Scientists present protocol to determine hibiscus and sleep quality correlation

24 Apr 2023 --- The widely used food and tea ingredient Hibiscus syracus L. flower (HSF) should be examined to determine if its efficient and safe for enhancing the quality of sleep, according to a new protocol by the University Hospital Universities in Seoul and Daegu, South Korea, published in the journal Frontiers of Nutrition.

The protocol strives to complement previous animal studies claiming efficiency for HSF on sleep improvement by determining its efficiency for humans from trials.

The power of sleep
The authors stress that poor sleep is linked to several adverse health outcomes. Among such are cognitive decline, reduced work performance and lower productivity levels. Additionally, high quality of sleep is essential for maintaining mental and physical well-being.

Still, the general population struggles to meet the needed quality and quantity of sleep. The authors argue that 41.7% of people report insufficient sleep and 30% to 48% report having issues falling or maintaining sleep.

Previously, HSF has been deemed efficient for sleep quality by increasing rapid-eye-movement sleep time, restoring sleep duration and increasing sleep maintenance in animal studies.

The protocol suggests a placebo and an intervention group consisting of adults with sleep discomforts. Still, it does not include participants who have severe insomnia or those suffering from other severe diseases in the cardiovascular, immune, respiratory, nervous, kidney and urinary or musculoskeletal systems.

The suggested dosage is 1,000 mg of HSF extracts per day, distributed in four capsules with 250 mg.Additionally excluded are those suffering from infectious diseases, tumors or mental diseases that bring symptoms that affect sleep.

Active ingredient
The suggested dosage is 1,000 mg of HSF extracts per day, distributed in four capsules with 250 mg of HSF as an active ingredient or a placebo capsule without any active ingredients.

The results will be measured on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) – a self-rated questionnaire assessing sleep quality and disturbance – from baseline to four weeks post-starting administration.

As a secondary measurement, the researchers suggest using the Insomnia Severity Index and Epworth Sleep Scale – measuring sleepiness – after two weeks, and polysomnography – reporting brain waves, oxygen levels in the blood, breathing and heart rate while sleeping – after four weeks and at the start of the experiment.

The measurements will assess total sleeping time, efficiency, onset latency and wake-up after sleep onset. The participants kept a sleeping diary throughout the trial.

Increased sleep awareness
Recently, NutritionInsight spoke with Dr. Duane Mellor, spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, who noted increased interest among people in the link between sleep and nutrition. 

Mellow also mentioned other factors affecting sleep, such as eating irregularly daily, as people who eat at regular times each day reported better sleep quality in a survey by the National Sleep Foundation.

Furthermore, we previously spoke with Matevž Ambrožič, marketing and PR director at PharmaLinea, who detailed the increased demand for sleep and relaxation supplements caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We firmly believe the demand for sleep supplements will endure after COVID-19 and there are indicators to confirm it. Unfortunately, we expect the psychological impact of COVID-19 to last significantly longer than the immediate immunity-related threat,” Ambrožič said.

Edited by Beatrice Wihlander