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Conversely, nothing hurts performance
more than a poor night's sleep.
Worse, lack of sleep kills the ability
to enjoy life. It saps us of our strength, our vitality.
If sleeplessness had a face, it would be that of Count Dracula.
For years, doctors have told us that
sleeplessness results from depression, neurosis, or some
other underlying psychological pathology. But there's evidence
to suggest that we've got it backward, that sleeplessness
leads to depression, in addition to alcoholism, emotional
instability, and other mental problems!
While surveys suggest that 10 to 15
percent of the U.S. population suffers from chronic insomnia,
personal experience and anecdotal data lead me to believe
that occasional sleeplessness plagues at least half of the
population.
The causes are largely unknown, although
there's some indication that it might even be genetic. Personally,
I know that my sleeplessness is directly caused by the demons
— or vampires — that come in the middle of the
night, the ones that remind me of responsibilities, bills,
friends in need, or any of a number of gut-knotting problems.
The sleeplessness takes its toll in the gym, in business,
and in health. People who suffer from sleeplessness have
statistically more visits to the doctor (because they're
at the mercy of every passing illness), more hospitalization,
and more accidents on the job and on the road.
Closely related to sleeplessness is
plain old daytime anxiety, the kind that leads to the tyranny
of the scattered mind. Anxiety is like a persistent itch
that you just can't scratch.
While most athletes spend a lot of
their time getting jacked up by stimulants, very few give
any thought to the restful yin to the energy yang.
Obviously, rest is crucial. A calm
mind is crucial. We all know it. Now it's time we applied
the inestimable creativity of Biotest researchers to addressing
it.
Enter the latest Biotest product.
Enter blissful rest without a sleep hangover. Enter calmness
without loss of strength or focus.
Enter Z-12.
Biotest's Z-12 provides a full night's
sleep without the sleep "hangover" associated
with virtually all other prescription or non-prescription
sleep aids.
Z-12 is also useful to people who
might not generally have trouble sleeping, but who might
occasionally need a guarantee of a good night's rest, like
the night before an exam, a job interview, or athletic meet.
Travelers might find it useful, too,
in overcoming the first-night insomnia that often afflicts
those who sleep in beds they're not accustomed to.
And Z-12 is helpful for making an
anxiety-packed day a lot more tolerable.
My personal experience with Z-12 is
that I fall into a deep, restful, uninterrupted sleep within
15 minutes of taking two capsules at bedtime. When I wake
up, I feel entirely refreshed without the least bit of grogginess.
Like I said, Z-12 can also be used
during waking hours for temporary relief of nervousness
or anxiety without impairing brain function. Just one capsule
allows me to calm down without impeding work performance
in the slightest. In fact, it seems to allow me to focus
better.
Z-12 is an encapsulated, non-addictive
formula that contains three anxiety reducing, sleep-inducing
ingredients:
4-amino-3-phenyl-butanoic acid HCL
(PhGABA)
L-theanine
5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)
The main workhorse in Z-12 is PhGABA.
The compound is a derivative of the inhibitory neurotransmitter
GABA.
When we're stressed, our brains experience
an uninterrupted flow of stimulatory neurotransmitters and
this causes restlessness, irritability, and insomnia.
GABA, and compounds related to it
like the PhGABA in Biotest's Z-12, inhibit the flow of these
stimulatory neurotransmitters, thereby allowing the brain
and body to relax. PhGABA not only acts like GABA, but it
also causes the release of GABA for a one-two sleep-inducing
punch.
There's also evidence that PhGABA
has serotonergic effects, too. (Serotonin is a neurotransmitter
involved in sleep and feelings of well-being.)
There have been a ton of studies on
PhGABA and many of them have compared the compound to Valium,
which has pronounced anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) properties,
and the nootropic compound piracetam, which has weaker anxiolytic
properties.
In parts of Europe, the compound is
used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, stuttering,
and of course, insomnia.
Furthermore, double-blind studies
found the compound to increase intellectual function, improve
physical strength, and reduce fatigue in neurotic patients.
While it's not commonly known as a performance-enhancing
supplement, PhGABA has been shown to improve work capacity
in humans, along with increasing the performance of animals
on swim tests.
PhGABA is an amazingly safe compound.
Unlike many compounds, it seems to have no known negative
side effects. In fact, it's even been found to have cardioprotective
properties.
The plasma half-life of a 250-mg dose
of PhGABA is 5.3 hours, and most of the compound is excreted
unchanged.
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) is a naturally
occurring amino acid that's a precursor to the neurotransmitter
serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine), which is implicated in
sleep and general feelings of well-being.
When blood levels of 5-HTP are high,
it causes the brain's serotonin producing neurons to increase
production.
Furthermore, we believe that 5-HTP,
in addition to being serotonergic, actually "resets"
(normalizes) the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
In addition to helping the body adapt better to stress,
this resetting effect also helps PhGABA and L-theanine to
keep on working without allowing the user to develop tolerance.
L-Theanine is an amino acid found
in green tea. Due to it promoting brain alpha-wave function,
L-theanine facilitates a calm, relaxed-mental state. Animal
studies suggest it increases brain serotonin and GABA levels,
along with perhaps being both a neuroprotective agent and
a cognitive enhancing agent.
While there's some functional overlap
between the three compounds in Z-12, all affect the brain
slightly differently and the three seem to work synergistically.
PhGABA is an amazingly safe compound.
No signs of toxicity have been reported, and side effects
are almost non-existent. The same is true of 5-HTP and L-Theanine.
Time to feel normal again, time to
feel good again.
If you want a good night's rest or
you're just too wired, it's time to try Z-12.
Z-12 is only available through the
Biotest Australia store. Each bottle contains 60 blissful,
sleep-inducing capsules and sells for $79.95.
(Sweet dreams are not included.)
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Phenibut: a tranquilizer and nootropic drug. Lapin I.
Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol.
2001 Aug;281(2):G311-5. Receptors and transmission in the
brain-gut axis: potential for novel therapies. IV. GABA(B)
receptors in the brain-esophageal axis. Blackshaw LA.
Farmakol Toksikol. 1985 Jul-Aug;48(4).
Differences and similarity in the interaction of fenibut,
baclofen, and diazepam with phenylethylamine. Lapin IP.
Pavlov J Biol Sci. 1986 Oct-Dec21(4):129-40.
On neurotransmitter mechanisms of reinforcement and internal
inhibition. Shulgina GI.
Farmakol Toksikol. 1989 Jul-Aug;52(4):37-9.
Effect of fenibut on seduxen on fetal development in the
second half of pregnancy. Filimonov, VG, et al.
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