STRESS, MOOD,

AND SLEEP:
Nutritional Support in
Mental Health and
the Role of PEA

Sponsored by
LEVAGEN®+ IS PALMITOYLETHANOLAMIDE (PEA)
A PROVEN SLEEP INGREDIENT
 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep PEA for Sleep Support

zinkevych/stock.adobe.com

Comfort Food: Foods and Beverages

Deliver Sleep, Stress, and Mood Relief in
Turbulent Times
By Kimberly J. Decker

Formulators Eat your feelings: It’s a saying—and a strategy—that plenty of us have

will have to grown familiar with over the past 12-odd months.
approach the task
And who could blame us? In the midst of a year that’s rendered
of developing words like challenging and unprecedented cliché, it’s only natural to
mood foods seek comfort. And at a fundamental level, comfort is a lot of what
and beverages eating is about. (Just ask any recently fed baby.)
differently from
But while some have found their emotional Band-Aid in a bowl of ice
how they’d build cream or homemade brownie, others seek a more mindful approach
a traditional to eating their feelings.
supplement.
In so doing, they’re inspiring wellness brands to use foods and
beverages as vehicles for destressing, calming, and sleep-promoting
ingredients—ingredients that have heretofore been the province
primarily of supplements. The results are gaining traction and putting
a scientifically substantiated spin on the concept of “comfort food.”

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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep
A Nation on Edge
The reawakening to wellness that consumers
experienced in 2020 will go down in history
as one of COVID-19’s unanticipated side
effects. But just as striking, says Itay Shafat,
cognitive health product manager, IFF Health
(New York City), was the “holistic” tone that
reawakening took.
“It’s remarkable how much consumers
have shifted from centering their idea of
health and well-being around the physical
alone to recognizing that mental and physical
health complement each other,” he notes.
And that recognition won’t go away with
the coronavirus.
Why? Because the stress, anxiety, poor
sleep, and even sadness plaguing the
collective psyche of late merely amplify
emotions that modern society’s been
managing for generations now.
Consider that while Kaiser Family Foundation
data show that as many as four in 10
American adults reported symptoms of
anxiety or depressive disorder during the
pandemic, a notable 11% were already
reporting those same symptoms in the
January-to-June period of the previous year.1
“Thus,” Shafat concludes, “continuing to
address issues like stress and sleep are of the
utmost importance.”
Julia Díaz, head of marketing, Pharmactive
(Madrid), agrees. “The world is still awaiting full
recovery from this crisis,” she points out. “So
AUGUST 2021 | NUTRITIONAL OUTLOOK 4
PEA for Sleep Support
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Affron®: Premium
Ingredient for
Mood Support
maintaining mental strength to cope with the
‘new normal’ atop all the pandemic’s lingering
effects remains a must-have for consumers.”
Demand for stress-management, mood-
support and sleep supplements reflects that
must-have status. SPINS reported a 35.7%
increase in sales of such products across
mass and natural channels year-over-year,
with their take totaling nearly $400 million
from January to June of 2020, compared to
$294 million for the same period in 2019.2
Mood Foods—and Drinks
But supplements are only where the story
gets started. According to a 2020 FMCG
Gurus survey on the pandemic’s effects—
conducted for functional-ingredient supplier
Beneo (Parsippany, NJ)—55% of consumers
in the market to improve their mental well-
being are likely to opt for a food or drink as a
means of doing so. And a whole constellation
of factors drives them toward that decision.
Pill fatigue, of course, is one, as is the
aforementioned practice of comforting
oneself with food and drink.
“It’s well known that tasty foods exert a
comforting effect and are widely adopted
coping mechanisms,” Díaz notes. And with
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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep PEA for Sleep Support

