In today's fast-paced, always-on world, winding down at the end of the day has never been more important for getting a good night’s sleep. Yet, for many, it's easier said than done.
We are bombarded by endless to-do lists, constant notifications and the demands of modern life, leaving little room for genuine relaxation.
If you're one of those people who feels like they can't shut off their brain at night and get a good night’s sleep, you're not alone. Up to two-thirds of adults – and a staggering 75% of seniors – experience occasional difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep.
But what you may not realize is how vital it is for your long-term health to be able to step back, slow down and let your body and mind enter a state of calm before bedtime.
You see, when you allow yourself to unwind properly, you give your body the tools it needs to heal and regenerate.
Your nervous system, which is perpetually on high alert during the day, needs time to shift from a "fight or flight" state to a calmer "rest and digest." Without this transition, you not only compromise the quality of your sleep but also invite a host of health issues.
That’s right – failing to relax, especially before bedtime, can wreak havoc on your brain and body in ways you might not realize.
Winding down at the end of the day is essential for your mental and emotional well-being, too. Constant overstimulation can lead to unresolved stress, which can impair your ability to focus, drain your energy and even dampen your mood.
Relaxation allows your brain to process the events of the day, making it easier for you to let go of any unresolved stressors and drift off into peaceful and restful slumber.
Why You Need a Good Night’s Sleep Every Night
Adopting simple yet intentional practices, such as deep breathing, disconnecting from your devices and spending time in nature can help you unwind from the stresses of the day.
These habits allow your nervous system to reset, making sleep more restorative in preparation for the challenges of tomorrow.
In short, learning to wind down isn't just a practice for better sleep – it's a foundation for better health and a more balanced life, as a good night’s sleep is essential for…
- Recharging and restoring your body and mind.
- Supporting your brain’s unique waste removal system (the glymphatic system) to help keep your brain youthful and functioning properly as you age.
- Repairing and optimizing your immune system, as it forms memories of previous threats while you sleep to allow for a faster and more effective response when challenged again.
- Dealing with daily stressors so you can start your day anew, fresh and rejuvenated.
- Promoting muscle and cellular repair.
A lack of restful sleep can even wreak havoc on your mitochondria – your cells’ energy factories – and lead to the breakdown of nerve and brain cells.
But that’s not all… Not getting enough quality sleep can upset your circadian rhythm – your body’s master clock – which affects your entire body.
About half of your genes are under circadian control, so a disruption of your body’s master clock can switch on genes that you may not want switched on… for example, genes that negatively affect your inflammatory response, immune function and blood sugar levels.
Poor or inadequate sleep not only affects your immune health, but it can also impact your blood pressure, blood sugar and hormones. These changes can leave you feeling hungry and make managing your weight more challenging.
But what if, no matter what you do, you just can’t sleep? Let’s take a look at an approach that you may not have tried…
This Calming Trio Can Help You Relax and Sleep More Soundly
Our Organic 5-HTP with Valerian Root & Lemon Balm takes a different approach – one that doesn’t include melatonin, as supplemental melatonin may not be for everyone.
This unique formulation – made up of organic key ingredients – includes:
- 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) from Griffonia simplicifolia seeds – A hydroxylated form of tryptophan that easily passes your blood brain barrier and converts to serotonin, providing your mood with a boost as well as enhancing your sleep.*
- Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Leaf Extract – Standardized to 17 mg of valuable Rosmarinic Acid per capsule, lemon balm helps deepen your sleep cycle, particularly by reducing the occurrence of nighttime awakenings.
- Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) Root Extract – Known for its signature valerenic acids that help promote relaxation, this herb provides important sleep-promoting benefits.*
Each batch of the botanicals that go into our Organic 5-HTP with Valerian Root & Lemon Balm is tested for heavy metals, such as lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium.
And it’s suitable for vegans, as this product is free of animal byproducts along with egg, diary, gluten, yeast, sulfites, tree nuts, fish and shellfish, soy and wheat.
Let’s take a closer look at the first ingredient – 5-HTP and see how it might make a difference in your ability to get a good night’s sleep.
5-HTP: The Natural Solution for Peaceful Sleep, Balanced Mood and Healthy Cells*
Derived from the seeds of Griffonia simplicifolia, 5-HTP is a powerful, natural ingredient that plays a key role in the production of serotonin – the neurotransmitter essential for mood regulation, sleep quality and your body’s perception of pain.
So, if you struggle with mood issues, sleep disturbances, food cravings or occasional aches and pains, 5-HTP could be the missing piece to help restore balance in your body.*
Unlike many conventional remedies that simply mask symptoms, 5-HTP works with your body’s own systems and natural rhythms to address underlying issues.
