A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of a Polyphenol Botanical Blend on Sleep and Daytime Functioning

Abstract

Despite the high prevalence of subclinical sleep disturbances, existing treatments are either potent prescription medications or over-the-counter supplements with minimal scientific support and numerous side effects. However, preliminary evidence shows that polyphenols such as rosmarinic acid and epigallocatechin gallate can support healthy sleep without significant side effects. Therefore, the present study examined whether a polyphenol botanical blend (PBB) could improve sleep and/or daytime functioning in individuals with subclinical sleep disturbances. A total of 89 individuals completed a double-blind, randomized trial of daily treatment with PBB (n = 43) or placebo (n = 46) 30 min before bed for 30 days. Participants were monitored for changes in sleep (by sleep diary and an activity tracker), mood, and neurocognitive functioning. After 30 days, PBB improved diary sleep quality (p = 0.008) and reduced insomnia severity (p = 0.044) when compared to placebo. No other changes in sleep outcomes were observed. Additionally, PBB did not impair neurocognitive functioning, and some improvement was noted in vigilant attention, working memory, and risk assessment. Among individuals with subclinical sleep disturbances, PBB improved sleep quality, insomnia severity, and neurocognitive functioning over placebo. These findings indicate that polyphenol compounds may be useful for improving certain aspects of sleep without compromising neurocognitive functioning.

Nutritional Biomarkers and Factors Correlated with Poor Sleep Status among Young Females: A Case-Control Study

“…Experimental and observational studies on the relationship between dietary polyphenols and sleep are scarce [ 19 , 22 , 23 , 52 , 53 , 54 ]. So far, only three observational [ 19 , 22 , 54 ] and two experimental studies [ 23 , 52 ] have been found to relate polyphenol intake with sleep quality. This study proposed that participants who consume higher amounts of polyphenols are independently protected by 76% from poor sleep.…”

“…Similar to our study, a recent Italian observational study presented that higher consumption of certain dietary polyphenols (some subclasses of flavonoid, phenolic acids, and lignans) could enhance the sleep quality in healthy adults with normal body weight, but the association has not been confirmed among overweight/obese participants [ 19 ]. An RCT investigated the effect of 30-day polyphenol supplementation on sleep quality in participants with subclinical sleep disturbances [ 23 ]. In the study, polyphenol supplementation significantly improved sleep quality (β = 0.11; CI 95% 0.01, 0.22; p = 0.008) and decreased the insomnia severity index (β = −0.1; CI 95% −2.0, −0.03; p = 0.044) compared to the placebo group [ 23 ].…”

“…An RCT investigated the effect of 30-day polyphenol supplementation on sleep quality in participants with subclinical sleep disturbances [ 23 ]. In the study, polyphenol supplementation significantly improved sleep quality (β = 0.11; CI 95% 0.01, 0.22; p = 0.008) and decreased the insomnia severity index (β = −0.1; CI 95% −2.0, −0.03; p = 0.044) compared to the placebo group [ 23 ]. This is in accordance with other RCT studies among apparently healthy adults with a BMI of 25–35 kg/m 2 , which found that sleep quality significantly improved by 43% in participants who receive 1000 mg/day of HolisFiit ® (a polyphenol-rich food supplement) for 16 weeks ( p = 0.0001) [ 52 ].…”

“…Experimental and observational studies on the relationship between dietary polyphenols and sleep are scarce [19,22,23,[52][53][54]. So far, only three observational [19,22,54] and two experimental studies [23,52] have been found to relate polyphenol intake with sleep quality.…”

“…A review study proposed that dietary polyphenols in fruits and vegetables are related to several potential health benefits, including optimal sleep [ 21 ]. Notably, only a few studies have investigated polyphenols in relation to better sleep quality, duration, and time to go to sleep among obese or normal-weight individuals [ 19 , 22 , 23 ]. Godos et al [ 19 ] reported that a higher intake of certain polyphenols is associated with better sleep quality, specifically in normal-weight individuals [ 19 ].…”