Sleep quality plays active role in health and wellness, says Pharmactive

06 Oct 2021 --- Athletes continue to seek any advantage or edge that may improve performance. One of the most critical areas is recovery, specifically the rate of recovery and its quality. Recovery aims to restore physiological and psychological processes to compete or train again at their optimum level.

There are several methods used to enhance recovery, including interventions such as massage and compression.

However, two of the most popular interventions are nutrition and sleep – including the nutrition to support sleep. Sleep is the fourth stage of performance. To prepare, perform, recover and sleep, reveals Pharmactive.

NutritionInsight speaks with company experts ahead of its webinar next week, The Fourth frontier. Performance and sleep with affron, who shed light on the challenges industry and consumers face when it comes to sleep. 

Athletes continue to seek any advantage or edge that may improve performance.It is well reported that elite athletes are particularly susceptible to inadequate or disturbed sleep. In fact, 50 to 78% of elite athletes experience sleep disturbance, while 22 to 26% suffer highly disturbed sleep, the company reveals. 

A 2020 article in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine discussed other factors contributing to an athlete’s performance, including sports factors that disrupt circadian rhythms, such as early morning training, high training demands and night competitions. 

Healthy body, healthy mind?
Lifestyle factors, such as travel, unfamiliar sleep environments, and mental pressures negatively impact sleep quality, especially crucial on the night before a competition. 

“The role of nutrition has received greater attention among individuals seeking sports performance benefits,” remarks Alberto Espinel, head of strategic R&D in active and functional natural ingredients for Pharmactive. 

“Elite performers and consumers who engage in exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle understand sleep is an important component for a ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ aspiration.”

Commenting on why sleep impacts performance, Nick Morgan, director and consultant of Sports Integrated, says that beyond physical prowess and commitment, being in a good state of mind is “essential for improving sports performance.” 

“Saffron has the potential to be a ‘secret ingredient’ that can help athletes and active people reach a better state of mindfulness. Athletes, as well as people leading active lifestyles, require, on average, eight hours of quality shut-eye to achieve their fitness goals,” he asserts. 

COVID-19 has created awareness among consumers of how vital sleep is to perform daily. 

Pharmactive believes that athletes are aware of the importance of sleep since there is a wide array of studies that relate performance and sleep. In addition, athletes are conscious of the importance of sleep and muscle recovery.

Wins for nutrition and performance 
The growth of sports nutrition is driven by the increase in active consumers interested in the importance of exercise and nutrition to improve health as much as performance. 

As a result, there is greater interest in the role of nutrition beyond the immediate periods before, during and after sport, with particular focus on how to improve the quality of the diet, support immunity and improve sleep, maintains Pharmactive. 

Challenges in the sports nutrition market come from both R&D and marketing, adds Espinel. Affron offers a proven, natural, and plant-based solution that is versatile to use multiple formats and formulations.

“Combining ingredients that may promote sleep like Affron and muscle recovery like proteins. Pharmactive has formulated products that may help with muscle recovery, sleep and performance,” he says. 

For example, the company’s overnight protein combines the nourishing power of plant protein with 28 mg of Affron to promote sleep by helping you relax and feel good. 

Last month, Affron was shown to promote restorative sleep even when taken as a single, low dose an hour before bedtime. 

“Consumers are seeking personalized nutrition based on their needs. Athletes look for supplements that combine recovery, sleep and performance in one product. The trend for searches for sleep continues to increase and we predict that it will maintain a progressive growth over the next few years,” Espinel explains. 

In the webinar scheduled for next week, Morgan will further explore how Affron can enhance sleep and support relaxation. You can sign up for the webinar here.  

By Elizabeth Green, with additional reporting from Katherine Durrell