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some continuing pandemic restrictions
New Ingredient for Sleep: A Conversation with
Mariko Hill, Product Development Executive, Gencor extending consumers’ sense of cabin fever,
“the temptation to snack becomes even
What is PEA? greater,” she says.
PEA is a fatty acid amide that’s
produced in the body in response
to pain, inflammation, and Shafat notes that mood foods and drinks
stress. It was first identified as make the most sense when their constituent
a food component in the 1957,
originally derived from egg yolk. ingredients connote an association with calm
Throughout history, we started and relaxation. “In the case of stress, for
to see its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects (i.e.,
pain relieving). As a result, Gencor started to study PEA example,” he says, “teas made with chamomile,
in the realm of joint health, sleep, and sports nutrition, lemon balm, cinnamon, rhodiola, and other
which is now distributed under our brand name
Levagen® and Levagen+®.
extracts with proven, or at least publicly
accepted, benefits can help to address it.”
Can you talk about the science and the research
behind Levagen+, specifically for sleep health?
Gencor has conducted many human clinical trials on Díaz detects an echo between consumers’
Levagen and Levagen+. To date, we have completed adoption of mood foods and “the growing
six studies. All are either published or have been
submitted for publication. Our latest one is on sleep awareness of self-care and healthy habits,”
health. We tested 125 healthy adults in a double-blind, which she says can include everything from
randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Compared to
placebo, individuals fell asleep 3x faster (measured choosing organic produce to reducing
using sleep latency), feel more awake the next day, had sugar consumption.
improved cognition upon awakening, and didn’t feel
drowsy. If you look at the sleep health category as a
whole, it has been a sea of sameness. With Levagen+, And Shafat cites a very practical reason for
we are taking a more holistic approach to sleep health
than many of the sleep health ingredients on the
using food to improve mood: “Many active
market. And we have the science to back up our claims. ingredients are better absorbed when taken
with food,” he says. “And liquid formats like
We heard you’re working with a few elite sports teams
with Levagen+. Can you elaborate on what you have beverages move more quickly through the
found? GI tract.” By contrast, supplement capsules
We wanted to gain practical insights into how PEA is
used in an elite sports setting. One of our good friends, and tablets must disintegrate first before
James Hudson, is the nutritionist of Gloucester Rugby, allowing their actives to dissolve and the
and he was keen on using PEA as a CBD and even an
NSAID alternative. He was interested in using Levagen+ body to absorb them, he says.
to reduce tendinopathy pain and possibly influencing
sleep. Not only did he see a decrease in tendinopathy,
but he also saw a reduction in time to sleep per the Relaxing Actives
gold standard—the Pittsburgh Quality Questionnaire for As for which mood-improving ingredients
Sleep. This is really interesting because this effect was
not only seen in the clinical setting, but in the applied
are getting play in food and beverage
setting, too. formulations, both Díaz and Shafat shine a
spotlight on botanicals. Díaz sees the plant-
Interested in hearing more? LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST
based ingredients as capitalizing on their
“long history of traditional use to aid sleep

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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep
and induce calm.” That history not only
strikes consumers as “natural” and evokes
their trust; on the manufacturing side, it
can also relieve brands of the regulatory
concerns surrounding ingredients like CBD.
Díaz notes that sales of Affron, Pharmactive’s
natural saffron (Crocus sativus L.) extract,
have been rising in concert with demand for
calming formulations.
Previous clinical studies have established
its capacity to support mood and relaxation,
relieve stress and improve sleep, she notes,
while adding that a recent clinical study of
12- to 16-year-olds with mild to moderate
anxiety and depression showed that
subjects who took the extract over an
eight-week period experienced
improvements in symptoms.3
The extract’s proposed mechanism of
action rests on its antioxidant and anti-
inflammatory properties, which may help
balance levels of key neurotransmitters like
serotonin and dopamine while also fighting
the oxidative stress that anxiety and stress
can trigger in the brain.
Meanwhile, Shafat looks to the gut-brain axis
for further hints as to where mood food may
be headed.
“As consumers begin to understand the
connection between our brains and our
microbiome more widely,” he says, “the
category of probiotic-fortified foods and
beverages for stress and mood should grow.”
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PEA for Sleep Support
Probiotics are already building a track record
in this arena. A randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled study involving 120
healthy subjects aged 18 to 45 found that
IFF’s Howaru Calm probiotic (Lactobacillus
paracasei Lpc-37) improved psychological and
physiological markers of stress and anxiety in
subjects who took the ingredient.4
“That’s a big development,” Shafat says. “It
gives consumers a scientifically proven way
to manage daily stress by taking a probiotic
they can buy online or in a store.”
Working Out the Kinks
Formulators will have to approach the task
of developing mood foods and beverages
differently from how they’d build a
traditional supplement. As Shafat cautions,
“Adding any functional ingredient to a food
or beverage poses challenges to processing,
shelf stability, solubility, taste, and more.”
And as any food or beverage developer
knows, “Consumers drink and eat what’s
tasty,” Shafat says. “That’s driving the
industry’s focus toward adapting these
ingredients—many of which are bitter—to
foods and beverages using ingredients like
flavor maskers.”
It’s not just product appeal that hangs in the
balance, either; it’s consumer compliance.
After all, a mood-enhancing food or drink
will only work if consumers feel compelled to
consume it on the regular. “These products
have to be linked to daily, rather than
occasional, consumption,” Díaz says. “Natural
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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep PEA for Sleep Support

