Sleep is an essential biological function that allows your body and mind to reset and recharge. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body will have difficulty working, mental processing will slow down and your body’s hormonal response will be impaired. Insomnia, or sleep quality, affects about 30% of the US population. Studies have shown that certain herbal supplements, vitamins and amino acids, can help reduce the symptoms of insomnia and provide insomnia-based nonpharmacological alternatives that can improve sleep.
Insomnia is defined as sleep disturbance or difficulty in sleep latency, sleep quality, duration of sleep, and frequency of waking. About 40% of sleep-deprived adults have used over-the-counter drugs or alcohol to induce sleep, and approximately one-fourth have used prescription drugs at least once.
Valerian is one of the best studied herbal sleeping pills. Evidence suggests that valerian root naturally increases levels of the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which blocks signals like fear, and triggers anxiety from stimulating neurons, contributing to a calming effect on the body.
Several studies have shown that valerian root can improve sleep quality and sleep latency, or the time it takes to fall asleep with doses between 100-600mg.
A comprehensive systematic review of randomized, placebo-controlled trials investigating the Valerian route to improve sleep quality found that the most reported results were that use of the Valerian route resulted in nearly twice as much sleep delay and sleep quality as the placebo group. [R].
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Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone and a powerful antioxidant that stimulates your circadian rhythm and induces sleep. Melatonin may be thought of as an internal sleep aid. Melatonin signals your body that while it is sleeping, it awakens a feeling of relaxation in preparation for sleep. Melatonin is produced by your brain in response to darkness, so, when the sun goes down, melatonin levels begin to rise and keep you awake. [R].
Current evidence suggests that melatonin taken before bedtime can help you achieve optimal sleep cycles and improve sleep latency, thus helping you get to bed faster. In fact, a systematic review, published in the journal PLOS One, analyzed 19 different studies and found that melatonin reduced sleep averaging 7 minutes on average and increased overall sleep duration. [R].
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GABA is a naturally occurring amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter in your brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which blocks or intercepts certain brain signals from your central nervous system. In fact, 40% of all preventive synaptic processing uses GABA.
GABA inhibits excitatory neurons, promoting a feeling of calm, relaxation, and anxious effect. When the GABA receptor is activated, it also stimulates sleep. Clinical evidence suggests that GABA may be beneficial and may improve mood, sleep quality, reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure. Excessive tension can cause insomnia and anxiety, where excessive restraint can lead to fatigue and a calm mood. GABA basically pumps the brakes to achieve a state of mental / emotional homeostasis. With increased levels of GABA and serotonin, the body also increases the hormone melatonin, resulting in a more efficient sleep cycle.
Almost all proven sleep aids have a direct mechanism by increasing GABA as well as serotonin and dopamine levels.
In a systematic review investigating the effects of oral gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration on stress and sleep in humans, 14 studies with inclusion criteria were identified, showing that a consistent dose of GABA between 100-300mg could improve sleep delay and Due to its beneficial effects on the first non-REM sleep phase, stress reduction and calming induction. [R].
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Horse odor is an ancient concern and adaptogen used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine.
Research shows that horse odor may be strong enough as a proposed alternative to current treatments for insomnia. Blue light, working hours and endless exposure to stress can keep us awake at night, disrupting sleep schedules and patterns, leading to adverse effects, annoyance and sub-optimal productivity.
A study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology evaluated the pharmacological effects of horse odor on sleep. Eighty healthy participants were assessed on sleep parameters, such as sleep efficiency, sleep duration, wakefulness, and sleep onset.
In both the healthy and insomnia groups, horse odor has significantly improved all the sleep parameters studied, helping to improve sleep quality and manage insomnia. [R].
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In a randomized placebo-controlled trial, a total of 60 patients with insomnia and anxiety were randomly divided into two groups: placebo (n = 20) with a randomization ratio of 2: 1 and a capsule containing a high-density full-spectrum. The original extract of horseradish contained 300 mg, and a uniform capsule of placebo control containing starch.
The results show that horse odor improves the quality of sleep and insomnia patients sleep at a dose of 300 mg twice a day [R].
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that is needed to make a number of important molecules to signal sleep. Tryptophan can be converted to a molecule called 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), which is used to make serotonin and melatonin [R].
Once serotonin is made, it can be converted to melatonin to create a better sleep-wake cycle. Several studies have shown that increasing tryptophan melatonin improves sleep, indicating that the sleep-wake cycle indicates that you have gone to sleep and woke up. [R].
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Studies have shown that in patients with mild insomnia, l-tryptophan may increase insomnia, improve sleep quality, and reduce sleep delay or sleep time. [R].
L-theanine is a non-protein amino acid found naturally in tea leaves, especially green tea; Non-protein means it has the same structure as amino acids but is not considered a building block of protein. Studies indicate that theanine has anti-anxiety effects, leading to high levels of sleep.
A study has been published Pharmaceutical Biology Showed that a mixture of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and L-theanine (100 / 20mg) Compared to GABA or theanine alone, sleep delay decreased (20.7 and 14.9%) and sleep duration increased (87.3 and 26.8%). [R]
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Sleep deprivation and insomnia have serious long-term health effects, with a high risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes and depression, as well as low quality of life. If you suffer from mild to severe insomnia, supplementation with high doses of natural sleep aids as opposed to prescription medications can create a calming condition to help improve sleep quality, sleep time and sleep delay. It’s important to find a sleep supplement that contains several proven sleep aids, not just one ingredient to improve sleep and sleep duration as opposed to one ingredient. Will not create single ingredients for sleep or have the same effect as supplements with several high quality sleep ingredients.
Do you suffer from insomnia? Looking for the best sleep supplements for insomnia that will help you get better quality sleep?
Solverine’s ZMT® Promotes high quality sleep and naturally increases your body’s ability to stimulate muscle growth by increasing testosterone levels. ZMT® is made up of clinically dosed sleep ingredients such as melatonin, GABA, theanine, tryptophan, valerian root, magnesium glycinate and potent adaptogenes such as horse odor, zinc, rodiola rosa, DIM and tonkat ali. ZMT is the perfect night nectar for comfortable recovery and sleep.
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