Sleep is an elementary part of our lives. We spend about a third of our entire time on this earth sleeping, which underlines how important a daily night's sleep is for us. For a long time, sleep was neglected by medicine. Short nights were (and often still are) viewed as a status symbol in some professions. Over the last few years, however, the picture has changed somewhat.
We now know more about the many molecular pathways that are activated during sleep - and the sometimes serious consequences if we are denied rest at night for a long time.
This article is about how we can improve our sleep. Almost one in five Germans suffers from a sleep disorder (insomnia) within a year. We'll show you the scientific background and explain which steps you can take to improve your sleep and how QNIGHT may be able to provide support here.
What is insomnia?
First, let's take a look at the term insomnia. The definition is sleep disorder with difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep or unrefreshing nighttime sleep with resulting daytime tiredness and impairment of everyday activities.
A distinction is made between acute insomnia, which is usually limited in time, and chronic insomnia, in which those affected do not have it for a longer period of time be able to sleep more properly.
Studies have shown that the older we get, the more likely we are to fall into one of these categories.
What keeps us from healthy sleep?
The factors are diverse and range from excessive stimulation through media consumption, over increased stress levels up to certain underlying diseases. If you suffer from sleep problems, please consult an expert in the field. If in doubt, they can help you with extensive diagnostics.
Luckily, many sleep problems are mild and can be managed with a few tips and tricks. We'll show you which processes prevent us from healthy sleep and what we can do about it.
Stress and sleep – not best friends
Our bodies should find peace when we sleep. The pulse slows down and the parasympathetic nervous system (the part of our autonomic nervous system that is responsible for relaxation) takes over. It seems logical that stress gets in the way of our ability to sleep. It does the exact opposite:
- Stress leads to increased heart rate
- Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system
- When we are stressed, more excitatory (i.e. excitatory) synapses are active in our brain. The activity of GABA (a calming neurotransmitter) is shut down
- Under stress, our body temperature is slightly increased (but we need a lower body temperature for a restful sleep)
These are some examples of how stress prevents us from sleeping on a molecular level.
Stress reduction – just like?
Surely some of these tips will sound familiar to you. They can still be a useful start to improving your sleep hygiene:
- No smartphone in the bedroom
- Stable sleep ritual
- Relaxation techniques before falling asleep (yoga, meditation)
- Diary: Before you go to bed, you can write down your thoughts on paper so that you worry less at night
- No alcohol before bed
- For caffeine-sensitive people. If possible, drink your last cup of coffee before 3 p.m.
Did you know? Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist from Stanford, did it with his Podcast Huberman Lab made it to the top of the podcast charts . One of the first topics he explored in his university-level episodes was sleep. Over the course of several hours, he describes how the morning light activates the suprachiasmatic nucleus via our photoreceptors and thus wakes us up. But also how caffeine keeps us awake and why it is advisable to drink your last cup of coffee between 2 and 3 p.m.
Cortisol – our stress hormone
Stress manifests itself through different processes in the body. One of the most prominent examples is our “stress hormone”, the cortisol. Without this hormone from the adrenal cortex we could not survive and short spikes in cortisol can even be beneficial to our health. Even when we are in love, our cortisol levels are elevated and make our heart beat faster.
For a short period of time, cortisol makes us more efficient, more alert and more alert. If the cortisol levels are elevated for a longer period of time, this has negative consequences for our body and can be one of the Be reasons why we don't sleep well.
Have you perhaps ever noticed that the first time you spend the night in a new environment, e.g.b a hotel, you don't sleep as deeply? This is due to an ancient instinct. The unfamiliar environment makes us more alert, which comes at the expense of sleep. What used to be useful for detecting enemies in time is now more of a hindrance.
QNIGHT and stress
Our everyday lives are often stressful enough and no matter how good our intentions are - we often don't make it to yoga or meditation. Are there other methods to lower cortisol levels?
There are indeed some micronutrients that have a positive effect on sleep. You may know valerian, chamomile or passionflower . Specifically responsible for the sleep-promoting effects are secondary plant substances, such as apigenin in chamomile.
In addition, the sleep berry known from Ayurvedic medicine, better known as Ashwagandha, in Clinical studies show their effectiveness for sleep disorders.
Sleep is an extremely important part of a healthy daily routine. In addition to classics such as magnesium, apigenin is also promising for improving sleep quality.
Ashwagandha and sleep
The ashwagandha contained in QNIGHT was able to reduce cortisol levels in studies and in this meta-analysis studied how the plant affects our sleep. Especially in people with insomnia, Ashwagandha significantly improved the quality of sleep, when the participants regularly consumed the sleep berry. Particularly interesting is the root of the ashwagandha plant, as it has a significantly higher content than the berry itself.
