Hello and welcome to another episode of a Healthy Shift podcast. My name is Roger Sutherland and if you follow me or have listened to this podcast for any length of time, you will know my thoughts around medicated sleep. I've had a huge success with clients releasing them from medicated sleep and helping them to find ways to create the environment to achieve an all-natural restorative sleep. Now, today, I would like to introduce you to a way to use natural products to unlock better sleep and, let's face it, we could all really use some of that. Shift work can be brutal, but it doesn't have to be. Welcome to a healthy shift. My name is Roger Sutherland, certified nutritionist, veteran law enforcement officer and 24-7 shift worker for almost four decades. Through this podcast, I aim to educate shift workers, using evidence-based methods, to not only survive the rigours of shift work but thrive. My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love. Enjoy today's show and welcome to another episode of a Healthy Shift podcast. I'm your host, roger Sutherland, and today we're talking about a topic that affects every single shift worker, and that is sleep, a regular hour's high stress and the constant battle against our natural circadian rhythms can seriously make getting quality sleep almost seem impossible, can't it? But fear not, because today I wanted to have a chat about exploring the benefits of natural supplements that you may not be aware of that can really help to improve sleep for shift workers like us. Now we're going to be covering things that you probably won't have heard of, like reishi mushroom extract, chamomile extract, passionflower extract, magnesium, threonate and the essential B vitamins, so I'm going to go through each and every one of those with what they are and their benefits. So let's get started, first of all, on reishi mushroom extract.
Speaker 1:Now, reishi mushroom extract has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. Reishi is renowned for its health benefits, particularly for its impact on sleep. Now, it has been proven to improve sleep quality. Studies suggest that reishi mushroom extract can actually enhance sleep quality by increasing total sleep time and also wait for it promoting deeper and more restful sleep stages. Now, this is thanks to the compounds like triterpenes and polysaccharides, which have a sedative effect and promote relaxation. It also has an impact on reducing stress and anxiety. Now, reishi is known for its adaptogenic properties, which helps the body to manage stress more effectively by influencing the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal, which is the HPA axis, and reducing cortisol levels. It also is known to decrease anxiety and stress-related sleep disturbances. Decrease anxiety and stress-related sleep disturbances. Believe it or not, reishi mushroom extract also assists in enhancing and supporting our immune function. Regular consumption of reishi can support your immune system, leading to fewer illnesses and less disruption of sleep. The polysaccharides in reishi are believed to be key players in this operation process. It also regulates sleep-wake cycles, while direct evidence is, in fact, limited, but reishi may help to regulate circadian rhythms by modulating neurotransmitters and hormones which are involved in our sleep regulation.
Speaker 1:Pretty strong argument for reishi mushroom extract isn't there. So let's go on. And about chamomile extract. Now we've all seen people drinking chamomile tea to relax them, so let's talk about chamomile extract, which is known for its calming and its sleep-inducing properties.
Speaker 1:Now, chamomile can be particularly beneficial for shift workers Interesting. So what does it do? Improve sleep quality. Chamomile can, in fact, enhance overall sleep quality by helping you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, and this is largely due to apigenin, which is an antioxidant that binds to certain receptors in the brain, which promotes sleepiness and reduces insomnia, which promotes sleepiness and reduces insomnia. Again, chamomile is also another natural extract which will, in fact, reduce anxiety and stress. Chamomile is well known for its axillotic effects. By influencing the neurotransmitters, like GABA, it reduces anxiety and it also helps to promote relaxation. This is all super important. We get relief from insomnia. Clinical trials have shown that chamomile can also be effective in reducing symptoms of chronic insomnia. The mild sedative effects of chamomile, thanks to its flavonoid content, can help those with insomnia achieve a better sleep. The regulation of sleep-wake cycles and that's something that we all look for. Chamomile soothing effects can help normalising our sleep-wake cycles, aiding shift workers in transitioning to sleep during unconventional hours.
Speaker 1:Now let's move on to passionflower extract. Passionflower extract is another natural remedy which has a long history of use in treating anxiety and sleep disorders. It can also help with enhancing sleep quality. Studies have indicated that passionflower can improve overall sleep quality, helping individuals fall asleep faster and also to enjoy deeper sleep. The compounds in passionflower, like flavonoids and alkaloids, interact with neurotransmitters in the brain, which will promote relaxation and sleep. Again, another one here for reduction of anxiety and stress. Known for its axolotic properties, passionflower helps reduce anxiety by increasing levels of GABA in the brain, which promotes that calmness and relaxation. So we've got three here that are going to do that. Relief from insomnia Another one. The calming and sedative effects of passionflower can address sleep disturbances and insomnia, which are common issues in our shift working community, aren't they? And improving our sleep-wake cycle by promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety, passionflower can actually help shift workers to transition more easily to sleep during non-traditional hours.
