Welcome to the Land of Nod

by Lisa Schofield | June 1, 2021

For millions, sleep and the ability to physically and mentally relax is more elusive than ever. Here’s how to help them restore healthy sleep.

Mass insomnia is not a new phenomenon. Pandemic, terror attacks, world wars, acts of an angry Mother Nature, all create an internal environment where relaxation and sleep are impaired.

Josh Axe, DNM, CNS, DC, founder of Ancient Nutrition (Franklin, TN) and author of the new, book, Ancient Remedies, commented, “Most Americans haven’t been getting eight hours of shuteye for a while now, but more recently I’d say that the current consumer mindset about sleep and relaxation is simply this: ‘Sleep? Relaxation? You’re kidding, right?’ In short, people are not sleeping well and are definitely not relaxing as they’d like or need to.”

During sleep, he pointed out, some of the body’s processes are ramped up. For example, “the liver typically goes through a cleansing process between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. If you’re awake during that time, your liver will probably not cleanse properly. In addition, your body generally will not produce the right hormones if you don’t sleep at the right times.”

Another activity is the release of cytokines, some of which help to promote sleep while others help vanquish the effects of stress. According to Axe, sleep impairment reduces cytokine release, impacting stress and immune response.

Enter COVID-19, the Thief of Sleep: “It’s hard to imagine anything more stressful than the last year and handful of months have been for most people, so it’s no surprise that sales of products for sleep and relaxation have been almost as strong as immune support,” stated David Winston RH(AHG), founder and president, New Jersey-based Herbalist & Alchemist.

The pandemic also forced significant routine and lifestyle changes, exacerbating stress and anxiety that directly affects normal sleep patterns. Neil Levin, CCN, DANLA, senior nutrition education manager, NOW, Illinois, observed, “Many people are working from home, provoking changes in daily habits. This forced commingling of work and personal life disrupts sleep, eating, hygiene and exercise schedules, which may become less distinct and less effective than before and affect relationships with family or housemates. It can even create power struggles in the home.”

The ability to relax builds the foundation that creates sound sleep, he added. Stress and a heightened state of constant worry interfere with sleep quality and reduce the benefits of sleeping.

According to Alicia Richman, Gaia Herbs director of brand strategy and innovation, in 2019, sleep promotion was the fastest-growing category in supplements with sales increasing 17.4 percent year over year (YOY), and this mushrooming interest in sleep supplements occurred prior to the COVID-19 health pandemic, which increased stress and sleep-related challenges and overall interest in herbs to help with these concerns. Sales of products in the sleep category is projected to increase 15.8 percent in 2021, as per Nutrition Business Journal’s 2020 Condition Specific report.

Richman illustrated growth from Gaia Herbs (Brevard, NC) viewpoint: for the week of 4/18/21, its Amazon digital marketplace sales for sleep health supplements showed an increase in sales of 5.6 percent YOY. Gaia Herbs has seen a consistent sales incline for the sleep support category. For the 16 weeks of data gathered so far in 2021, the weekly sales lift for sleep health supplements has ranged from 11 to 72 percent.

Retailers have been more inundated with customers seeking solutions to relax, release stress and to achieve better sleep. However, although the issue seems universal—there are more individual aspects involved, and therefore, there may be some guidance to provide to help customers select the most appropriate supplement to help them relax and sleep more soundly.

Vanessa Pavey, ND, education scientist, Life Extension, Florida, advised to first, find out if the customer’s main problem is falling asleep or staying asleep. In general, she said, there are two factors that must be in balance to fall sleep. Cortisol, the stress hormone, needs to be at its lowest level of the day while melatonin, the sleep hormone, needs to be on the rise. “Modern lifestyles tend to stimulate higher levels of cortisol, and to make matters worse our natural production of melatonin declines with age. Stress, shift work and traveling across time zones can further disrupt circadian rhythms, adding another barrier to falling asleep,” she explained.

