Sleep Well

Passionflower or Passiflora incarnata, a climbing vine may reach 10 to 30 feet (3 to 9 meters) with white purple-tinged flowers, is widespread in warm temperate and tropical regions of the world. It has been used in traditional medicine as a herbal sedative in North, Central and South Americas, to relieve nervousness and neuralgia. In the sixteenth century Spanish explorers discovered passionflower which was then brought to Europe. The main active constituants are flavonoids, maltol, and indole alkaloids.

Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by the body increases with evening darkness, a serotonin derivative that is produced by the pineal gland in the brain. It plays a role in the internal clock and helps regulate the sleep/wake cycle. A scientific study based on a meta-analysis recently demonstrated a significant improvement in the quality of sleep for patients treated with melatonin. In this study the quality of sleep was evaluated according to an approved method: the measure of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The variations of melatonin secretion are thought to modulate circadian rhythms (24 hour internal clock). Natural levels of melatonin in the blood are highest at night, however light exposure at night can block its production. With melatonin supplementation you are unlikely to become dependent.

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin defined as "essential" because the body cannot produce it and does not store it. Vitamin B6 is therefore drawn every day from food, present in different forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine. Vitamin B6 is widespread in the diet, it is mainly found in liver, kidneys, pork and mutton meats, pulses (beans) and cereals. It is also present in fresh green vegetables, bananas, eggs and dairy products.

Vitamin B6 is certainly the best-known of all the vitamins in the B group, particularly for two actions:

• It is an essential source of energy, allowing a better resistance to effort. Vitamin B6 is necessary for the degradation of glycogen into glucose in the liver. Glycogen, a polysaccharide, is the form in which carbohydrates are stored in the body. Glycogen is broken down into glucose molecules when the body needs energy.

• It is often prescribed as a dietary supplement to fight against fatigue and stress.

Vitamin B6 is recognized as essential to the synthesis of certain neurotransmitters such as adrenalin, dopamine and serotonin, mood mediators. It also facilitates the synthesis of taurine, a calming agent allowing the organism to adapt to a situation of stress and to decrease the consequences.

Vitamin B12 also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin essential for normal brain function. Since the body is not able to synthesize it, it is necessary for the body to obtain it from food.

Vitamin B12 is found mainly in foods of animal origin: offal, seafood, meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. Vitamin B12 is necessary for the proper functioning of the brain and nervous system in general. It is also essential to maintain the integrity of the nervous system, particularly the myelin sheath that protects the nerves and optimizes their functioning.

Scientific studies that have been conducted on vitamin B12 tend to show that a deficiency can lead to relatively serious disorders such as chronic fatigue and depression.

One active ingredient in passionflower, chrysin has been shown in animal studies to bind to benzodiazepine receptors sites and acts like an agonist for GABA activity. This has an inhibitory effect on the brain which explains the anxiolytic properties of passionflower. Further human studies indicate some improvement of sleep quality when supplemented with passionflower tea, sleep parameters being generally assessed with self-reported questionnaires and diaries. However, objective polysomnographic did not show any changes in sleep parameters.|1|$Ngan A., et al. (2011). Phytother. Res., 25, 1153-1159.$

A recent clinical study demonstrated the positive effects of passionflower on objective polysomnographic sleep parameters in participants with insomnia. After two weeks, the total sleep time significantly increased in the passionflower group compared to the placebo group, furthermore sleep efficiency and wake after sleep onset improved compared to baseline.|2|$Lee J., et al. (2019). Int. Clin. Psychopharmacol., 35, 29-35.$

A large number of clinical studies have been conducted on the effects of melatonin on sleep disturbances, demonstrating its efficiency throughout the last decades. A meta-analysis of 19 clinical trials confirmed melatonin supplementation has a significant effect on primary sleep disorders, reducing sleep latency and increasing total sleep time, higher doses showing greater effects on both parameters. Improving overall sleep quality was found in individuals taking melatonin compared to those taking placebo.|3|$Ferracioli-Oda E., et al. (2013). Plos One, 8(5), e63773.$ 

Another review of 7 clinical stuides on secondary sleep disorders caused by sleep restrictions (shift work, jet lag), corroborated these results, except for a limited evidence on sleep efficiency.|4|$Li T., et al. (2019). Front. Neuroendocrin., 52, 22-28.$

1 Ngan A., et al. (2011). A double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of Passiflora incarnata (Passionflower) herbal tea on subjective sleep quality. Phytother. Res., 25, 1153-1159.

2 Lee J., et al. (2019). Effects of Passiflora incarnata Linnaeus on PSG in subjects with insomnia disorder: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study. Int. Clin. Psychopharmacol., 35, 29-35.

3 Ferracioli-Oda E., et al. (2013). Meta-analysis: Melatonin for the treatment of primary sleep disorders. Plos One, 8(5), e63773.

4 Li T., et al. (2019). Exogenous melatonin as a treatment for secondary sleep disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front. Neuroendocrin., 52, 22-28.

5 Gholami F., et al. (2021). Effect of melatonin supplementation on sleep quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Neurol.