Sleep Right with Apollon Nutrition's From Dusk Till Dawn

From Dusk Till Dawn Sleep. You’ve been told hundreds (more like thousands) of times since childhood of just how important sleep is. Yet, you resist it, and buy into the “hustle” mentality that you can only be successful if you sleep less than 4 hours per day.

Guess what though? Your mind and muscles don’t give a s*** about your “hustlin’ lifestyle” on the ‘gram. Humans have evolved over millennia and one thing that has stood the test of time is quality sleep.

YOU NEED SLEEP. It’s that simple. Want to lose weight, build muscle, live a happier life, stress less, and just kick more a** each day? THEN GET MORE SLEEP!

FROM DUSK TILL DAWN™ is the solution for a hyperactive, over-stressed CNS to help you power down at night and get the gains-making sleep you need to be your best each and every day.

Inside From Dusk Till Dawn

L-Glycine

Glycine is a highly underrated amino acid that’s required to build proteins, hormones, and neurotransmitters. It is naturally produced by the human body as well as can be obtained from food/supplements. On average, the body creates 45g of glycine per day, and another 3-5g is derived from food.[1] 

One of the key neurotransmitters that glycine is used for is GABA -- the primary inhibitory (“downer” or “calming”) neurotransmitter.

Human studies have found that 3g of glycine (the same amount in From Dusk Till Dawn) before bed may improve sleep quality and reduce feelings of sleepiness and fatigue during the day.[2,3] Taking glycine before bed has also been found to significantly improve feelings of daytime fatigue, liveliness, “peppiness,” and “clear-headedness.”[4]

Additional research indicates that the manner in which glycine improves sleep differs from traditional sleep aids[5], meaning it is ideal for stacking with other sleep-promoting products, and why we include it in From Dusk Till Dawn. 

As an added benefit, unlike many other sleep aids, glycine does not lead to habituation, addiction, or grogginess all while offering a high safety profile.

GABA

As we mentioned above, GABA is the body’s main calming neurotransmitter. Boosting levels of GABA may help slow down the firing of neurons, thereby promoting calmness and relaxation. In fact, many commonly prescribed sleep medications that affect GABA-ergic transmission. However, many of these same medications come with unwanted side effects, including insomnia.

Research investigating GABA supplementation found that it may serve as an effective natural relaxant, comparable to that of L-Theanine (another ingredient found in From Dusk Till Dawn).[6,8]

GABA supplementation was also noted to support immunity under stressful conditions.

Lemon Balm

A relative of mint, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is widely recognized for its calming properties and has been used for centuries as a natural means to reduce stress and anxiety, promote sleep, improve appetite, and ease pain. 

Lemon balm supplementation has been found to[9,10,11,12]:

• Reduce stress
• Boost mood
• Improve cognitive performance
• Exert anxiolytic effects 

Lemon balm is rich in a number of phytoactives, including rosmarinic acid, which can act as an inhibitor of GABA transaminase. 

GABA transaminase is the enzyme that breaks down GABA. So, combining lemon balm extract with ingredients that increase GABA, such as L-Theanine, Glycine, and GABA (all of which is in From Dusk Till Dawn), is highly synergistic, promoting greater effectiveness.

Zylaria

From ingredient pioneers, NuLiv Science, Zylaria is novel proprietary extract including:

• Xylaria nigripes (a mushroom used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries to support mood and reduce anxiety)
• cuscuta chinensis (seed) extract
• Panax notoginseng (root) extract 

Zylaria is an ideal inclusion in From Dusk Till Dawn as it also benefits GABA levels in the body, thereby promoting more calm and relaxation and helping individuals achieve deep, restorative sleep.

Based on NuLiv’s internal research, Zylaria promotes GABA function in the brain as well as increases the uptake of GABA to specific brain cell receptors, thereby supporting relaxation and tranquility.[13

L-Theanine

L-Theanine is an amino acid found predominantly in green tea leaves renowned for its calming effects. It also offers neuroprotective and cognitive-enhancing effects, too. 

Supplementation with L-Theanine has been shown to increase levels of serotonin and GABA, which is why it is commonly supplemented to improve sleep and mood while reducing feelings of stress or over-stimulation.

Furthermore, L-Theanine has been found to reduce psychological stress and sleep disturbances and improve sleep quality.[14,15]

Sensoril

Ashwagandha has been used for centuries in Ayurveda for its stress-relieving qualities. As an adaptogen, ashwagandha improves the body’s ability to encounter, perceive, and recover from stress. 

By improving the body’s stress response, ashwagandha may help decrease fatigue as well as improve mental and physical performance in the face of stressful situations. 

Sensoril is a premium form of ashwagandha extract, containing both roots and leaves. It is backed by 14 clinical studies, and standardized to 10% withanolides -- withanolides are the main phytoactive compounds in ashwagandha.

Melatonin

Melatonin is perhaps the most widely recognized sleep supplement on the market. It is naturally produced by the body and is responsible for governing circadian rhythm. Unfortunately, modern living has had a deleterious effect on sleep and melatonin levels, primarily because of constantly being exposed to blue light from LEDs, TV, smartphones, tablets, computers, etc. blunts melatonin synthesis. 

Fortunately, supplementing with melatonin has been shown to be effective for improving sleep quality and decreasing sleep latency.[16,17]

There’s even some research indicating that melatonin may support weight loss by enhancing brown fat thermogenesis and reduce body weight, independent of calorie restriction.[18,19]

Included ZMA Stack

ZMA (Zinc + Magnesium Aspartate + B6) is a popular sleep stack commonly used to enhance recovery and hormone levels in athletes. While it’s true that deficiencies in zinc can impair hormone production, there’s no evidence to date showing it has any beneficial effects in healthy individuals.