The molecular effect appears to be caused on the one hand by a reduction in cortisol levels , but the GABA-like effect of ashwagandha also plays a role.
What is GABA?
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a central, inhibitory messenger substance in the brain that contributes significantly to the regulation of the excitation states of nerve cells. Its main function is to dampen the activity of our nerve cells, resulting in a calming effect on the brain. Adequate GABA levels are essential for processes such as relaxation, sleep quality and stress management.
Ashwagandha contains ingredients that can affect the GABA system. This includes parts of the nervous system that use GABA as a neurotransmitter. Research suggests that Ashwagandha may potentially enhance the effects of GABA in the brain, similar to the effects of GABA itself or other substances that bind to GABA receptors.
Thus, ashwagandha could potentially help calm the nervous system and promote states of relaxation by indirectly increasing GABA effects.
QNIGHT and GABA
The GABAergic system plays an important role in our sleep. The older we get, the less deep sleep (slow-wave sleep) we get. One of the reasons for the decrease in slow wave sleep is changes in our hormonal axis. In this case, the hormones cortisol, as well as renin and angiotensin (which are needed for blood pressure, among other things) play a role.
The result appears to be a reduced activity of GABA neurons in the brain. In addition to Ashwagandha, there is another molecule in QNIGHT that acts on GABA: Magnesium.
This extremely versatile mineral is involved in more than 300 reactions in our body and its concentration also decreases with age. On the one hand, magnesium can promote GABA activity and on the other hand it dampens the excitatory antagonists (NMDA).
Magnesium and its effect on sleep
Magnesium can have a positive effect on sleep in various ways. On the one hand, it helps with relaxation of the muscles and nerves. In this study the researchers were also able to show that taking magnesium led to improved sleep with more “slow-wave sleep”. Magnesium is therefore extremely versatile.
However, there are many different molecules available and depending on the magnesium molecule, the bioavailability varies between 4 and 80%! There are only a few formulations that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and therefore have a positive effect on sleep. This includes the Magnesium bisglycinate contained in the QNIGHT.
In the Everyday Essentials Bundle you will find three products for the most common nutritional deficiencies in humans. These include vitamin D, Omega 3 and magnesium.
Our circadian rhythm
Another aspect that magnesium affects is our circadian rhythm. By this we mean the “internal clock”, which tells us more or less reliably when it is day and when it is night.
Our circadian rhythm is influenced by a wide variety of influences, from within and without. One of the players is adenosine, which accumulates in our brain as long as we are awake. If there is enough adenosine, “sleep pressure” occurs. We get tired and while we dream, adenosine is transported out of the synaptic cleft.
Caffeine Incidentally, it also works at exactly this point in the brain. It blocks our adenosine receptors, giving the impression that we are more “awake”. The long half-life of caffeine also explains why a cup of coffee in the late afternoon can prevent us from falling asleep.
In addition to adenosine, there is another molecule that is important for our circadian rhythm: Melatonin
Melatonin – our “sleep hormone”
The science behind melatonin is more complex than it seems at first glance. To put it a little more simply, Melatonin gives the start signal for sleep. The hormone is produced in the pineal gland and reaches its highest concentration in the evening when we go to bed.
Melatonin levels are influenced by a few factors. Light is one of the most important. There is also evidence that melatonin levels decrease with age.
In some studies, tart cherries were able to increase sleep quality and ensure higher melatonin levels.
Cherry juice for insomnia?
Cherries contain anti-inflammatory effective secondary plant substances also Melatonin and the precursors of the hormone – mainly tryptophan and serotonin. Some studies have already shown that the juice of various sour cherries has a positive effect on sleep. Why is this the case?
To investigate this question, researchers in this study gave the participants a concentrate of sour cherries and were able to demonstrate that taking both increases melatonin levels and improves sleep quality. The sour cherry used is called Montmorency.
QNIGHT and sour cherry extract – more than just melatonin
Besides Ashwagandha and Magnesium bisglycinate is melatonin-containing sour cherry extract the third ingredient in Qsleep and thus rounds off the trio for successful relaxation. Tart cherries not only increase the amount of melatonin, they also have very strong anti-inflammatory properties. In this meta-analysis the effect of tart cherries on athletes after a strenuous sports session was examined. The inflammatory parameters were lower and the athletes had a shorter recovery time.
Conclusion
QNIGHT contains a potent trio of tart cherry extract (with melatonin), ashwagandha and magnesium bisglycinate. All three molecules affect different aspects of relaxation and have proven their effectiveness in studies. The most important aspect of a good night's sleep is and remains healthy sleep hygiene.
