So, needless to say I have been spending a lot of time at airports lately, probably more so than at my own home. This weekend when I was at one of the news stands I noticed a new product, called
Dream Water. Packaged in a similar bottle to that of 5 hour energy, but in a white bottle with light blue font in order to make it look more peaceful and relaxing, and small enough so that you can get them through airport security. They offer flavors such as snoozeberry, I dream of kiwi, and lullaby lemon. And advertise as a natural way to sleep better, without the use of harmful chemicals found in medications; targeting those of us that are experiencing jet lag.
Dream Water, sounds harmless enough right?
Well...it may not be as harmless as they want us to think. Here's the deal, 2 out of the 3 key natural ingredients that the product is based on are not recommended to use for supplementation. The product includes GABA to help you relax, Melatonin to help induce sleep, and 5 HTP to promote sleep and relaxation.
First of all the ingredient,
Gamma-amino butyric acid (
GABA), is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter; although it may have enhancing properties as well. Gabergenic responses are linked with relaxation, anti-anxiety, and anti-convulsive effects. Sounds like the perfect ingredient for Dream Water, right? Well, there is a major problem with taking GABA as a oral supplement; it can not cross the blood brain barrier to have a gabergenic effect, since it is such a large neurotransmitter. But then why if that is the case do people take GABA supplements to relax themselves? If you take GABA and notice more relaxation, or less anxiety, chances are you have a leaky blood brain barrier, that is allowing GABA to cross through.
If you are having a hard time relaxing, feel anxious for no reason, feel overwhelmed, then you many need to support the GABA neurotransmitter, NOT by taking actual oral GABA supplementation, but by supporting GABA cofactors, providing GABA amino acid precursors, and providing GABA receptor modulators (Vaalerian root, Lithium Orotate, Passion flower extract, L-Theanine, Taurine).
Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally produced by the pineal gland in the brain. It has an inverse effect with Cortisol, and plays a major role in sleep and wake cycles. In normal rhythm melatonin levels tend to rise gradually in the evening, remain high during the night, and then drop in the early morning hours. In research studies Melatonin was shown to be safe for short-term use (3 months), but is not recommended for much longer.
Sounds like another great supplement to help catch up on sleep right? The problem that we find with use of melatonin supplementation is that it can actually cause long term effects on the circadian rhythm. Since melatonin and cortisol are inversely related, the intake of melatonin can throw off the delicate cycle of cortisol, leading to a dependancy on melatonin in the future. So instead of directly addressing the circadian rhythm, my advice is to go after the factors that could be throwing your circadian rhythm off balance; diet, caffeine, sleep cycles, stress, anemia, medications, etc.
5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is actually an amino acid precursor to serotonin. It is the intermediate step between tryptophan and serotonin (5-HT). It has been shown to increase serotonin levels and decrease insomnia due to depression. It has also been shown as an effective compound for persistent nightmares, fibromylagia, chronic daily headaches, migraines, and mood disorders. 5-HTP is able to cross the blood brain barrier unlike 5-HT and with the help of B6 is
decarboxylated to serotonin.
Although this supplement has been shown to have great effects,
beware of taking this if you are on anti-depressants, because 5-HTP can increase the activity of these drugs. It is also warned against taking if you are pregnant, nursing, or have significant cardiovascular disease.
So, having trouble sleeping, jet-lagged, or anxious? Instead of spending your money on dreams in a bottle, get to the root of the issue. One of the biggest causes of sleep disorders is blood sugar dysregulation and adrenal stress. So start there and see if you still need to count sheep to fall asleep.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
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I made it back from another East Coast business trip. Traveling to a different time zone can be exhausting; especially when the seminar starts at 8 am EST, and you have to be there at least an hour early, and you have to get up early enough to look presentable. So basically I am up by around 2:30 am PST and have to make sure I'm chipper and functioning. Good thing I'm still young right? I'm pretty resilient, and can bound back pretty quick. 