Speaker 1:Now let's get on with one that we will be more familiar with, which is magnesium threonate. Now, a lot of people take magnesium, but do you really know which one you should be taking? Well, magnesium stands out. Magnesium threonate stands out because of its unique ability to improve cognitive function and sleep quality, which is crucial for our shift working community. Facing cognitive fatigue and disrupting sleep rhythm patterns, it will gain, it will improve or enhance sleep quality. Magnesium 3 and 8 has been shown to improve sleep quality, helping you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. It regulates neurotransmitters that promote relaxation and sleep, such as GABA. We get an improved cognitive function. Studies indicate that magnesium threonate can also enhance cognitive function, which includes memory and learning. Now this form of magnesium crosses the blood-brain barrier effectively, which increases brain magnesium levels and supporting synaptic plasticity and also neuronal function. Keep that in mind when you are purchasing a magnesium. Magnesium threonate actually crosses the blood-brain barrier and really effectively All right. So that's why threonate is really important. Magnesium threonate can also reduce stress and anxiety. Again another one. By regulating the HPA axis and reducing your cortisol levels, magnesium threonate helps to mitigate the stress response and will lead to an improved relaxation and sleep. Another good one for magnesium threonate is it helps to regulate our circadian rhythm. Magnesium influences melatonin production and function, which can also help shift workers to adjust their internal clocks to better align with an irregular schedule. So that is magnesium threonate I highly recommend. If you're looking for a magnesium as a shift worker, you definitely should be looking at magnesium threonate as the one to take.
Speaker 1:Vitamin B complex. Lastly, we have the essential B vitamins, crucial for energy production, brain function and also neurotransmitter synthesis. We get improved sleep quality. B vitamins like B1, b2, b6, b9 and B12 are all associated with improved sleep quality and duration. They contribute to the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin, which regulate sleep. We get a reduction of stress and anxiety. B vitamins, particularly B1, b6 and 12, all help to reduce stress and anxiety by supporting our nervous system and also regulating the neurotransmitters and hormones which are involved in the stress response, enhanced energy levels and reducing fatigue. Now, b vitamins are critical for energy production and can help reduce fatigue, which is common among shift workers. They also aid in converting food into energy, which maintains alertness and reduces exhaustion. And again, b vitamins also help to support our circadian rhythm regulation, and this happens by aiding in the production of melatonin and supporting brain health. B vitamins help our shift workers adjust their internal clocks to better align with their schedules. So magnesium and B vitamins are certainly something that we should be taking anyway.
Speaker 1:So let's wrap all this up In conclusion. Reishi mushroom extract, chamomile extract, passionflower extract, magnesium 3 and A and the essential B vitamins all offer significant benefits for improving sleep quality and overall wellbeing for our shift workers. So by incorporating these natural supplements into your routine, you can, in fact, combat the challenges of irregular sleep patterns and high stress, leading to a healthier and a more productive life. Keep in mind, these are all natural. Now imagine if there was a sleep product that contained all of these in one, and what do you know? There is Now Enhanced Sleep. Have researched and created a raspberry-flavoured gummy that combines all of what we have talked about above, and they've included them in their sleep gummies. Now these gummies are certified all-natural and have also been batch tested by Hester to be safe for performance athletes to consume as well.
Speaker 1:Sleep is vital. Natural sleep is more vital Really, really important that we actually get that good, natural and restorative sleep. Now, the fact that these have been HESTA tested means that they're perfectly safe for people to take. I have actually formed a partnership with Enhanced Sleep and what we are doing is we have been putting out these gummies and I've put them out to clients to test them for me and the reviews that have come back have been nothing short of incredible and they are repeat purchases. And I'm not just saying this because I would not be talking about this product if I actually didn't believe it myself.
Speaker 1:I've taken these gummies and I actually started off by taking two every single night and I found that I needed to drop back just to one because I found I was a little bit groggy. And I found that the older people when I say older, if I taught 50 plus people that were taking the gummies and taking two of them they found it a little believe it or not, a little bit difficult to wake up in the morning. You just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep so I dropped back to one. But I also know a number of clients. I have a number of clients under the age of 45 that have taken these gummies, two at a time, and have absolutely fallen asleep and rave about them and have repeat, purchased these gummies over and over again. Now there is a link to read more and to purchase these red delicious drops of happiness in the show notes. So if you go into the show notes, you will see that there is actually a link to a web page that I have created to talk more about these gummies, with links to go through and purchase them.
Speaker 1:And remember, important because of the content of what's in the gummies it is and because of the magnesium, the vitamin Bs and also the extracts. It's also quite important that you would show your doctor a copy of what is in the gummy and actually have a chat with your doctor about them to make sure that they're not interacting with any other medications that you may be on. Remember, each person is individual and I can't possibly know what everyone's doing or what interacts with what. So what I do is I actually advise go and talk to your doctor. He knows your full medical history and he will also know and understand the importance of getting solid, restorative sleep. All right, so make sure that you are consulting your healthcare professional and that's not a warning. That is literally a disclaimer on my behalf as well.
Speaker 1:Okay, so there you go. So thank you so much for tuning into the Healthy Shift Podcast. I'm Roger Sutherland and I look forward to you joining in our next episode, where we will continue to explore strategies which will help you shift workers thrive and not just survive, and, until then, stay healthy and get some well-deserved rest. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released. It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on. If you want to know more about me or work with me, you can go to ahealthyshiftcom. I'll catch you on the next one.