Sleep Drink

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Sleep Drinks

A sleep drink, i.e. a sleep beverage, nightcap or relaxation drink are considered consumable liquids taken shortly before bedtime to induce sleep. They are often formulated to help reduce stress, alleviate anxiety, improve focus, and promote better overall sleep. For example, a small alcoholic drink or a cup of warm milk can supposedly facilitate a good night's sleep.

History

These consumable sleep supplements are a niche in the beverage industry. Originally, a nightcap was understood to be an alcoholic liquid with purpose of warming the drinker up and helping them sleep. That changed in 1930, when the nonalcoholic drink, Ovaltine, was advertised as "the world's best 'night-cap' to ensure sound, natural sleep." An ingredient of Ovaltine is magnesium which helps to induce relaxation. Likewise, warm milk is often recommended as a nightcap for inducing sleep, because it contains both tryptophan and calcium. Then, the flavor of the warm milk was improved by adding a small amount of liqueur which may promote sleep as well. Alternatively, honey or vanilla can improve the flavor too. The effectiveness of warm milk for inducing sleep is disputed. Other drinks touted for inducing sleep and being effective sleep aids are hops tea, cherry juice (contains melatonin), coconut water (contains magnesium), lemon balm tea, decaffeinated green tea (contains theanine), valerian tea, and chamomile tea. Today, however, most sleep beverages, nightcaps and relaxation drinks are generally non-alcoholic beverages containing calming ingredients normally found in nature. They are considered functional beverages which serve to relax a person.

Ingredients

Sleep and relaxation drinks are marketed as safe, nonalcoholic supplements that help the user unwind. Basically, they are flavored drinks loaded with herbal and other “natural” ingredients that promote a state of relaxation. These products typically contain a myriad of herbal ingredients, vitamins, and amino acids, none of which have FDA approval to support the claims that the drink manufacturers make. In light of this, the average consumer should be aware of the typical ingredients found in many of these drinks, as well as their potential effects. Unlike other calming beverages, such as tea, warm milk or milk with honey; sleep drinks almost universally contain more than one active ingredient. Melatonin is a common ingredient found in relaxation drinks which also carries some negative connotations due to the controversial effects from long term use. Sleep beverages, nightcaps, and relaxation drinks have been known to contain other natural ingredients and are usually free of caffeine and alcohol but some have claimed to contain marijuana. Sleep beverages, nightcaps and relaxation drinks started to reappear in Japan at the beginning of the 21st century and then began to make their way to the US. One major brand was called Drank, a reference to an illicit concoction made out of cold medication. Others had names like Purple Stuff and Lean, which also hinted at vaguely narcotic effects. These drinks resemble illicit cocktails and promote legal alternatives for codeine and promethazine-based syrups. These brands were marketed towards a partying crowd, yet never managed to break into the mainstream. In the US, the Food & Drug Administration also moved in, shutting down brands for false health claims.

Health effects

While none of these sleep, relaxation and nightcap drinks are guaranteed to work miracles, each contains unique qualities, properties and characteristics that help to improve your overall sleep quality. Sleep is undoubtedly essential for us to live happy, healthy and longer lives. Our body regenerates during sleep. Cells refuel their energy, restore and rebuild. Other essential functions of sleep include the consolidation of memory and the processing of the day’s experiences. Sleep strengthens the immune system, elevates mood, and boosts creativity. Sleep helps you look well-rested and stay healthy, trim and fit. Missing out on enough sleep leads to sleep deficit and can have sever effects on our health. It is generally recommended to sleep 7 to 8 hours a day, in order to make sure you feel rested the next day and ready to perform. In America, adults usually sleep less. The sleep needs of every individual are different and depend on individual and social circumstances as well as hereditary factors and/or regular physical and mental strain/stress levels. However, the duration of sleep also has a socio-cultural component. For example, US studies have shown that average sleep duration decreased by 1.5 to two hours over the past 50 years. It is probably no coincidence that sleep related disease frequency has increased significantly over that same time-period. About 7 out of 10 people regularly do not sleep well. Most Americans (79%) would feel better and more prepared for the day with an extra hour of sleep. 82% find one extra hour of sleep at night somewhat or extremely valuable. Women find an extra hour of sleep more valuable than men. More women than men would feel better and more prepared for the day with an extra hour of sleep. 50% of all Americans say they would feel somewhat or extremely frustrated if they lost an hour of sleep at night and it wasn’t by choice. About half (49%) of all American adults do not feel they get enough sleep. Adults who work full-time are more likely to feel that they do not get enough sleep. 70% of American working adults describe their sleep as unsatisfactory. 30% of this group actually sleeps less than 6 hours per night. Sleeping less than 6 hours per night over a longer period of time is a key contributor to “clinical burn-out”. And although everybody agrees that sleeping makes you feel better the next day, almost 90% of working adult state that they feel tired on most days when they wake up during the week. Women are a little more affected than men but all agree that it work-related stress disturbs quality sleep. Sleep drinks, relaxation beverages and nightcaps are healthy alternatives for chemical based drugs, like Ambien, Lunesta, and Sonata. Still, almost nobody takes sleeping pills because they are afraid of the side- effects and dependency that come with many sleeping pills. . More and more clinical studies prove that sleep has serious health consequences and prove that sleep is the basis for a happy, healthy and longer life. When the regeneration effects of sleep are diminished due to reduced sleep duration, sleep interruptions, or sleep deficiencies, our sleep performance suffers. Restlessness, irritability, nervousness, fatigue, and cravings are the most common ailments of insufficient, inadequate and poor sleep quality. Overall, when sleep problems occur, we are much less resilient, focused and energetic. ”The benefit of plant-based sleep aids is that they are gentle on the nerves and result in improved sleep quality combined with high application safety. Herbal and sleep aids help, but only if they are properly dosed," says Med. Prof. Dr. H P. Gutter-Wien. Lack of sleep also contributes to early aging, damage to the skin tissue and leads to wrinkles. Chronic sleep deficiencies reduce the regeneration, repair and rebuilding powers of the facial skin. Elasticity and resistance of the skin decreases and the skin-aging process accelerates. Increased production of the stress hormone, cortisol is induced by lack of sleep and the skin surface appears tired and flabby, making the skin thinner and more wrinkled. Early skin aging, damage and harm are caused from the negative effects of chronic sleep deficit.

Brands

See also: Category: Sleep Drink Brands

• Alvita Catnip, Chai, Chamomile, Hops, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Passionflower, and Valerian Teas
• Celebration Catnip, Chai, Chamomile, Hops, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Passionflower, and Valerian Teas
• Drank
• Dream Water
• IChill
• Nighttime Tea
• Nuero Sleep
• Marley Mellow Mood
• Olvatine
• Purple Stuff
• Silk: Almond Milk
• Som Sleep
• Sleepytime Tea
• Sippin' Syrup
• Sleep Well Milk
• Snoooze: The Natural Sleep Drink
• Tazo Catnip, Chai, Chamomile, Hops, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Passionflower, and Valerian Teas
• Teepee Dreams
• Tru Dream Drink
• Vito Coco Coconut Water
• Zico Coconut Water
  

References

This article "Sleep Drink" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Sleep Drink. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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