solutions usually work better this way.”
Brands also must remain measured in making
promises for their products. Díaz reiterates
the importance of drawing hard lines at
claiming to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or
prevent disease. And she encourages brands
to support any claims they do make with
rigorous scientific evidence.
As research into mood-enhancing actives
proceeds, that evidence will only mount.
Says Shafat, “New research on mood and
relaxation is taking place to offer more
substantiation for active ingredients. This will
result in more acceptable mood-food and
-beverage formulations for both the industry
and consumers.”
of youth anxiety and depressive symptoms: a
randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
study,” Journal of Affective Disorders. Published
online February 26, 2018.
4. Patterson E et al. “Lacticaseibacillus paracasei
Lpc-37® improves psychological and
physiological markers of stress and anxiety in
healthy adults: a randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled and parallel clinical trial (the
Sisu study).” Neurobiology of Stress. Published
online November 24, 2020.
Kimberly J. Decker
Freelancer Writer
The article was first published by Nutritional
Outlook, July 26, 2021.

References
1. Panchal N et al. “The Implications of COVID-19
for Mental Health and Substance Use.” Kaiser
Family Foundation website. Published February
10, 2021. Accessed here. https://www.kff.
org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-
implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-
substance-use/
2. Daniells S. “Stress Management Supplements
Sales Surge with Sleep and Adaptogen Lines
Leading the Way.” Nutraingredients-USA.
com. Updated August 18, 2020. Accessed
here. https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/
Article/2020/08/18/Stress-management-
supplements-sales-surge-with-sleep-and-
adaptogen-lines-leading-the-way#
3. Lopresti AL et al. “Affron, a standardized extract
from saffron (Crocus sativus L.) for treatment

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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep PEA for Sleep Support

amenic181/stock.adobe.com

The Necezzity of Catching

Some Z’s
By Maggie McNamara

T
Why stress and he pandemic permanently disrupted the lives of people all
over the world, and it very well may continue to do so as we
sleep support is approach the post-pandemic phase. Many “normalcies” of
so important in life have been drastically altered over the past year, work,
2021. education, sports, health care, politics, and relationships, to name a few.

We’re only now seeing the long-lasting impact of the pandemic as

countless people continue to face uncertainty and chaos, and for many of
them, this has caused health challenges that sometimes aren’t so obvious.

Suffering in Silence
Over the past year, the number of people looking for help in
addressing their anxiety has skyrocketed. The 2021 State of Mental
Health in America report showed that from January to September
2020, 315,000+ people took the anxiety MHA (Mental Health
America) screen test, a 93% increase over the 2019 total number of
anxiety screens.1

