Regular sleep important for better health

Natural, sleep-restoring beverages, supplements promote restorative sleep

How much sleep do you get a night? I strive to get the National Sleep Foundation’s recommended seven to nine hours of sleep a night, but sometimes, like many, I struggle falling asleep, particularly as my mind races with thoughts of the day, what I have to do tomorrow, etc.

The National Sleep Foundation promoted the benefits of healthy sleep and its significance to overall health through a weeklong celebration, Sleep Awareness Week, March 14-20. The foundation notes that 89 percent of working adults have regular sleep problems, while fatigued driving was responsible for at least 90,000 car crashes, 50,000 injuries and 800 deaths in 2017.

A Harvard University study estimates that bad sleep costs companies $2,280 for each employee, or 11.3 days of productivity, each year; and $411 billion in total costs from insufficient sleep.

Luckily, many remedies are available that are designed to help consumers to comfortably fall and stay asleep. For instance, Bulletproof Sleep Collagen Protein is perfect for mixing in a warm drink just before bed. With a taste of lucuma vanilla, Sleep Collagen Protein is a marriage of contemporary tools (collagen and melatonin) and ayurvedic and natural options (chamomile, magnesium citrate), the company says. Along with promoting a restful night’s sleep, the benefits of collagen support healthier, strong hair, nails, skin and joints, it adds.

There’s also the aptly named Snoooze, an all-natural, plant-based beverage containing the sleep-inducing herbs passion flower, valerian, lemon balm and lime blossom, which is infused with natural hops and peppermint flavor. Developed by Hans Vriens, the same entrepreneur who brought the then-unknown Australian energy drink Red Bull to the United States, Snoooze is a ready-to-drink 4.6-ounce beverage featuring packaging that proclaims “Sweet Dreams, Happy Days.” The melatonin-free beverage is available in two variants: Snoooze Regular and Snoooze Strong.

In a statement, Vriens said: “We all lead busy lives and it is hard for us to turn off our brains to get a good night’s sleep. This product is a natural, non-habit forming way to support your natural sleep cycles and help you sleep restfully. So you can be at your best the next day.”

Additionally, vitamin D and the benefits of warm sunlight also can promote restorative sleep, ease depression and reduce anxiety, experts note.

Now that Daylight Savings Time is here and clocks have “sprung ahead,” I, for one, am going to enjoy the extra hours of sunlight, give my brain a break and find more time to simply sit and soak in the sun.

Barbara Harfmann, managing editor of Beverage Industry, visits beverage companies for cover stories and facility tours, and writes and edits for the magazine’s print and online components. She also represents the magazine at trade shows and events. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications and Public Relations from Illinois State University.

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