FORM ESSENTIALS: Solus with 5HTP Sleep & Relaxation Aid, 60 Capsules
Why Take Solus? Do you have trouble sleeping? If so, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans have trouble getting to sleep and/or staying asleep. According to a national survey, this represents about 54% of adults.[1] So what can you do about it? You can take Solus.
Solus is an all-natural dietary supplement formulated to help support healthy sleep and relaxation. To achieve these goals, Solus contains a combination of the natural ingredients. Take Solus an hour before bedtime and you can have a good night’s rest – naturally.
Take 1-3 capsules 60 minutes prior to bedtime preferably on an empty stomach (2 hours before or after food).
L-Tryptophan L-Tryptophan (LT) is an essential amino acid, which means that it must be consumed from food or supplements since the body cannot make it using other amino acids. It is present in virtually all plant and animal proteins. Once the body absorbs LT, it is ultimately converted into the neurotransmitter serotonin. It is primarily the serotonin which then does all the wonderful things attributed to LT. For example, serotonin is the precursor to the sleep hormone, melatonin.[2]
Given LT’s relationship to serotonin, it’s no surprise that it is an effective sleep aid. Certainly LT has significant sedative-like properties, although unlike other sedatives it does not appear to impair performance.[3] Specifically, LT is not associated with impairment of visuomotor, cognitive, or memory performance, nor does it elevate threshold for arousal from sleep.[4]
At least 20 years worth of research (including 40 controlled studies)[5] has demonstrated that LT can help induce sleepiness in humans. The weight of the evidence suggests that doses of 1 gram or more is effective. In younger insomniacs, LT is effective in inducing sleep the first night of administration, while in more chronic, well established or severe difficulty in getting to sleep, repeated administration of low doses of L-tryptophan over time may be required for therapeutic improvement.[6]
One particular study[7] found that LT may be effective in doses lower than 1 gram. In 15 people with mild difficulty getting to sleep 1 gram of LT helped reduce the amount of time it took to fall asleep, although lower doses of 1/4 g and 1/2 g produced a trend in the same direction. Stage IV sleep (deep sleep) was significantly increased by 1/4 g of L-tryptophan.
Melatonin Melatonin is a hormone produced by the small, pea-shaped pineal gland located in the brain. During daylight hours, light entering the eye stimulates neurons to transmit impulses to the pineal gland that inhibit melatonin secretion. But at night, the pineal gland is able to release melatonin.
As the body ages, it produces less melatonin—which may explain why elderly people often have difficulty sleeping[8] and why melatonin supplements improve sleep in the elderly.[9] This does not mean that the use of melatonin should be limited to the elderly. Other research has shown that non-elderly adults with difficulty getting to sleep can also have lower melatonin levels.[10] Also, research has demonstrated that melatonin even helps facilitate sleep in young adults.[11] Since the body would normally make melatonin for several hours per night, the best strategy for oral melatonin supplementation might be to find a product that provides some serotonin immediately, and then provides an additional dose of serotonin later through a controlled release system. Research conducted using such a controlled release system for melatonin showed good results.[12] An appropriate dose would be 3-6 mg melatonin taken one to two hours before bedtime.
Valerian Root Valerian root is considered by many to be the “granddaddy” of all sleep-promoting herbs, and is the leading herb for insomnia in modern herbal medicine. Valerian root makes getting to sleep easier and increases deep sleep and dreaming. Valerian does not cause the morning “hangover” which is a common side effect of prescription sleep drugs and melatonin in some individuals.[13, 14] By itself, a valerian root supplement (standardized for % valerenic acid), in doses of 300–400 mg can be taken thirty minutes before bedtime. Also, valerian may be combined with other herbs. For example, taking a combination of valerian plus hops at bedtime seems to improve subjective sleep measures including subjective sleep latency compared to placebo after 28 days of treatment.[15]
Hops Hops have a history of use as nature’s best sleep “inducer.” Though many natural substances are more effective at keeping one asleep, hops is often considered best at inducing sleep. The German Commission E recommends Hops for anxiety or insomnia.[16]
Passion Flower Passion flower has been, and continues to be an extremely popular herb in Europe where it is often used to induce relaxation and sleep. In the United States, however, medical use of the herb did not begin until the late nineteenth century when passion flower was used to treat nervous restlessness and gastrointestinal spasms—the belief being that passion flower worked primarily on the nervous system, particularly for anxiety due to mental worry and overwork.[17] Research has demonstrated that the flavonoids in passion flower are the primary constituents responsible for its relaxing and anti-anxiety effects.[18]
Scullcap Scullcap has been used historically and in modern times to relax people with nervous tension as well as to help promote sleep. Unfortunately, very few studies have been conducted on Scullcap. However, one double blind, placebo-controlled study[19] of healthy subjects demonstrated noteworthy anxiety-reducing effects from Scullcap. Also, one of Scullcaps constituents known as scutellarian has been shown to have mild relaxation actions in animal research.[20]
GABA Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) is a natural peptide which is manufactured from the amino acid glutamine and glucose. In the central nervous system, GABA exerts relaxing and anxiety reducing effects at the cellular level.[21, 22] GABA supplements appear to promote relaxation and sleep.[23] GABA itself does not cause drowsiness. Instead, by easing anxiety, it simply makes it easier to fall asleep.[19]
Chamomile Chamomile is a natural relaxant. It works to soothe the nerves, promote sleep and induce perspiration during fevers. It is also considered a gastrointestinal tonic. Recent studies have confirmed that chamomile relaxes the nervous system, works as a uterine tonic, and has antibacterial properties.
5-HTP 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is an amino acid that is the intermediate step between tryptophan and the important brain chemical serotonin. 5-HTP is common throughout the world as a dietary supplement for use as an antidepressant, appetite suppressant, and sleep aid.[24]
Conclusion Getting to sleep and/or staying asleep is a problem for a lot of people. Solus is an all-natural dietary supplement formulated to help support healthy sleep and relaxation. Try it and you may sleep better tonight.