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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep
“Challenges with sleep isn’t
anything new with more
than one-third of Americans
having not received enough
sleep on a regular basis
for years.”10
The pandemic negatively affected many
people’s mental health and created new
obstacles for people who already had been
suffering from mental illness and substance
abuse. During the pandemic, about 4
in 102 adults in the U.S. have reported
symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder,
a share that has been largely consistent, up
from 1 in 103 adults who reported these
symptoms from January to June 2019.4
A July 2020 Kaiser Family Foundation Health
Tracking Poll found that many adults are
reporting specific negative impacts on their
mental health and well-being, such as difficulty
sleeping (36%).5 Prior to the pandemic, the
use of both anti-anxiety and anti-insomnia
medications was on the decline from 2015
to 2019, down 12% and 11.3%, respectively.
Between February 2020 to March 2020, new
prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications
exhibited a 37.7% increase.6
According to the American Psychological
Association (APA), Americans have been
profoundly affected by the COVID-19
pandemic, and that the external factors
Americans have listed in previous years as
significant sources of stress remain present and
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PEA for Sleep Support
problematic.7 These compounding stressors
are taking a toll on the mind and body.
Despite having several months of acclimating
to a new reality, Americans are continuing
to struggle with the barrage of ongoing
disruptions. The APA estimates that nearly 8
in 10 adults (78%) say the pandemic continues
to be a significant source of stress in their life.
Stress and anxiety have always been very much
a part of life, but left unattended or untreated,
they can become chronic, and that is when
greater problems arise.8
The Age of “Coronasomnia”
Stress-related insomnia caused by the fallout
of the pandemic is a very real thing, and it is
more complicated than typical stress-related
sleeplessness. The difference is that it isn’t
brought on just because of the virus itself;
it’s everything else that’s changed because of
it, from loneliness to economic hardships to
juggling work and homeschooling.9
Like oil and water, stress and sleep don’t
mix, and sleeplessness not only drains your
mental abilities, but it also puts your physical
health at real risk.
Challenges with sleep aren’t new, with more
than one-third10 of Americans having not
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What is Levagen+ PEA and
how it can help with sleep?
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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep
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HydroCurc: The Most
Bioavailable Curcumin for
Cognitive Health
received enough sleep on a regular basis for
years. In fact, lack of good sleep is such a
widespread problem that the CDC has called
it a “public health epidemic.”
Sleep deprivation was already a problem for
many, and then the pandemic hit. With all
the stress, grief, and anxiety caused by the
pandemic and the impact on daily life, people
reported more sleep problems than ever
before. A 2021 study showed around four
in 10 people reported trouble sleeping
during the pandemic.10 Brought on by the
stress of living in a global pandemic, sleep
experts have labeled these sleep problems
“coronasomnia.”11
As society attempts to get back to “normal,”
many are carrying with them some baggage
that psychiatrists are calling Post-Covid
Stress Disorder (PCSD), which may lead to
diverse mental health problems, including
anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress
disorder, and other trauma- and stress-
related disorders.12
Medical practitioners have seen increased
stress, burnout, sleep disturbance, anxiety,
depression, trauma-related disorders, and a
general sense of grief of the life we knew.
There will likely be a broad spectrum of
AUGUST 2021 | NUTRITIONAL OUTLOOK 11
PEA for Sleep Support
emotions going forward as we begin to
rebuild from a year that has reshaped us as
individuals and as a society.13
The Dangers of Sleeplessness
The effects of a restless night are
immediately seen, from fatigue to a lack
of focus and moodiness. What cannot be
seen is the dangerous long-term toll sleep
deprivation can make on the body and mind,
and a review of studies in 2010 Trusted
Source found that sleeping too little at night
could increase the risk of early death.
Many people don’t realize that a lack of sleep,
especially on a regular basis is associated with
long-term health consequences, including chronic
medical conditions like a decrease in immune and
cognitive functions.14 It has been said that the
immune system is key to whole-body health and,
when out of balance, it not only fails to protect
the body, but can mistake “self” cells for invading
pathogens and attack them.
While getting adequate sleep, managing
stress are effective ways to help maintain
a healthy immune system, science has
shown that nutrients gained through a
