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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 New Zealand
store. Each bottle contains 60 blissful, sleep-inducing capsules and sells for
$79.95 (when purchasing 2 or more bottles).
(Sweet dreams are not included.)
CNS
Drug Rev. 2001 Winter;7(4):471-81. 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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