Nothing aids performance, physical or mental, more than a good night's
sleep.
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 store. Each bottle contains
60 blissful, sleep-inducing capsules and sells for $44.99.
(Sweet dreams are not included.)
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