healthy diet or supplementation are critical
in maintaining balance.
According to the FMCG Gurus’ survey
series 2020, 18% of consumers have
become more conscious about their sleep
health and 40% said this about their overall
mental well-being15 and it didn’t take long
for companies to take notice. New brands,
products, and even mobile apps continue to
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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep
pop up, looking to capitalize on this demand
as the global sleep economy is big business.
According to Statistica, it was valued at
$432 billion in 2019 and is set to reach $488
billion in 2021 and $585 billion by 2024.16
Don’t Snooze on These
Natural Ingredients
Addressing the concerns associated with
sleep starts with consumers looking at their
health as an interconnected system versus
a one-system approach. According to a new
Innova Market Insights survey, the research
revealed that seven out of ten consumers
made changes over the past year to improve
their overall health. Interestingly, the
changes were not just for physical health,
but were also focused on balancing physical,
mental, and emotional aspects.17
It should come as no surprise that some of
the most recent trending ingredients include
not only benefits for immune function but
cognitive health, heart health, sleep, and
overall vitality. One of these ingredients
that offers multiple benefits is curcumin. In
a 2020 clinical study, curcumin (Hydrocurc)
was combined with iron, and results showed
benefit in significantly increasing serum
BDNF and ferritin levels, which may suggest
the ability to enhance cognitive function
(memory & learning) and increase the growth
of new neurons and may help fight various
degenerative processes in your brain.
Curcumin has beneficial effects on several
factors known to play a role in CVD.
Plus, it is an anti-inflammatory agent and
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PEA for Sleep Support
antioxidant18 with benefits for immune
health and sleep health.
Saffron is another multi-beneficial ingredient
that has been extensively researched with
new evidence suggesting it may be an
effective natural sleep aid. In a small pilot
study, the four-week administration of a
saffron extract (affron) resulted in greater
improvements in sleep quality, sleep latency,
and daytime dysfunction in a subset of
poor sleepers compared with placebo with
no significant adverse events reported.19 A
2018 randomized, double-blind, placebo-
controlled study also showed that 28 mg/
day of saffron (affron) had a positive effect
on anxiety and depressive symptoms in
adolescents (12-16 years) with mild-to-
moderate symptoms over 8 weeks20, so
beneficial in improving mood health as an
added bonus.
When a new virus appears, a renewed focus
on immunity health is seen. In the absence of
vaccines, the body’s innate immune system is
the primary defense against pathogens, and
all too often, consumers fall back on synthetic
anti-inflammatory drugs that have applications
in the short-term but are too toxic for long-term
and/or preventive use at the public health level.
Endogenous and/or food-derived supplements
have shown to be safer alternatives.21
Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an
endocannabinoid-like lipid mediator with
extensively documented anti-inflammatory,
analgesic, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory
and neuroprotective effects. It is well
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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep
tolerated and devoid of side effects in
animals and humans. PEA’s actions on
multiple molecular targets while modulating
multiple inflammatory mediators provide
therapeutic benefits in many applications,
including immunity, brain health, allergy, pain
modulation, joint health, sleep, and recovery.21
In a 2020 study, players from the Gloucester
English Rugby Union team took a PEA
product, Levagen+, to aid with recovery from
the demands of their sport, but what they
didn’t know was the applications of PEA
in sleep.
The club was already tracking sleep, and they
saw a shift after players began taking the
PEA product.
Over the first 12 weeks of PEA (Levagen+)
use, the club saw a significant improvement
in sleep quality as measured by the
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index with players
reporting improvements in the quality of
their sleep. Some players even reported
near reversals of insomnia symptoms.
These findings are in line with broader
understanding of the prominent role
endocannabinoids may play in sleep.22
The importance of sleep has long been
understood, and English dramatist and
pamphleteer Thomas Dekker once said,
“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health
and our bodies together,” and through
scientific research, we are seeing a renewed
focus being placed on it. Finding novel
solutions to sleeping well with the added
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PEA for Sleep Support
benefit of mood health, brain health and
immunity health is a win-win. Sleep well.
References
1. Mental Health America. The 2021 State Of Mental
