“If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It’s the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep.” ~ Dale Carnegie
Carnegie hit on a truism—sleep and stress are integrally connected. “Stress is really the number-one enemy of sleep,” commented Mitch Skop, senior director of new product development, Pharmachem Laboratories. “From our standpoint, consumers are simply way overstressed and, to a degree, improperly nourished; both directly impact sleep quality. Stress is a real problem in these times that robs people of sleep.”
And the numbers of people affected is on the rise. “According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), almost six out of 10 Americans report having insomnia at least a few nights weekly,” said Jobee Knight, president, Nutrition Breakthroughs. “In an effort to combat this, as many as 25 percent of the people in the United States use medications to help them sleep. Most sleeping pills, especially when taken over long periods of time, stay in the bloodstream, give a ‘hangover’ the next day and beyond, and impair memory and performance on the job and at home.”
David Winston, president, Herbalist & Alchemist, noted more consumers are looking for sleep solutions that won’t impair their daytime function. “With our busy, stress-filled lifestyle, lack of proper sleep leads to an impaired ability to learn and perform at work, and can create an increased risk of heart attack, fibromyalgia and immune/adrenal depletion,” he said.
Clinical nutritionist Neil Levin, nutrition education manager, NOW Foods, agreed, “Stress and lack of sleep are major factors affecting our quality of life. It is clear these problems affect the body’s rest, in turn, reducing repair capabilities, immune competence, mental health and, of course, available energy. Today’s consumers want products that are natural and won’t make them overly drowsy the next morning. Above all, the products have to work.”
Increasingly, adults are turning to natural sleep remedies. A recent survey out of Quebec found 18.5 percent of adults used natural sleep aids in the past year, with chamomile being the most popular (Sleep Med. 2009 Oct;10(9):982-7). Natural products users were more likely to be female, younger and have a higher education level than subjects using prescription medications. Also, users of natural products tended to perceive themselves as healthier and engaged in more health-promoting behaviors than non-users of sleep aids.
Consumers are turning to natural remedies for many reasons. “There is a concern about the habit-forming potential of some prescription medications, plus the discomfort of feeling groggy the next day,” said Alyssa Peterson, associate marketing manager, Enzymatic Therapy Inc. “With natural products, consumers feel they can avoid uncomfortable side effects of medications.”
Other consumers may be turning to natural products to help re-balance their bodies. “There is a backlash against all the energy products that have flooded the market in the last two years,” said Cecile Kehoe, chief operations officer, and Art Rozzi, sales director, DreamSpan. “Too much of these types of products can cause restlessness or sleeplessness.”
It’s not only energy products, but overconsumption in general can adversely impact sleep. “We are a culture that eats and drinks too much and generally throws our digestion into havoc, which also affects sleeping patterns,” said Cathy Margolin, president, PacHerbs. “We also live in a culture of confused circadian clocks. Computers keep us company late night, as does television, and many of us stay awake much too late.”
Finally, consider the interrelated nature of job stress and the health care discussion. “Rising health care costs and uncertainty around health care is driving people toward non-prescription alternatives,” said Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, herbalist and senior research scientist, Yogi Tea.
Eileen Sheets, managing director, Bioforce USA, agreed, adding, “The current state of the economy, with its job losses, has undoubtedly added to the sleep problems Americans face. Add that to the current health care situation, and you can understand that consumers need a safe, low-cost way to improve their sleep.”