5-HTP provides many potential benefits, including…
- Promoting a calming effect.
- Boosting melatonin production for helping you fall asleep faster and sleeping more soundly.
- Increasing the time you spend in REM sleep, which helps you feel well rested and vibrant the following day.*
- Helping to curb sugar and carb cravings to support healthy weight management.
- Enhancing overall emotional well-being.
What makes 5-HTP stand apart is that it crosses your blood-brain barrier to increase serotonin levels in your brain. The right amount of serotonin in your brain – not too little and not too much – is vitally important, as it helps relay signals between cells, regulating mood and behavior.
Through its role in the production of serotonin, 5-HTP also supports cellular health.*
Melatonin is created from serotonin and research suggests melatonin can be produced in many of your cells – not just your pineal gland – throughout the day from serotonin.
Acting as a powerful antioxidant, melatonin helps neutralize damaging free radicals within cells. It also supports DNA repair processes for healthy cells.*
In short, 5-HTP provides a natural, multi-faceted approach to health and well-being. It doesn't just mask symptoms – it supports your body's innate ability to regulate itself.
Lemon Balm: The Go-to Herbal Remedy for Relaxation and Uninterrupted Sleep
Lemon balm, officially known as Melissa officinalis, has been a go-to herbal remedy for centuries, revered for its calming effects on the nervous system.
One of the key reasons lemon balm is so effective in promoting relaxation and sleep is due to its rich content of rosmarinic acid – a powerful compound that coaxes your mind and body into a state of calm, helping you wind down after a long day.
Rosmarinic acid, an essential oil found in plants such as rosemary and sage – and present in high concentrations in lemon balm – works by inhibiting the breakdown of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in your brain.
Acting as your brain's "brake pedal," GABA is an important neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation by helping to slow down neural activity. By preserving GABA levels, rosmarinic acid helps keep your nervous system relaxed.
This really matters for sleep because, when your mind and body are overactive, it becomes difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.
By enhancing GABA activity naturally, lemon balm supports the transition from wakefulness to a more peaceful state conducive to sleep.
But that’s not all. Lemon balm also impacts other pathways in your brain related to stress and anxious feelings.
Studies suggest that the rosmarinic acid in lemon balm can influence your body’s response to stress by interacting with receptors tied to mood regulation, including serotonin receptors, which play a role in maintaining emotional balance and tranquility.
By supporting serotonin's natural calming effects, lemon balm may help ease anxious thoughts and promote a sense of well-being, making it easier for you to relax in the evening and slip into restful sleep.*
Lemon balm’s benefits go beyond simply helping you fall asleep – it also enhances sleep quality.*
Many people find that even when they manage to fall asleep, they wake up feeling unrefreshed – almost as if they hadn’t slept a wink.
Rosmarinic acid and other active compounds in lemon balm help deepen your sleep cycle, especially by reducing how many times you wake up during the night.
This means you can enjoy longer periods of uninterrupted sleep, allowing your body to go through the critical restorative processes that happen during deep sleep – and wake up feeling refreshed and energized, ready to take on the day.
Lemon balm is backed by reliable research… A 15-day study with individuals describing themselves as “stressed” and having occasional sleep difficulties showed a prompt relief of symptoms while using lemon balm.*
And the best part is, lemon balm promotes relaxation and sleep without any sedative hangover.
Goodbye Racing Thoughts – Say ‘Hello’ to a Calm and Relaxed Brain With Valerian Root
Valerian root, or Valeriana officinalis, has been cherished for centuries as a natural remedy for promoting relaxation and sleep.
The secret to valerian root’s effectiveness lies in its complex array of active compounds, particularly valerenic acid, which interacts with your brain’s neurotransmitter systems to support a balanced state of calm.
Valerian root promotes healthy GABA levels by preventing its breakdown, thus allowing more of the calming neurotransmitter to remain active in your brain.
Another unique aspect of valerian root is that it helps not just with falling asleep but also helps you stay asleep.
If you’ve ever woken up in the middle of the night and had difficulty falling back asleep, you know how frustrating that can be. And even worse is that groggy, unrested feeling that often comes the following morning after a night of disrupted sleep.
Valerian root soothes and promotes an overall calm state in your nervous system, while helping your sleep deepen and become more restorative. And when that happens, you’re just about guaranteed to wake up feeling refreshed.*
Studies have found that valerian can improve sleep quality and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep without causing morning drowsiness.