Health In America. https://www.mhanational.org/
issues/state-mental-health-america
2. KFF. Adults Reporting Symptoms of Anxiety or
Depressive Disorder During COVID-19 Pandemic,
4/28/2021-5/10/2021. https://www.kff.org/
other/state-indicator/adults-reporting-symptoms-
of-anxiety-or-depressive-disorder-during-
covid-19-pandemic/?currentTimeframe=0&so
rtModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,-
%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D
3. National Center for Health Statistics. Early
Release of Selected Mental Health Estimates
Based on Data from the January–June 2019
4. National Health Interview Survey. https://
www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/
ERmentalhealth-508.pdf
5. KFF. The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental
Health and Substance Use. Feb. 10. 2021. https://
www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/
the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-
and-substance-use/
6. KFF. KFF Health Tracking Poll - July 202. July 27,
2020. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/
report/kff-health-tracking-poll-july-2020/
7. M. Gavidia. How Has COVID-19 Affected Mental
Health, Severity of Stress Among Employees?
April 20, 2020, https://www.ajmc.com/view/how-
has-covid19-affected-mental-health-severity-of-
stress-among-employees
8. American Psychological Association. Stress in
America™ 2020. https://www.apa.org/news/
press/releases/stress/2020/report-october
9. American Psychological Association. Infographic.
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https://www.apa.org/images/sia-2020-covid-
stress_tcm7-279798.jpg
10. Cleveland Clinic, How the COVID-19
pandemic can impact your sleep. https://health.
clevelandclinic.org/covid-19-insomnia-tips/
11. Jahrami H. et al. Sleep problems during the
COVID-19 pandemic by population: a systematic
review and meta-analysis. J Clin Sleep Med. vol.
17, issue 2 (Feb. 2021), 299-313. https://pubmed.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33108269/
12. Foley L. Coronasomnia: definition, symptoms,
and solutions. April 14, 2021. https://www.
sleepfoundation.org/covid-19-and-sleep/
coronasomnia
13. Tucker P and Czapla CS. Post-COVID stress
disorder: another emerging consequence of the
global pandemic. January 8, 2021. Psychiatric
Times. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/
view/post-covid-stress-disorder-emerging-
consequence-global-pandemic
14. Johns Hopkins Medicine. COVID-19 Story Tip:
Stressed about ‘returning to normal’? Here
are tips to ease into the transition. June 16,
2021. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/
newsroom/news-releases/covid-19-story-tip-
stressed-about-returning-to-normal-here-are-
tips-to-ease-into-the-transition
15. Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical
School. Sleep and Disease Risk. https://
healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/
consequences/sleep-and-disease-risk
16. FMCG Gurus, Insights & Opportunities – Sleep
and Stress Management – Global 2020. January
2020. https://fmcggurus.com/reports/sleep-
stress-management-global-2020-fmcg-gurus/
17. Statistica. Size of the sleep economy worldwide
from 2019 to 2024. https://www.statista.com/
statistics/1119471/size-of-the-sleep-economy-
worldwide
AUGUST 2021 | NUTRITIONAL OUTLOOK 14
PEA for Sleep Support
18. Food Ingredients First. Healthy aging: Innova
Market Insights reveals rising holistic nutrition
demands. https://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/
news/healthy-aging-innova-market-insights-
reveals-rising-holistic-nutrition-demands.html
19. Lorinczova HT, et al., Co-administration of iron
and a bioavailable curcumin supplement increases
serum BDNF levels in healthy adults. Antioxidants
(Basel). vol. 9, issue 8 (July 2020), 645. https://
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32707771/
20. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Metse AP, Drummond PD.
Effects of saffron on sleep quality in healthy adults
with self-reported poor sleep: a randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Clin Sleep
Med. vol. 16, issue 6 (2020): 937–947.
21. Lopresti AL, et al. affron®, a standardized extract
from saffron (Crocus sativus L.) for the treatment
of youth anxiety and depressive symptoms: A
randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
J Affect Disord. vol. 232 (May 2018): 349-357.
22. Clayton P, Hill M, Bogoda N, Subah S, Venkatesh R.
Palmitoylethanolamide: A natural compound for health
management. Int. J. Mol. Sci. vol. 22 (2021): 5305.
23. Kesner A J. and Lovinger, D. M. Cannabinoids,
Endocannabinoids and Sleep. Front. Mol. Neurosci.
vol. 13, (2020): 125
Maggie McNamara is a veteran brand and
marketing strategist who has worked with
multimillion-dollar companies all over the world,
growing their brand value, expanding product
lines and increasing market share. Maggie holds
a bachelor’s degree in marketing communication
and a master’s degree in organizational
communications from the University of
Johannesburg. She currently serves as the
marketing director at Gencor.
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Wanted: A Good Night’s Sleep

