Support Healthy and Restful Sleep with Natural Ingredients

Do you struggle to fall asleep and then stay that way? You are not alone, as less than optimal sleeping patterns are an all too common effect of the busy and stressful lives that many of us lead in today’s modern world.  However, rest assured that there are a number of valuable nutrients which when taken in supplemental form may be very helpful in achieving and maintaining a better quality sleep.

Harnessing the Benefit of Hops for Better Sleep

When asked, most people would probably know of the most common use of hops which is being used in the production of beer. This is, of course, true, but in fact, hops have a much longer and perhaps lesser known history in natural herbal medicine.

Hops are harvested from a climbing vine, that has been grown in northern Europe since the ninth century, with Germany still being the largest producer today. Hops are mainly harvested for a part of the plant called a strobile, which is a cone-like flower structure. Only female strobiles are harvested for medicinal use.

Hops have been most commonly used in traditional medicine to treat mild anxiety and to help promote more restful sleep. This can be achieved through the heated aroma, or through the ingestion of the ingredient in capsule form, such as in our product Neuro Natural Sleep.

A substance called lupulin was isolated from hops in 1813, and anecdotal reports claimed that it was lupulin that was responsible for sleep inducement. This came, at the time, under some scrutiny from medicinal protesters.

It wasn't until much later, in 1983, that a substance was purified from lupulin which showed to produce a sedative effect in some studies. The path of interaction is said to be this particular lupulin extraction compound inducing the natural sleep mechanisms in the body.

In another study that looked at the sedative effects of hops, the conclusion was clear. Hop extract effectively decreased nocturnal activity in the circadian activity rhythm. In other words, it encourages healthy night time brain activity and promotes healthy, restful sleep.Working on its own however could only bring about limited use for a short time period. This is because the body may become used to the ingredient, particularly at a high dose. However, as research continued on hops and its effect when combined with other ingredients, the most common compatibility seemed to be with valerian for best results.

Calming the Mind to Foster Improved Sleep with Valerian

Valerian is another valuable herbal ingredient long used for its ability to reduce anxiety and quieten the mind to help support enhanced sleeping patterns.  As with many natural ingredients, they often work best in harmony with others, rather than alone.  The combination of Hops and Valerian, in particular, has shown changes in people’s brain wave activity consistent with sleep induction and thus make them a great inclusion in our Neuro Natural Sleep formula.

A randomized controlled trial compared valerian on its own with a valerian/hops combination in people with unbalanced sleeping patterns. Those taking the combination product took less time to fall asleep than those taking the individual compounds.

Timing for the ingredients to work will differ from person to person, depending on other lifestyle factors, and hence dosage may vary between individuals. However, studies have shown sleep quality to improve by over 60 percent.

As well as sleep, these ingredients can help support healthy serotonin function and may also relieve stress and frustration.

Our Neuro-Natural Sleep contains both hops and valerian, alongside many other beneficial ingredients such as Passionflower and Chamomile to help achieve positive effects in a synergistic manner. This product has been specifically formulated to help foster natural relaxation and encourage a deeper more restful sleep.

The recommended dose of Neuro Natural Sleep is six tablets per day which we advise taking in two doses for the very best results.  Taking one dose in the late afternoon, followed by the second dose two to three hours before you wish to fall asleep will help encourage sounder sleep.

Improvements with this product usually occur within a few weeks, with many noticing a more immediate improvement. If you are plagued with difficulty night after night in falling asleep due to a busy mind Neuro-Natural Sleep may be an ideal product to add to your regime and is a safe option for long term use.

References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22849837
http://www.journalsleep.org/Articles/281118.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19574763
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18559301
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17704989
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17486686