So, why include it in From Dusk Till Dawn?

Easy…Better Sleep! 

Zinc supplementation has been found to improve sleep quality in high-stress individuals.[20] Most ZMA supplements include zinc oxide, which is cheap and not very bioavailable (meaning your body doesn’t get much benefit from it. We’ve included the highly bioavailable zinc bisglycinate chelate form, offering better absorption.

Magnesium has a calming effect in the body and is known to improve sleep. Traditional ZMA supplements use magnesium aspartate, which is “OK”, but a superior option is chelated magnesium, which we’ve included here.

B6 has been shown to improve dream quality, and again we’ve included the more effective, bioavailable, and expensive form of B6 -- pyridoxal 5'-phosphate.[21]

References

1. Gersovitz, M., Bier, D., Matthews, D., Udall, J., Munro, H. N., and Young, V. R. (1980). Dynamic aspects of whole body glycine metabolism: influence of protein intake in young adult and elderly males. Metab. Clin. Exp. 29, 1087–1094.
2. Bannai M, Kawai N, Ono K, Nakahara K, Murakami N. The effects of glycine on subjective daytime performance in partially sleep-restricted healthy volunteers. Front Neurol. 2012;3:61.
3. Bannai M, Kawai N. New therapeutic strategy for amino acid medicine: glycine improves the quality of sleep. J Pharmacol Sci. 2012;118(2):145-8. doi: 10.1254/jphs.11r04fm. Epub 2012 Jan 27. PMID: 22293292.
4. INAGAWA, K., HIRAOKA, T., KOHDA, T., YAMADERA, W. and TAKAHASHI, M. (2006), Subjective effects of glycine ingestion before bedtime on sleep quality. Sleep and Biological Rhythms, 4: 75-77. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2006.00193.x
5. YAMADERA, W., INAGAWA, K., CHIBA, S., BANNAI, M., TAKAHASHI, M. and NAKAYAMA, K. (2007), Glycine ingestion improves subjective sleep quality in human volunteers, correlating with polysomnographic changes. Sleep and Biological Rhythms, 5: 126-131. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2007.00262.x
6. Abdou, A. M., Higashiguchi, S., Horie, K., Kim, M., Hatta, H., & Yokogoshi, H. (2006). Relaxation and immunity enhancement effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration in humans. BioFactors (Oxford, England), 26(3), 201–208.
7. Schneider E, Ziegler B, Maxion H. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and sleep. the influence of di-n-propylacetic acid on sleep in man. Eur Neurol. 1977;15:146–152.
8. Hepsomali, P., Groeger, J. A., Nishihira, J., & Scholey, A. (2020). Effects of Oral Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Administration on Stress and Sleep in Humans: A Systematic Review  . In Frontiers in Neuroscience  (Vol. 14). https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2020.00923
9. Kennedy DO, Little W, Haskell CF, Scholey AB. Anxiolytic effects of a combination of Melissa officinalis and Valeriana officinalis during laboratory induced stress. Phytother Res. 2006;20:96–102. doi: 10.1002/ptr.1787.
10. Scholey A, Gibbs A, Neale C, et al. Anti-stress effects of lemon balm-containing foods. Nutrients. 2014;6(11):4805-4821. Published 2014 Oct 30. doi:10.3390/nu6114805
11. Kennedy DO, Scholey AB, Tildesley NT, Perry EK, Wesnes KA. Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2002;72:953–964. doi: 10.1016/S0091-3057(02)00777-3.
12. Kennedy DO, Wake G, Savelev S, Tildesley NT, Perry EK, Wesnes KA, Scholey AB. Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of single doses of Melissa officinalis(Lemon balm) with human CNS nicotinic and muscarinic receptor-binding properties. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2003;28:1871–1881. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300230.
13. https://nulivscience.com/ingredients/zylaria/
14. Kim S, Jo K, Hong KB, Han SH, Suh HJ. GABA and l-theanine mixture decreases sleep latency and improves NREM sleep. Pharm Biol. 2019 Dec;57(1):65-73. doi: 10.1080/13880209.2018.1557698. PMID: 30707852; PMCID: PMC6366437.
15. Lyon MR, Kapoor MP, Juneja LR. The effects of L-theanine (Suntheanine®) on objective sleep quality in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Altern Med Rev. 2011 Dec;16(4):348-54. PMID: 22214254.
16. lomski A. Melatonin Improves Sleep in Patients With Circadian Disruption. JAMA. 2018;320(8):749. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.10903
17. Sletten TL, Magee M et al. Efficacy of melatonin with behavioral sleep-wake scheduling for delayed sleep-wake phase disorder: A double blind, randomized clinical trial (2018). Efficacy of melatonin with behavioral sleep-wake scheduling for delayed sleep-wake phase disorder: A double blind, randomized clinical trial. PLOS Medicine 15(6): e1002587. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002587
18. Tan DX, Manchester LC, et al. Significance and application of melatonin in the regulation of brown adipose tissue metabolism: relation to human obesity.Obes Rev 2011; 12, 167-188.
19. Halpern, B., Mancini, M. C., Bueno, C., Barcelos, I. P., Edna de Melo, M., Lima, M. S., Cipolla-Neto, J. (2019). Melatonin Increases Brown Adipose Tissue Volume and Activity in Melatonin Deficient Patients: a Proof-of-Concept Study. Diabetes, db180956. https://doi.org/10.2337/db18-0956
20. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2165079917734880
21. Aspy DJ, Madden NA, Delfabbro P. Effects of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) and a B Complex Preparation on Dreaming and Sleep. Percept Mot Skills. 2018 Jun;125(3):451-462. doi: 10.1177/0031512518770326. Epub 2018 Apr 17. PMID: 29665762.