By Maggie McNamara

Why is PEA As strange as it sounds, humans spend about one-third of their life
either sleeping or trying to fall asleep.1
and how does it
support sleep? Sleep is an essential function1 that allows both body and mind some
time recharge. Healthy sleep also helps the body remain strong
and stave off chronic health conditions. Without enough sleep, the
brain cannot function properly, which can impair your ability2 to
concentrate, think clearly, and process memories.

Most adults require between seven to nine hours3 of sleep each

night, but multiple factors like work schedules, day-to-day stressors,
a disruptive bedroom environment, and illness can all prevent us from
getting enough sleep. A healthy diet and positive lifestyle habits surely
can help with getting an adequate amount of sleep each night, but for
some, a chronic lack of sleep may be the first sign of a sleep disorder.4

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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep PEA for Sleep Support

RECOMMENDED AMOUNT
AGE GROUP AGE RANGE
OF SLEEP PER DAY

Newborn 0-3 months 14-17 hours

Infant 4-11 months 12-15 months
Toddler 1-2 years 11-14 hours
Preschool 3-5 years 10-13 hours
School-age 6-13 years 9-11 hours
Teen 14-17 years 8-10 hours
Young Adult 18-25 years 7-9 hours
Adult 26-64 years 7-9 hours
Older Adult 65 years or older 7-8 hours

The right amount of sleep largely depends
on your age. The National Sleep Foundation
recommends the following daily sleep
allotment for different age groups.5
Easier Said Than Done
Falling asleep is a simple concept, and should
be easy to do, however multiple factors such
as environmental and psychosocial stressors
as well as certain medical conditions can give
rise to a range of sleep disorders.6,7 Another
factor that poses challenges with sleep is
chronic pain. In fact, joint pain’s effect on
sleep has been studied extensively and has
been associated with poor sleep quality.6 Far
too often, the answer seen to address these
challenges with a variety of “sleep aids” like
prescription sedatives and tranquilizers that
are widely used for treating sleep disorders,8
but these carry the risk of addiction and other
adverse effects. While they might prove to be
beneficial in the short term, withdrawal after
chronic cannabinoid use has been shown
to cause sleep deprivation in animal models
and in humans.9 More and more, people
are looking for other natural solutions that
improve sleep quality without any of these
adverse effects.
In Search of a Safe Sleep
Benefits of an effective sleep aid to look for:
• Shortens the amount of time people
spend lying awake tossing and turning
• Provides a good night’s sleep—the
quality of sleep is important as any
product that puts someone to sleep
quickly but leaves them feeling groggy
in the morning only addresses part of
the problem
• Is safe and dependable—decreased chance
of addiction or other adverse effects
While there are some popular sleep aids on
the market right now, most notably valerian
and melatonin, they aren’t without their