That’s because valerian root works synergistically with your body's own mechanisms for relaxation and sleep regulation – rather than forcing your body into sedation.
So, whether you’re dealing with occasional sleeplessness or stress that makes winding down difficult, valerian root is a time-tested option that supports both your nervous system and overall well-being.*
Support Your Mental Health and Mood With The Unique Synergy of Valerian Root and Lemon Balm
When valerian root and lemon balm are used together, they create a synergistic effect that supports both GABA and serotonin pathways, offering a natural approach to mood regulation.*
By calming the nervous system and supporting your body’s natural ability to maintain balanced serotonin levels, these herbs help you achieve a state of relaxation that goes much further than skin deep.
Instead of forcing a chemical response, they gently guide your system toward equilibrium, making this combo an ideal choice for those looking to support mental health naturally.
What’s more, when you combine valerian root and lemon balm, you can potentially experience some valuable benefits not realized when used separately, such as…
- Offering a holistic approach to calming your mind and body, allowing you to ease into sleep naturally.*
- Regulating serotonin receptors to promote a balanced mood and to help reduce the racing thoughts and worries that can keep you awake at night.*
- Helping to promote the balance of two important chemicals in your brain – GABA and glutamate – as GABA helps you feel calm and relaxed, while too much glutamate can make you feel stressed and anxious, disrupting your sleep and your mood.*
By working together to help promote normal brain chemistry – particularly if you are experiencing stress – you may fall asleep faster and enjoy better sleep quality with fewer sleep disturbances, all without feeling groggy or impaired the next day.
Why Achieving the Right Balance of Serotonin Matters
We’ve talked a lot about serotonin and how achieving the right balance is absolutely crucial for your overall health and well-being. Why is that?
Serotonin, often referred to as the “happy hormone” in conventional medicine, isn’t really the friend it’s painted to be.
Many people view serotonin as the brain’s natural antidepressant, but there’s a lot more to this little molecule than what meets the eye.
Too much or too little serotonin can disrupt nearly every system in your body, affecting your physical and emotional health in profound ways.
While serotonin plays a vital role in regulating mood, sleep, digestion and even immune function, it also acts as an “antimetabolite” – a substance that can interfere with normal metabolic processes within your cells.
When serotonin levels fall too low, you may experience symptoms such as anxiety, irritability and fatigue. This is because serotonin helps regulate your mood, and a deficiency can cause you to feel down, anxious or lacking the motivation to get things done.
Low serotonin levels can also affect digestion, sleep cycles and your perception of pain, leading to digestive and sleep issues, as well as discomfort. Clearly, not having enough serotonin can seriously derail your quality of life.
On the other hand, too much serotonin may be even worse. When levels are too high, they can suppress your body’s ability to create energy in your cells’ mitochondria. This can lead to fatigue, sluggish metabolism and weight gain.
But that’s not all. Elevated serotonin is also linked to thyroid, cardiac and pulmonary issues, as well as cognitive concerns. High serotonin can even cause bizarre, recurring nightmares.
So, why do conventional practitioners continue to push for high serotonin levels?
Unfortunately, it comes down to money, as the drugs designed to raise serotonin levels are very profitable to the pharmaceutical industry.
To summarize... maintaining the right balance of serotonin is crucial. Your gut microbiome, sleep cycles, immune responses and even your cardiovascular system all rely on the proper regulation of serotonin.
The goal is balance – not too high, not too low, but just right – to enjoy the mental clarity, emotional stability and physical health you deserve for many years to come.
Promote Relaxation and Experience a Soothing Sense of Calm with Organic 5-HTP With Valerian Root and Lemon Balm
We all know how difficult it can be to unwind after a busy day filled with life’s demands.
Even many of the “down” activities we turn to for relaxation before bedtime – such as watching a favorite show or a newly-released movie – can keep your mind turned “on” way after your head touches the pillow.
It’s no wonder so many people find it challenging to get a peaceful night’s sleep...
Organic 5-HTP With Valerian Root and Lemon Balm can help by turning your brain “off” and allowing you to fully unwind and relax – simply by targeting your body’s natural pathways.
You don’t need to put up with feelings of grogginess the next morning. Instead, you can wake up feeling refreshed and energized to take on the day.
Help put an end to occasional sleepless nights, and enjoy mornings feeling rested, refreshed and revitalized. Order Organic 5-HTP With Valerian Root and Lemon Balm today.
Please note: If you take any medications including SSRIs, sedatives or thyroid medications, consult your health care practitioner before using this product. Do not take this product before or while operating a motor vehicle or heavy machinery.