Natural Solutions for Sleep and Focus

Everyone experiences nights when they’re a little restless, or days when they’re feeling a little fuzzy, but when you start to experience these more than just occasionally, they can really affect your daily life. Poor sleep can leave you feeling tired, sluggish, and unprepared for your day, and can be due to many different factors such as stress, diet, or even too much screen time before bed. It’s important to set yourself up for a good night’s rest throughout the day by eating healthy foods, drinking enough water, and establishing a nighttime routine so your body recognizes signs that it’s time to get ready for sleep.

To focus well and have a clear mind, similar things should be considered. If you find yourself consistently struggling to focus on tasks, you could not be getting enough rest, eating poorly, not hydrating enough, and not having a proper workspace. Prepare your body for a well-focused working session by having a good sleep the night before, drink water before coffee in the morning, and have a well-balanced breakfast. When you get to your workspace, make sure distractions like your phone are on “do not disturb” and put away (out of sight, out of mind!). Have water at your space and a snack nearby.

Fueling your body and setting up your environment effectively for both sleep and focus are essential first steps for success. However, sometimes it’s still difficult to achieve the quality of sleep or level of focus one may desire. People have explored other methods to enhance their sleep and focus to help them get the most out of their days. For sleep, melatonin is a common supplement, and for focus, many people will use caffeine for a boost of energy. However, many melatonin supplements have high doses, leaving people groggy when they wake up, and in some cases even leading to dependency. And although caffeine is well-loved and widely consumed, it’s important to monitor and limit your consumption to avoid feeling jittery and to not disrupt your sleep later that night.

Luckily, there are other options that are natural and effective! Mushrooms have been rising in popularity due to their wide spectrum of benefits and have been researched for immunity, energy, stress, athletic performance, and cognitive benefits. When looking specifically for sleep and focus benefits, though, which mushrooms should you consider?

FOR SLEEP: Reishi Mushroom

• An adaptogen that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years to treat insomnia ^[1]
• Reishi has been found to promote deep sleep (improve sleep quality), help you fall asleep faster (reduce sleep latency), increase REM sleep time, and total sleeping time ^[2]

FOR FOCUS: Lion’s Mane Mushroom

• Has been found to support brain health and improve cognitive performance ^[3][4]

Explore Genuine Health’s Deep Sleep with Reishi Mushroom and Clear Focus with Lion’s Mane Mushroom! Deep Sleep has been carefully formulated to help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, reach deeper sleep in your cycle, and you’ll wake up feeling refreshed! With Reishi mushroom, L-theanine, GABA, Magnesium, and a low-dose melatonin, Deep Sleep is the perfect solution to make sure you wake up feeling rested. Clear Focus helps you stay in the zone and support focus, attention, reduce mental fatigue, and increase resistance to stress. With Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Red Ginseng, Green Tea Extract, L-Theanine, and a B-Vitamin Complex, Clear Focus will help you check off everything you have on your to-do list.

References:
[1] Chu QP, Wang LE, Cui XY, Fu HZ, Lin ZB, Lin SQ, Zhang YH. Extract of Ganoderma lucidum potentiates pentobarbital-induced sleep via a GABAergic mechanism. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2007 Apr;86(4):693-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2007.02.015. Epub 2007 Feb 22. PMID: 17383716.
[2] Cui XY, Cui SY, Zhang J, Wang ZJ, Yu B, Sheng ZF, Zhang XQ, Zhang YH. Extract of Ganoderma lucidum prolongs sleep time in rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Feb 15;139(3):796-800. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.12.020. Epub 2011 Dec 21. PMID: 22207209.
[3] Neurotrophic properties of the Lion’s mane medicinal mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Higher Basidiomycetes) from Malaysia. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24266378/)
[4] Effects of Hericium erinaceus on amyloid β(25-35) peptide-induced learning and memory deficits in mice. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21383512/)

About the Author: Genuine Health Team

Genuine Health is a Canadian company that makes all natural, non-GMO supplements and is one of the original vendors to partner with HFN back in 1999. Genuine Health has a history of firsts, including: First superfood formula and first to launch a superfood designed for the gut, First with fermented supplements and the first complete fermented protein, and the First natural health supplement company to become a B Corporation worldwide.