Another sleep robber for many is food, or stress eating. According to Quirk, “it might be helpful to ask the customer if they might be eating too much later into the evening since that can cause blood sugar problems that interfere with sleep. Another factor is excess bright light exposure later into the night which can impede natural production of melatonin.”

Levin suggested asking what type of stress or sleep disturbance affects the customer, and what products he or she may be taking or have previously tried to address the issue. “Answers would lead to suggesting either basic or more advanced products to meet their individual needs,” he commented.

Winston pointed out that several common reasons why people can’t relax and can’t sleep are psychological, noise, temperature or physiological stress, as well as muscle tension, medication or stimulant-induced hyperactivity, menopause or underlying illnesses.

Sleep is of course foundational to good health. It is not just the number of hours per night, but the quality of sleep as well, he added. “I always ask my patients if they feel rested and refreshed when they wake in the morning. If they say yes, they are getting adequate and good quality sleep. If they say no, either they are not getting enough sleep, their sleep is being interrupted or they may have underlying sleep issues.”

Susan Hirsch, MS, CNS, formulation manager for Gaia Herbs, declared, “Given that more and more people are experiencing sleep difficulties now, it is highly important that retailers promote this category.”

There are many nuances individuals with sleep problems manifest, and that should be brought out via conversation with the customer. Examples, according to Hirsch, include: adaptogens like ashwagandha may take longer for full effects to occur, while nervines and sedatives (eg., valerian, California poppy, passionflower) can impart more immediate effects should that be needed. Someone with delayed sleep onset may not have success with a “stay asleep” supplement, and vice versa. Find out about lifestyle habits and nightly routines as there may be something here that can be simply changed that would help promote better sleep. If someone likes tea or coffee before bed, try chamomile tea, for example. If sleep is interrupted by the need to urinate, take a capsule instead of drinking tea. “Retail associates should also be able to share information on the different expectations that people may experience with different herbal products,” she advised.

Selecting Sleep Products

Ancient Nutrition recently introduced Sleep, a product that targets sleep and stress support. It has an herbal and mushroom sleep blend with organic reishi, organic passionflower, organic ashwagandha, organic lavender flower and organic hops flower—“all combined to promote more restful sleep, mental relaxation to help reduce stress* and more,” described Axe.

Life Extension offers many melatonin options for diverse needs, including different dose ranges from 0.5 mg to 10 mg, different delivery methods like liquids, capsules and lozenges, as well as melatonin precursors, like L-tryptophan according to Pavey. “However, we take it a step further with innovative and scientifically validated ways to support healthy sleep and relaxation,” she commented.

New from Life Extension is its Herbal Sleep PM, which, said Pavey, combines herbal ingredients that target multiple sleep centers without melatonin or milk peptides. Lemon balm and a magnolia tree bark extract, honokiol, stimulates the sleep-promoting centers of the brain, while a chamomile compound, called apigenin, inhibits the wake-promoting centers.

More specifically, she explained, lemon balm, when standardized to the rosmarinic acid, promotes relaxation by supporting GABA, the calming neurotransmitter. In one study, she cited, 85 percent of the subjects who took lemon balm extract for 15 days experienced significant improvement in healthy sleep. Honokiol is quickly taken up into the brain and enhances GABA activity resulting in a calming effect that promotes deep sleep; and chamomile extracts standardized to apigenin have been found to promote healthy sleep quality by slowing down the activity of chemicals in the brain involved in wakefulness.

Other sleep-promoting supplements available from Life Extension include Circadian Sleep (with melatonin and nobiletin); Bioactive Milk Peptides, Enhanced Stress Relief (featuring lemon balm, L-theanine and GABA), and Glycine.

NOW recently introduced an essential oil blend, Take a Zen Ten, a topical product formulated to impart relaxation. Levin explained that it can be applied to the soles of feet, back of neck, or pulse points at bedtime and when a dose of soothing calm is needed throughout the day. It contains organic oils of lavender, orange and patchouli; plus conventional oils of tangerine, ylang ylang complete, chamomile and sandalwood—all delivered in a base of organic jojoba oil.

