Welcome to Sleep 101 by Method Performance Supplements. We’ll be skipping the awkward going around the room, saying your name, and interesting fact about yourself that happens in most 101 courses and get into it.
Sleep is something everyone does and many undervalue the importance of. When overall health is talked about often times nutrition and exercise are the main focus. Not to downplay the importance of both of those, sleep is something that needs to be equally emphasized. Let’s start with the negative effects caused by a lack of sleep.
Stress Relief - The body produces stress hormones when you’re sleep-deprived. These hormones can lead to high blood pressure which can increase the risk for heart attack and strokes. It also makes it harder to fall asleep when these hormones are present in the body not allowing you to fully relax.
Increased Inflammation - When stress hormones are present it causes added inflammation in your body. Inflammation can lead to numerous amounts of health issues including causing your body to deteriorate at a faster rate.
Weight Gain - Researchers have found the lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones in the body which can affect appetite. The hormones ghrelin and leptin regulate appetite and are affected by the improper amount of sleep.
Depression - Seratonin is a chemical released during sleep that affects mood. A deficiency in serotonin is linked to increased depression.
So what are some of the major benefits of getting enough ZZZ’s? The list is a mile long but let’s dig into a few of them.
Recovery - The body recovers while sleeping from all the daily stress that occurs. Cells produce more protein molecules (the building blocks for cells) that repair the damages.
Memory Enhancement - Although your body is at rest your brain is busy processing the events from the day. This is often why your dreams are linked (sometimes in a roundabout way) to events that you’ve been on your mind. The brain is making connections between these events, feelings, sensory inputs, and memories. When your brain is recharged it is easier to process thoughts and pull memories easier.
The effects and benefits listed above are just the tip of the iceberg on the subject of sleep. Hopefully, you learned something new from our 101 courses. Please stay tuned for Sleep 102 coming your way soon. So now the question is, how do I get better sleep?
Here are some quick tips.
Defrag was formulated with proven ingredients that aid in boosting the brain’s calming neurotransmitters, utilizing powerful adaptogens to combat damaging cortisol levels, stress, and anxiety. The label speaks for itself so here it is.
The Infinergy found in Hardwire, also known as Di-Caffeine Malate is a combination of the caffeine we all know and love, and malic acid. Infinergy contains approximately 75% caffeine and 25% malic acid by weight. Interestingly, long before this ingredient was used in pre-workout or cognitive enhancing supplements, Di-Caffeine Malate was actually used by Coca-Cola as a replacement stimulant after cocaine became banned for use in consumer products.
Unfortunately, there is no clinical research to support that this type of caffeine has any real benefit over traditional caffeine. However, users report that the malic acid helps to ease the gastrointestinal distress commonly reported by users of normal caffeine. Likewise, malic acid plays an important role in the Kreb’s Cycle, which is the cellular process of energy production. As such, it is possible that Di-Caffeine Malate can sustain energy levels for longer periods of time without the typical crash most users experience from normal caffeine.
Like other forms of caffeine, Di-Caffeine Malte helps to increase physical and cognitive performance, reduce fatigue, decrease perceived fatigue and increase metabolism (Goldstein et al. 2010). However, unlike other forms of caffeine, Di-Caffeine Malate is great to take at higher doses or any time during the day (I.e. before a workout or meeting), as one should not experience any digestive stress after ingestion.
Although there is no current research to back any claims made about Di-Caffeine Malate, we cannot dismiss that caffeine and malic acid really do possess a lot of theoretical and synergistic opportunity for performance enhancement. In other words, the two together create a possible powerhouse of a supplement.
Reference
Goldstein, E. R., Ziegenfuss, T., Kalman, D., Kreider, R., Campbell, B., Wilborn, C., ... & Wildman, R. (2010). International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 7(1), 5.
