The Connection Between Sleep and Relaxation: How Our Functional Drink Can Help You Get Both

Functional drinks are beverages that contain added ingredients or nutrients that provide a specific health or functional benefit beyond basic hydration. These drinks are formulated with specific functional ingredients, such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, probiotics, prebiotics, and other bioactive compounds, to support various health goals or enhance physical or mental performance.

Functional drinks can serve a wide range of purposes, such as promoting energy, mental clarity, relaxation, immunity, digestion, detoxification, hydration, and sports performance. Some popular types of functional drinks include energy drinks, sports drinks, vitamin water, probiotic drinks, protein shakes, and herbal teas.

Adapt Drinks Relax is a functional drink that has been designed specifically to help you relax! It contains adaptogenic herbs and amino acids that will relax you and therefore help you achieve better sleep.

The importance of sleep for relaxation

During sleep, the body's autonomic nervous system undergoes significant changes, including the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body's fight or flight response, which prepares the body for action and responds to stress. Here is what happens to the sympathetic nervous system when we sleep:

• Reduced Activity - during sleep, the activity of the sympathetic nervous system decreases. This leads to a decrease in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration rate.
• Decreased Stress Hormones - the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for releasing stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. During sleep, the levels of these hormones decrease, which helps the body relax.
• Pupil Constriction - during sleep, the sympathetic nervous system causes the pupils to constrict, which helps to reduce the amount of light entering the eyes and promotes relaxation.
• Increased Digestion - the sympathetic nervous system inhibits digestion by reducing blood flow to the digestive organs. During sleep, this inhibition is lifted, and digestion is increased, allowing the body to repair and regenerate.

The sympathetic nervous system undergoes significant changes during sleep, leading to a decrease in activity and stress hormones and an increase in digestive function. These changes promote relaxation and allow the body to repair and regenerate during sleep. If we do not get enough sleep, we are not able to recover from our day’s stress and it becomes increasingly harder to relax.

How our functional drink can promote relaxation

 Adapt Relax has been designed as a functional drink to help you wind down and soothe the mind. It is made with the natural ingredients of adaptogenic herbs and amino acids that work to relax you and help you manage stress. By having a can of Adapt Drinks in the late afternoon or evening you are giving yourself a better chance of being able to get the sleep you need to recover from your busy day. The key ingredients in Adapt Drinks Relax are:

• Schisandra berry extract - is an adaptogenic herb and we use the berries of this plant to make the liquid extract to add to Adapt Relax. It is used as a performance enhancer that also helps reduce cortisol - our cortisol levels rise when we are feeling stressed.
• Panax ginseng extract - is also an adaptogenic herb and the roots of this plant are used to make the liquid extract to add to Adapt Relax. It has been proven effective in improving mood, immunity, and cognition. 
• L-theanine - is an amino acid that is not common in the diet and it promotes relaxation without drowsiness. Studies have highlighted the positive effect L-theanine can have in terms of relaxation and managing stress. One bottle of Adapt Relax contains 132mg of L-theanine a much higher dose than is typically found in a cup of tea (approximately 20mg). And this is double the 50mg of L-theanine per day that was given to participants in a study that showed it to be an effective mechanism to increase relaxation.

Adapt Drinks is a better for you alternative as an afternoon or evening drink that will help you relax and get a better night’s sleep.

The role of hydration in relaxation and sleep

 Hydration plays an essential role in relaxation and sleep as it affects various bodily functions that contribute to our ability to unwind and fall asleep. Here are some ways hydration impacts relaxation and sleep:

• Regulating Body Temperature - adequate hydration helps regulate body temperature, which is crucial for falling asleep. When the body is dehydrated, it can be more difficult to maintain a comfortable body temperature, leading to restlessness and difficulty sleeping.
• Improving Brain Function - dehydration can impair cognitive function and lead to fatigue, making it more difficult to relax and fall asleep. Staying hydrated helps maintain proper brain function, allowing us to relax and fall asleep more easily.
• Reducing Muscle Tension - dehydration can cause muscle tension and cramping, which can interfere with relaxation and sleep. Drinking enough water helps keep muscles hydrated and relaxed, reducing tension and promoting sleep.
• Promoting Relaxation - proper hydration helps promote relaxation by keeping the body's stress response in check. When the body is dehydrated, stress hormones like cortisol can become elevated, making it more difficult to relax and fall asleep.

Making sure you are well hydrated throughout the day (not trying to drink just before bedtime as this may cause waking for the toilet overnight!) can help improve sleep quality and promote overall relaxation. Drinking a can of Adapt Relax in the late afternoon or early evening can not only help keep you well hydrated but with its relaxing properties will have you feeling better and place you in a better state for sleep.

Tips for incorporating our functional drink into your sleep routine

 Preparing for a good night's sleep doesn't just begin in the evening, but it is greatly affected by what you do throughout your day.  Here are some ways to incorporate the functional drink Adapt Drinks Relax into a healthy sleep routine:

• Limit Caffeine Intake - consuming caffeine in the afternoon can interfere with sleep quality. Avoid caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, or soda, especially in the late afternoon and evening. If you feel like you need to focus and are drawn to caffeine as a focus aid, try an Adapt Drinks Relax instead. The L-theanine in Adapt Relax has been shown to also help with focus. A 2012 study found that when people were given caffeine or theanine, they made fewer errors on the task than when they were given a placebo. 
• Exercise - exercise during the day can help promote better sleep quality. However, avoid exercising within 2-3 hours before bedtime as it can raise the heart rate and make it more difficult to fall asleep. Adapt Drinks Relax can make a tasty drink after your workout to help with hydration.
• Avoid Alcohol - consuming alcohol can interfere with sleep quality. Instead of having alcohol in the late afternoon or evening, have a can of Adapt Drinks Relax to help the edge of a stressful day. 

Customer reviews of our functional drink

And you don’t just have to take our word about the functional benefits of Adapt Drinks Relax! Check out these reviews from happy customers:

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Sleep is critical for our physical and mental health and therefore to be able to get good sleep we need to be relaxed. Adapt Drinks Relax has been designed specifically to help you unwind and relax at the end of the day. If you are finding the relaxing part tricky at the moment, then click here to place your order and have relaxation delivered to your door and if you sign up for our newsletter you will get 10% off your first order.