Every evening, millions of people in North America struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep.

For some this can be a fleeting issue. Yet for others, insomnia interferes with daily life and can cause serious short and long term health problems.  

Here are some facts to consider: ^[1]

• 30 to 35% of U.S. adults have brief symptoms of insomnia.
• 15 to 20% have a short-term sleep disorder, which lasts less than three months.
• 10% have a chronic insomnia disorder, which occurs at least three times per week for at least three months.

Chronic insomnia can severely impact quality of life.

Chronic insomnia can have an enormous impact mental and physical health, increasing the risk of chronic disease, mental health, heart disease, high blood pressure and worse, premature death. ^[2]

Common symptoms of insomnia include:

• Fatigue
• Inability to focus or concentrate
• Poor memory
• Mood disturbance
• Daytime sleepiness
• Low motivation or energy
• Increased errors or accidents

For those who are searching for a drug-free alternative to sleep aids, there is good news.

Recent independently funded, third party university research confirms: broad-spectrum micronutrients can improve sleep-quality in those suffering from insomnia. ^[6]

Nutrition researchers from the University of Canterbury (Joanna Lothian, Neville M. Blampied, and Julia J. Rucklidge), recently published a study which examined the effect of Hardy Nutritionals^® Optimal Balance™, a micronutrient supplement, on insomnia.

The findings demonstrated the promising clinical benefit of Hardy Nutritionals^® broad-spectrum micronutrients in the treatment of adult insomnia. Individuals in the study reported moderate to large effects on sleep onset latency, night waking, and sleep quality. Several individuals reported moderate to large improvements for total sleep time and sleep efficiency.

Participants showed reliable clinical changes by the 4th week of taking Hardy Nutritionals^® Optimal Balance™ (formerly called Daily Self Defense).

 In addition to the exciting findings for insomnia, researchers noted that the participant's scores for stress reduced to non-clinical levels by the 8th week of taking Optimal Balance™ in nearly all study participants.

This trial was built on the findings of earlier successful trials which have demonstrated how specialized micronutrient formulas can significantly improve psychological functioning and well-being in general. 

These results support other findings in past research trials, which showed that individuals who took similar levels of micronutrients after a series of earthquakes, experienced statistically significant improvements in depression, anxiety, and stress scores compared to individuals who didn't take micronutrients or who took a less potent micronutrient formula.

The researchers concluded that "nutritional supplementation is shown to be a novel, beneficial treatment for insomnia in adults."

Insomnia Costs Billions in Lost Work Performance Annually

Insomnia can affect school or work performance, too. An Oxford study estimated that an employee with insomnia loses about eight days of work performance each year. For the entire U.S. workforce, this adds up to an estimated $63 billion in lost work performance due to insomnia each year. ^[3]
While prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids may be helpful short term, they don't address the root cause of insomnia or bring the body into balance.  CDC data suggests that about four percent of U.S. adults used prescription sleep aids in any given month.^[4] 

Common side effects of sleeping pills include: ^[5]

• Addiction or dependence
• Burning or tingling in the hands, arms, feet, or legs
• Changes in appetite
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Difficulty keeping balance
• Dizziness
• Daytime drowsiness
• Dry mouth or throat
• Gas
• Headache
• Heartburn
• Impairment the next day
• Mental slowing or problems with attention or memory
• Stomach pain or tenderness
• Uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
• Unusual dreams
• Weakness 
  
  Common side effects of micronutrients include:
  
  
• Better health*
  
  

  For more information on Hardy Nutritionals® Drug-Free Micronutrient Complex, Optimal Balance™ for sleep, visit Try.GetHardy.com/Sleep.

Sources:

1. http://www.sleepeducation.org/news/2014/03/10/insomnia-awareness-day-facts-and-stats

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/

3. https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/34/9/1161/2454605/Insomnia-and-the-Performance-of-US-Workers-Results

4. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-nearly-9-millon-americans-use-prescription-sleep-aids/

5. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/understanding-the-side-effects-of-sleeping-pills#1

6. Lothian J., Blampied NM. and Rucklidge JJ. Effect of Micronutrients on Insomnia in Adults: A Multiple-baseline Study. Clinical Psychological Science. 2016. 4(6): 1112-1124

About Hardy Nutritionals®

Hardy Nutritionals® multivitamin-mineral products are powered by our proprietary NutraTek™ mineral delivery technology, which combines each mineral with specialized organic molecules—just like nature—to optimize absorption and distribution to body cells. Our flagship supplement, Daily Essential Nutrients, is widely considered to be the most research-backed micronutrient treatment.