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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep
limitations. While valerian does help people
get to sleep, it also may affect their judgment
and focus. A big downside of the drowsiness
caused by the herb may be acceptable at
night but limits what people can do if taken
during the day. People need to avoid driving
and using machinery for a few hours after
taking valerian.10
Another widely used sleep aid is melatonin,
which is produced by the pineal gland
and takes care of the circadian rhythm
that helps the body adjust to daytime and
nighttime. Resetting circadian rhythms
can help with sleep but getting the dosing
regimen right is challenging. There is no
consensus about the optimal dosage of
melatonin although most experts advise to
avoid extremely high dosages. Some side
effects of melatonin include headache,
dizziness, nausea, and drowsiness. Other
less common melatonin side effects might
include short-lasting feelings of depression,
mild tremor, mild anxiety, abdominal cramps,
irritability, reduced alertness, confusion or
disorientation, and abnormally low blood
pressure (hypotension).11 Melatonin is also
regulated differently around the world with
the least amount of regulation placed on
OTC supplements in the United States.
Cannabidiol (CBD) has also emerged as
a popular sleep aid, but regulatory status
is an issue for CBD as most regulators
do not recognize CBD as a supplement.
The position of the US Food and Drug
Administration, which treats CBD as a
drug, and its peers is influenced by the
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PEA for Sleep Support
SPONSORED CONTENT
Levagen+(R): Clinically
Proven to Improve Sleep
safety profile of the molecule. Across
animal and human studies, researchers
have linked CBD to adverse events such
as developmental toxicity, embryo-fetal
mortality, liver abnormalities, diarrhea,
fatigue, and vomiting12. Contamination
with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
is common, too.13 CBD very well could be
an effective sleep aid, but with many of the
claims not backed by clinical research along
with questions about possible long-term
side effects and regulatory hurdles, the true
benefits of CBD as an effective and safe
sleep aid remain to be seen.
PEA: A Natural Skeleton Key for
Health Management
Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is a fatty acid
amide that increases levels of anandamide,
an endocannabinoid that regulates pain
and sleep receptors. PEA is an endogenous
compound that helps to stimulate the
production of endocannabinoids in the body,
and humans naturally metabolize it.
PEA can help promote restful sleep through
the activation of CB1 receptors, which
increases calm feelings and induces sleep.
It can also increase restful REM sleep by
activating TRPV1 channels.14,15 PEA activates
the energy-boosting, fat-burning, and anti-
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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep
inflammatory PPAR alpha. By activating this
key protein, PEA stops the activity of pro-
inflammatory genes and the production of
many inflammatory substances. PEA also
reduces the activity of Fatty Acid Amide
Hydrolase (FAAH) that breaks down natural
cannabinoid anandamide thereby increasing
the levels of calming anandamide in the body,
which ultimately helps combat pain and
increase relaxation.
Multiple studies have shown the potential of
PEA in sleep. A 2020 study on athletes showed
positive results with sleep. Players from the
Gloucester Rugby took the PEA product
(Levagen+) to help with recovery from the
physical tolls of their sports activities.
The club had been routinely tracking sleep,
and over the first 12 weeks of Levagen+ use,
was able to see significant improvements in
sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh
Sleep Quality Index.16 These findings are
in line with a broader understanding of the
prominent role endocannabinoids play in
sleep.16 Sleep is essential for the recovery
of the brain and body. Sleep deprivation or
restriction has negative effects on cognition,
learning and memory consolidation and
mental well-being, growth and repair of
cells, metabolism of glucose, and immune
function. Sleep helps us to both recover
from the previous day and prepare for the
next day.17 Multiple studies have identified
changes in levels of endocannabinoids tied
to sleep.18–21​
In another double-blind, randomized,
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PEA for Sleep Support
placebo-controlled clinical trial, researchers
randomized 122 healthy adults to take
350 mg of PEA (Levagen+) or placebo
one hour before sleep onset. There were
positive effects in terms of a reduction in
time to the onset of sleep in the Levagen+
cohort. Subjects taking the PEA product
also felt fully awake sooner in the mornings. 
Currently, the full research paper and study
have been submitted for peer review and
publication.22
PEA’s pain-alleviating and anti-inflammatory
properties, as demonstrated in numerous
clinical studies, could reduce chronic pain
and inflammation that is purported to impair
sleep quality. Evangelista et al. found that
600 mg of exogenous PEA administration
twice daily to patients awaiting carpal tunnel
syndrome surgery significantly improved
patient’s overall sleep quality, including an
increase in continuous sleep time and a
reduction of sleep latency.23 This was due
to its mitigation of painful symptoms in the
treatment group encountering neuropathic
pain, which contributed to their disrupted
sleep quality prior to PEA treatment.24
One small problem…or is it?
As a lipophilic substance, PEA is poorly
absorbed due to its limited bioavailability.
Levagen+ is a clinically studied PEA
formulation utilizing cold-water dispersible
(CWD) technology (LipiSperse) and has been
shown to significantly increase plasma PEA
concentration by approximately 2-fold with
1.75 times improved bioavailability25, thereby
illuminating the one small problem and
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 Foods and Beverages Stress and Sleep
making it extremely effective and fast acting.
Sleep Safely
As a self-affirmed GRAS ingredient, Levagen+
PEA also received the Informed Ingredient
Certification for absence of WADA-prohibited
substances from LGC, the United Kingdom’s
designated National Measurement Institute
for chemical and biomeasurement.
PEA is applicable to consumers across their
lifespan. There are limited sleep health
supplements that are safe, clinically studied,
and able to avoid the groggy hangover effects.
Fortunately, (Levagen+) PEA is able to check
off all those boxes, and knowing this, sleep
can come easier in the safest possible way.
References
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one-third of our life either sleeping or attempting
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/ 23. Evangelista M et al., (2018). Ultra-micronized

abs/pii/S0278584608001103 Palmitoylethanolamide Effects on Sleep-wake
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Syda Productions/stock.adobe.com
PMID: 32106527; PMCID: PMC7146510.

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