Also new in this space from NOW is Saffron capsules. Saffron is a culinary herb and the world’s most expensive spice. Recent research indicates that saffron can help to support a positive mood, a relaxed attitude, and may also promote restful sleep. NOW uses only whole saffron stigma powder, not an extract, Levin pointed out.

NOW also offers wide ranges of singular ingredients such as 5-HTP in 50 mg and 100 mg capsules, 100 mg chewable tablets, and 200 mg capsules with the complementary calming amino acids glycine and taurine; vegan-friendly melatonin products (1, 3 and 5 mg, tablets, capsules, chewables, liquids and a 10 mg, as well as combined with B vitamins and magnesium); GABA (pure powder, 250 mg chewable lozenge, 500 mg capsule with B-6, 750 mg capsule); theanine (pure powder, 100 mg capsule,100 mg lozenge with inositol and taurine, and a 200 mg capsule with inositol); taurine (pure powder, 500 mg and 1,000 mg capsules); and Dopa Mucuna (400 mg of the extract with 60 mg naturally occurring L-Dopa per capsule).

NOW’s combination formulas in this space include True Calm is a combination of amino acids and their cofactor nutrients; NOW Sleep, a combination of valerian and hops, and NOW Sleep Regimen 3-in-1 with L-theanine, melatonin and 5-HTP.

Herbs are especially suited for relaxing one’s body and mind, setting the stage for sleep onset and quality. According to Brien Quirk, director of R&D, California-based Draco Natural Products, one newer herb to this market is Celastrus paniculata oil, used in ayurveda and in Chinese herbal medicine. In India it is known as malkangani and used in traditional medicine as a brain tonic and provides relief in mental fatigue, stress, and depression. Celastrus oil, he noted, significantly reduced stress-induced anxiety behavior in mice.

More recent reviews report that celastrus oil exerts sedative, anti-fatigue and analgesic effects, he added. “The oil significantly decreased immobility in mice indicating its significant antidepressant-like activity. The efficacy was found to be comparable to Prozac and did not show any significant effect in reducing physical activity. It works by inhibiting brain monoamine oxidase activity which increases levels of neurotransmitters and decreased the stress hormone plasma corticosterone levels. It may work through multiple pathways of interaction with dopamine D2, serotonergic and GABA receptors,” he explained.

Another herb newer to the market, according to Quirk is Albizia julibrissins, known as in TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) as collective happiness bark. In the Chinese pharmacopoeia it is described as a traditional medicine to relieve melancholia and uneasiness of body and mind, invigorate the circulation of blood, and subside swelling. Albizia julibrissin research over the years has shown well documented effects in boosting brain serotonin activity. A saponin-containing compound from albizia has anxiety-reducing effects, by the serotonin and GABA(A)-benzodiazepine receptors.

He commented, “Having healthy levels of serotonin is essential for feelings of happiness and tranquility. Most major forms of depression and common anxiety have been linked to lower levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin not only helps to create a feeling of wellbeing, but also reduces a sense of anxiety or foreboding, while relaxing the mind and creating satiety. It seems to be important for healthy sleep patterns too.

Herbalist & Alchemist’s Stress Support Kit contains four bestselling herbal formulas to promote balance of everyday stress: Daily Adapt, which promotes energy and balances stress, Serenity Compound, which support for stress, Tension Relief, which supports a calm mind, and Phytocalm, which promotes restful sleep.

Herbalist & Alchemist’s Calm Adapt is appropriate for, as Winston described, “high-strung people who cannot seem to relax.” It helps provide a serene, calm mindset, reducing anxiety, agitation, irritability, nervousness and anger. At the same time it improves sleep quality and mental focus, and reduces inflammation, stress and tension headaches. This formula combines calming adaptogens (ashwagandha, reishi, schisandra) with nervines (oat and linden flower).

