Nourish your sleep and maximize restful rest with dietary supplements

Man must sleep seven to nine hours a day. This means that on average, people need to spend a third of their lives sleeping to stay healthy. Sleep is a time to restore, reboot, re-energize and regenerate.

Although people spend a lot of time planning their meals and exercising, little do they realize that getting enough, quality sleep is also vital for optimal health.

Understand what good sleep is

Sleep is a natural and essential phenomenon. Yet it's amazing how little most people know about sleep. Of course, most people know that, ideally, they should sleep six hours or more. Researchers say seven to eight hours of sleep is enough for most adults. ¹

Many people do not get enough hours of sleep. Also, it should be understood that lying on the bed is not considered sleep. Many people have trouble falling asleep, and even if they do fall asleep, they have trouble staying asleep and wake up frequently during the night - these are people who live with insomnia. ²

But sleep disorders are not limited to lack of sleep and insomnia. Many people may sleep an adequate number of hours, wake up tired and suffer from headaches during the day. The reason ? Their sleep architecture is disrupted. Their sleep is of poor quality.

During sleep, humans go through a number of phases. During these phases, the brain wave pattern changes significantly, as each phase has its own value. The two most important phases are REM and NREM.

REM sleep, or rapid eye movement, is when a person dreams. It is a phase during which the brain reorganizes information. NREM, or non-rapid eye movement, is a phase of sleep in which a person is not dreaming and is in deep or light sleep. This phase is essential for regeneration processes. During the night, people experience multiple cycles of REM sleep and non-REM sleep. Disruptions to these phases can lead to poor quality sleep. The result is sleep that lacks the regenerative effect and can lead to hormonal problems. ³

Role of sleep in health

We all know the effects of insufficient or poor quality sleep. This means feeling sleepy and tired in the morning, or even having headaches during the day. However, chronic sleep disorders are much more harmful to your health than you might think. In some individuals, sleep disorders can cause depression, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, etc. ⁴

Yes, sleep can have a significant impact on physical and mental health. ⁴ If a person does not get enough or quality sleep, they will feel irritated, have a depressed mood, suffer from anxiety, be very stressed, etc. In the long term, this can lead to brain problems.

Similarly, poor sleep results in increased sympathetic activity, higher levels of stress hormones, higher heart rate, and greater vascular resistance, which increases the risk of hypertension, heart attack, and heart disease. 'stroke.

During healthy sleep, the body's energy needs decrease, which reduces blood sugar levels. On the other hand, disrupted sleep leads to increased blood sugar levels, blood sugar fluctuations, increased calorie consumption, and the development of insulin resistance, leading to problems such as diabetes, PCOS, and many more.

These are just a few examples, and the list of harmful effects of poor sleep is endless. It is therefore essential to improve the quality of your sleep to increase your mental and physical well-being.

Improve your sleep with this food supplement

Of course, sleeping pills are effective, but they are harmful in many ways. They are not a good long-term option. Sleeping pills help people fall asleep without addressing the root cause of sleep problems. Worse, they disrupt sleep architecture, create dependence, and people develop tolerance to these drugs.

This is why it is always good to use non-pharmacological means to improve sleep quality. These means include improving sleep hygiene (ambient temperature, low noise level, etc.) and regular physical activity. Additionally, it is good to use natural supplements that are not sedative. They help improve sleep quality, strengthen health and much more.

Here are some of the ingredients to look for in an ideal dietary supplement to improve sleep quality:

• Affron® Saffron Extract : Saffron is known to improve mood, sleep and mental well-being. However, you should know that saffron is one of the most expensive plants; so it is difficult to find high quality saffron extract. Affron® Saffron Extract is a standardized, well-tested saffron extract known to be of the highest quality and purity and to work reliably. It has undergone extensive clinical trials. So, one of the clinical studies conducted on 80 young adults found that using Affron® for 8 weeks led to a reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression. ⁵ Another study conducted in Australia with 120 adults showed that Affron® improved sleep quality and increased evening melatonin. This means it can also improve circadian rhythm and sleep architecture and help people fall asleep. ⁶ Another study conducted in Japan with 21 healthy adults also confirmed that Affron® saffron extract is good for improving sleep quality. ⁷
• Ashwagandha: This is one of the most powerful adaptogens, which has many health benefits. That's why it is very popular nowadays. It may reduce inflammation, boost brain health, improve mental abilities, improve reproductive health, help overcome stress, and have anti-aging properties. Its prolonged use can therefore help improve sleep in multiple ways. ⁸
• Poppy Extract: It is extracted from poppy varieties that do not contain opioids. It is rich in antioxidants such as flavonoids, alkaloids and phenolic compounds. It is known to have many healing properties. It can thus help reduce pain and inflammation, fight hypertension and improve the quality of sleep in more ways than one. ⁹
• Melatonin: This is one of the hormones produced by the pineal gland, a gland also known as the “ third eye .” This hormone plays a vital role in controlling the circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle, 24-hour cyclicity of hormones, etc. This hormone, when supplemented, is known to promote sleep and prevent the progression of neurodegenerative diseases or certain brain disorders. Thus, it promotes sleep, reduces inflammation, helps regulate hormones and can even reduce the risk of dementia. ¹⁰

In summary, if you are looking for a safer way to improve your sleep, metabolic and hormonal health, and prevent brain disorders, you can supplement your diet with these ingredients. Plus, all of these ingredients are perfect for extended use.

References

1. CDC. How Much Sleep Do I Need? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published September 14, 2022. Accessed April 23, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html
2. Insomnia - What Is Insomnia? | NHLBI, NIH. Published March 24, 2022. Accessed April 23, 2023. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/insomnia
3. Colten HR, Altevogt BM, Research I of M (US) C on SM and. Sleep Physiology. National Academies Press (US); 2006. Accessed April 23, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19956/
4. Clement-Carbonell V, Portilla-Tamarit I, Rubio-Aparicio M, Madrid-Valero JJ. Sleep Quality, Mental and Physical Health: A Differential Relationship. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(2):460. doi:10.3390/ijerph18020460
5. Lopresti AL, Drummond PD, Inarejos-García AM, Prodanov M. affron®, a standardized extract from saffron (Crocus sativus L.) for the treatment of youth anxiety and depressive symptoms: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2018;232:349-357. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.070
6. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Drummond PD. An investigation into an evening intake of a saffron extract (affron®) on sleep quality, cortisol, and melatonin concentrations in adults with poor sleep: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-dose study. Sleep medicine. 2021;86:7-18. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2021.08.001
7. Nishide A, Fujita T, Nagaregawa Y, et al. Sleep Enhancement by Saffron Extract affron® in Randomized Control Trial. 2018;46(8).
8. Ashokkumar K, Pandian A, Sivakumar P, Selvaraj V, Sekar S. Botany and ethnopharmacological potential of Ashwagandha. Published online January 1, 2020.
9. Muhammad A, Akhtar A, Aslam S, Khan RS, Ahmed Z, Khalid N. Review on physicochemical, medicinal and nutraceutical properties of poppy seeds: a potential functional food ingredient. Functional Foods in Health and Disease. 2021;11(10):522-547. doi:10.31989/ffhd.v11i10.836
10. Hardeland R, Pandi-Perumal SR, Cardinali DP. Melatonin. The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. 2006;38(3):313-316. doi:10.1016/j.biocel.2005.08.020