can bend it that changes the pitch.

Get super light gauge strings (.009) and see if it helps. (don't mess with the truss anymore)