The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a lot of us into a whole new day-to-day routine, one that has some unpleasant side effects, including but certainly not limited to an increase in stress and anxiety (1). We’ve felt it here at Genuine Health and know that many others have too.

The tricky thing about an increase in stress and anxiety is that it impacts you in so many ways. It can impact your eating, and sleeping habits, your ability to concentrate and focus on tasks, your skin, hair, and your digestion! With these impacts in mind, we were inspired to create two supplements that are designed to help address both the acute needs of our customers, but also that go deeper to address the root cause and provide long-term support.

Meet Deep Sleep and Clear Focus!

We formulated these products to help address two need states:

• A sub-optimal sleep
• Brain fog and the inability to focus on a task

Let’s get into each of these a bit more…

Deep Sleep 

A good sleep is very important for overall health, yet so many people struggle with getting a good night’s sleep. A whopping 62% of adults around the word say they don’t sleep as well as they’d like (2), and we’re here to help! But first, let’s talk about why a good night’s sleep is so important.

Research has found that in those whose sleep duration is inadequate or repeatedly disrupted (waking up many times throughout the night), suffer both short-term and long-term health consequences. These sleep disruptions impact cognitive functions, including performance, cognitive speed, accuracy and working memory. They also negatively impact psychological well-being, including emotional distress and mood disorders, stress responsivity, somatic pain, and quality of life (3,4).

But why can we not sleep properly?

One reason may be an increase in stress. When we produce more of our stress hormone, and this production is sustained for days, weeks or months, we unintentionally impact our ability to fall asleep quickly, stay asleep, and achieve healthy deep sleep (5).

We are here to help! We’ve created a special formula to help support a healthy sleep cycle, from start to finish. Our thoughtfully crafted new supplement will help to provide an immediate feeling of relaxation, help you stay asleep throughout the night and support the quality of your sleep.

Deep Sleep – what is in it?

Our star ingredient is the powerful Reishi mushroom. This adaptogenic mushroom has been proven to increase total sleep time and decrease the time it takes to fall asleep in as little as 3 days (6). Our supporting ingredients include L-theanine and GABA, which synergistically help promote relaxation and improve sleep quality (7), Magnesium, which helps to promote relaxation and regulate neurotransmitters directly related to sleep (8), and finally a low dose of melatonin, to support and balance healthy circadian rhythms and improve the onset, duration, and quality of sleep (9).

Who is this product for?

This product is for you if you’ve noticed an increase in daily stress and your sleep is suffering as a result, or if you just can’t sleep and don’t know why! It’s for you if you struggle winding down at the end of the day, if you have ‘busy brain’ that starts the second your head hits the pillow, and if you’re struggling to fall asleep and/or stay asleep. This product is also for you if you’ve recently travelled and are experiencing jet lag / circadian rhythm disturbances or if you are a shift worker.

Clear Focus (coming soon!)

You may have heard about the COVID-19 phenomenon referred to as ‘The Pandemic Brain,’ or an increase in brain fog and inattention felt across the globe. We can relate! Lots of research shows that under times of increased stress and anxiety, our concentration, memory, and cognition suffers (10). Couple that with an increase in distractions at home and no delineation between home and work, we’re starting to see a big problem. 

So, what are people doing to combat this pandemic brain?

60% of Americans drank more coffee than any other beverage in the past 24 hours at the time of being surveyed in the fall of 2021 (11). We at Genuine Heath love our coffee too, and the increase in energy and focus it can provide, but aren’t big fans of the crash (especially after multiple cups…).

Our solution to help support focus without a crash and to allow you to break through the brain fog and improve your concentration immediately, is our new Clear Focus supplement. We have coupled fast-acting natural ingredients with Lions Main mushroom and a B complex, to help support your long-term brain health.

Clear Focus: What’s in it?

The star ingredient is Lions Mane mushroom. Lions Mane mushroom has been found to improve cognitive function and may have protective effects on brain cells and promote the creation of new brain cells (12). We have added a high-quality coenzyme B complex to this formula, which means the B vitamins are in a form the body can use, to further support long-term brain health. Each B vitamin is transported across the blood brain barrier via a dedicated transport protein, where they perform numerous functions, including energy production, synthesis and repair of DNA and RNA and the synthesis of numerous neurochemicals and signaling molecules (12). We are here for a brain working at its maximum capacity!

If that wasn’t enough, we added a couple additional ingredients to support our immediate ability to concentrate on a task and reduce brain fog. L-theanine with a Green Tea Extract work synergistically and have been found in combination to improve memory and attention (13), and finally Panax Ginseng provide an additional cognitive boost.

Who is this product for?

This product is for anyone who experiences brain fog throughout the day or who struggles to concentrate on tasks or with memory. It is for someone wanting a jitter free alternative or companion to a coffee. It is for anyone who wants to support their brain health long term.

There is a lot going on in the world right now, and we are here to support you!

By Lauren Hauswirth

References:
1. Xiong J, Lipsitz O, Nasri F, et al. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population: A systematic review. J Affect Disord. 2020;277:55-64. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.001
2. https://www.singlecare.com/blog/news/sleep-statistics/#:~:text=Sleep%20statistics%20worldwide&text=62%25%20of%20adults%20around%20the,Global%20Sleep%20Survey%2C%202019).
3. Worley SL. The Extraordinary Importance of Sleep: The Detrimental Effects of Inadequate Sleep on Health and Public Safety Drive an Explosion of Sleep Research. P T. 2018;43(12):758-763.
4. Medic G, Wille M, Hemels ME. Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Nat Sci Sleep. 2017;9:151-161. Published 2017 May 19. doi:10.2147/NSS.S134864
5. Han KS, Kim L, Shim I. Stress and sleep disorder. Exp Neurobiol. 2012;21(4):141-150. doi:10.5607/en.2012.21.4.141
6. Chu QP, Wang LE, Cui XY, Fu HZ, Lin ZB, Lin SQ, Zhang YH. Extract of Ganoderma lucidum potentiates pentobarbital-induced sleep via a GABAergic mechanism. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2007 Apr;86(4):693-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2007.02.015. Epub 2007 Feb 22. PMID: 17383716.
7. 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;57(1):65-73. doi:10.1080/13880209.2018.1557698
8. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/does-magnesium-help-you-sleep/
9. Xie Z, Chen F, Li WA, Geng X, Li C, Meng X, Feng Y, Liu W, Yu F. A review of sleep disorders and melatonin. Neurol Res. 2017 Jun;39(6):559-565. doi: 10.1080/01616412.2017.1315864. Epub 2017 May 1. PMID: 28460563.
10. https://time.com/5878780/how-to-focus-covid-19-pandemic/
11. https://www.ncausa.org/Newsroom/Out-of-home-coffee-drinking-rebounds-to-pre-COVID-levels
12. https://www.bulletproof.com/supplements/dietary-supplements/lions-mane-mushroom-benefits/#ref-3
13. Park SK, Jung IC, Lee WK, Lee YS, Park HK, Go HJ, Kim K, Lim NK, Hong JT, Ly SY, Rho SS. A combination of green tea extract and l-theanine improves memory and attention in subjects with mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. J Med Food. 2011 Apr;14(4):334-43. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2009.1374. Epub 2011 Feb 8. PMID: 21303262

About the Author: Genuine Health Team

Genuine Health is a Canadian company that makes all natural, non-GMO supplements and is one of the original vendors to partner with HFN back in 1999. Genuine Health has a history of firsts, including: First superfood formula and first to launch a superfood designed for the gut, First with fermented supplements and the first complete fermented protein, and the First natural health supplement company to become a B Corporation worldwide.