The company’s Serenity Compound, which contains four nervines (fresh milky oat, skullcap, chamomile and linden flower) as well as a mild adaptogen (eleuthero), is formulated for addressing the reduction of occasional acute stress.

New from Gaia Herbs is Hemp & Herbs Sleep, a formula that combines full spectrum Hemp extract, for endocannabinoid system support, with herbs traditionally taken to support relaxation and help gently lull you into a good night’s rest. Each serving contains 20 mg of cannabinoids, provided by a full spectrum hemp extract, made from alcohol-extracted organic hemp flowers from trusted U.S. farm partners. The supplement features hops, california poppy, and other herbs traditionally known to support a good night’s sleep.

Gaia Herbs also offers Sleep & Relax Herbal Tea, (with passionflower, lemon balm and chamomile), Sleep & Relax supplement (with lavender, lemon balm, passionflower, California poppy and valerian), Sound Sleep (kava, passionflower and Gaia-grown California poppy, plus Gaia-grown skullcap); and SleepThru (with ashwagandha, jujube date and passionflower).

Retailer Suellen Duga of Choice Health of Westfield, MA, related that the sleep/relaxation category in her store “is performing slightly better than in more normal times.” The team at Choice Health, she said, suggests Himalaya and Organic India Ashwagandha for relaxation and “we have great confidence in Health Direct restorIT to bring the body back into balance. Source Naturals Night Rest for sleep is always my preferred sleep product. Our sleep section is populated mostly by Source Naturals Melatonin in its many forms along with their signature Night Rest product. I would say this section did increase by approximately 15-20 facings which had to include a good selection of gummies from Natrol, Kal and Source Naturals.”

Don Summerfield, vice president of Pharmaca, said he often recommends Gaia Herbs’ Adrenal Health, Natural Factors’ Tranquil Sleep, Nature’s Way’s Calm Aid Lavender, Boiron’s SleepCalm and Source Naturals’ Melatonin.

As melatonin seems to reign supreme among consumers’ go-to sleep supplement, it’s not surprising it is a primary target for the sleep-deprived who populate natural products stores. “Melatonin is a fascinating product for it has both immune and sleep supporting therapeutic activity,” Summerfield said. “Melatonin is our top-selling sleep aid supplement and continues to gain in popularity due to its immune system support.

Summerfield added that recently, researchers have been investigating the possibility of using melatonin supplements as a tool for individuals with mild to moderate COVID-19. While there’s no evidence that melatonin can prevent or cure COVID-19, he emphasized, early research shows that melatonin may have a role to play. It might be effective in increasing the body’s tolerance of the COVID-19 virus, which gives the immune system more time to respond to the infection. There are also findings that those who take melatonin supplements are less likely to test positive for COVID-19.

Dega observed that melatonin comes in many interesting forms—sprays, liquids, tablets, gummies and in many different strengths. “There really is something for everybody in the melatonin arena,” she underscored. A new product from Natrol—3 a.m. Melatonin (3 mg) Fast Dissolve tablets—“is great for the 3 a.m. arousal time for most of us who use melatonin to get to sleep but may not stay asleep,” she said.

Choice Health merchandises melatonin by strength – i.e., 1 mg melatonin from all brands are together, then 3 mg, 5 mg, etc. Then the section is branched out into the mixed products and herbals.

Pharmaca’s sleep and stress category is prominently featured, according to Summerfield. Last summer and fall the retailer created a distinct COVID-19 wellness end-cap display in its stores; the display features health and wellness products to support customers during COVID. Sleep and stress care products are a primary feature of this display.

Summarized Hirsch, “Because we’re all hyperaware of our health now and consumers are more aware than ever of how they’re feeling day in and day out, it’s a perfect time to tout sleep and relaxation products.” VR

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.