Science - How It Works

In 1997, Dr. Craig Hudson invented a proprietary formula to aid an increasing number of people suffering from various sleep problems. Most of these people had tried different medications and were dissatisfied with the options available to them and many had just given up hope for an effective solution. Dr. Hudson's formula is comprised of a natural source of tryptophan derived from pumpkin seeds, which is an essential amino acid our bodies can normally only get from food sources. Tryptophan metabolizes into serotonin, and in a nighttime environment, turns into melatonin which allows us to fall asleep naturally.

Pumpkin seeds when ingested alone, however, are not a sufficient source of tryptophan. This is due to intense competition from other amino acids, which are also part of pumpkin seed protein, for access to transport sites across the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB). Zenbev's natural source of tryptophan is combined with other precise ingredients that help it to function optimally. A small amount of a high glycemic index (GI) carbohydrate is specifically included in the formulation. Its role is to combine with the other amino acids and shunt them toward the liver, thus leaving tryptophan, which is largely protein-bound, with a clear advantage to get into the brain.

What Does Zenbev Do?

Zenbev can be taken during the day to provide a powerful source of tryptophan, a precursor for serotonin. Serotonin regulates mood, emotion and appetite, and is well-known to alleviate stress, anxiety and depression. Other purported benefits of ingesting a natural source of tryptophan include easing chronic pain symptoms, weight loss and increased libido.

Tryptophan is light sensitive, meaning it metabolizes differently in light vs. dark conditions. When taken during daylight hours Zenbev's tryptophan becomes serotonin providing the afore mentioned benefits. If taken at night, Zenbev's tryptophan turns into serotonin, which then metabolizes into melatonin, thus activating the brain's own sleep mechanism. As the brain produces the exact amount of melatonin that it requires, the body is primed for a natural, restful sleep.

Zenbev versus Sleep Medications

Virtually every sleep medication, either herbal or pharmaceutical, disrupts sleep architecture. Medications currently available tend to increase light sleep (stages 1 and 2) at the expense of deep sleep (stages 3 and 4) as well as inhibiting REM sleep which results in side effects of drowsiness and lack of refreshment. As the tryptophan in Zenbev allows the brain to produce melatonin, none of the sleep stages are compromised, resulting in a preservation of sleep architecture and a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

Zenbev versus Anxiety Medications

Medications to reduce anxiety are most often from a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines; this family of drugs is associated with tolerance and dependence. Benzodiazepines are synthetic and do not work within the body's own natural chemistry and as such can have significant side effects such as excessive sedation and lack of coordination. Zenbev, on the other hand, provides a natural source tryptophan which bolsters the body's own natural anxiety management system.

Zenbev versus Synthetic Melatonin

Since the melatonin produced in our brains is responsible for the onset of sleep, many people try to take synthetically-produced melatonin. Over-the-counter melatonin should not be considered natural. One of the issues with synthetic melatonin is the short half-life in the body. The half-life should be measured in several hours. Synthetic melatonin leaves the body quite rapidly with a half-life of less than one hour which means the effect is lost midway during the night. Consequently, a higher dosage is required, resulting in a hangover effect the next day.

Although melatonin is thought to be 'natural', when used in high dosages it overrides the brain's natural sleep chemistry by providing too much of the end product. The brain loses its chance to regulate the production of this important sleep hormone. More importantly, the body does not have an opportunity to suppress production of melatonin when sleep is coming to the end. The brain has evolved an elaborate process of producing and regulating melatonin so that just the right amount is used in just the right area of the brain.

It may seem convenient to circumvent the process and provide super dosages of melatonin to the body to produce sleep, but it ignores normal sleep physiology resulting in increased difficulties which are not necessary. Zenbev provides the ingredients and circumstances in order for the brain to determine when and how much melatonin is needed, resulting in a good night's sleep.

Zenbev versus 5-HTP

Supplemental 5-HTP is the intermediary between tryptophan and serotonin and has been offered as a natural remedy for serotonin deficiency-related medical states. Natural source tryptophan, however, offers a major advantage over 5-HTP in that it is not directly metabolized to serotonin in the intestine which protects against side effects associated with 5-HTP such as increased nausea, vomiting, cramping, constipation and/ or diarrhea.

Insomnia Relief

What is insomnia?

Insomnia may be defined as a wakefulness or an inability to sleep. Many different factors can contribute to sleeping problems but typical insomnia can be better understood by separation into three different categories:

Sleep Latency Insomnia - trouble falling asleep initially
Sleep Interruption Insomnia - repeatedly waking up in the night
Terminal Insomnia - awakening too early and not able to fall back to sleep

Zenbev works best with lifestyle insomnia. While everyone experiences trouble sleeping at one time or another, lifestyle insomnia exists when the pace of contemporary life and the increase in demands and resultant stressors inhibit the body’s ability to wind down at the end of the day over protracted periods of time. Over time, anxiety generated by worries about getting a good night’s sleep often sets in, further compounding the problem.

Conditions in which there are underlying physiological conditions causing wakefulness are different. You can help identify whether you should visit your physician to discuss a referral to a sleep laboratory if you (or your bed-partner) can identify any of the following signs or symptoms:

Restless Leg Syndrome - excessive leg movement, ‘kicking’ your bed partner, bed sheets in disarray in the morning; cramping or aching feelings in the calves.
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder - excessive leg movement, leg twitches or jerks during the night; leg cramps in the morning.
Sleep Apnea - complaints of snoring, others describe that you stop breathing while you are asleep; waking ‘short of breath’ or choking; waking with morning headaches, chest pain, dry mouth; history of high blood pressure.
Narcolepsy - sleep attacks, sleep paralysis.

These are signs and symptoms that should be evaluated by a physician. Fortunately, most serious sleep disorders are treatable.

What can you do about insomnia?

When we go to sleep, our brains progress through five stages of sleep:

Stages 1 and 2 - light sleep begins the process of slowing brain waves; the mind is in a light sleep, easily roused.
Stages 3 and 4 - are known as slow wave sleep [SWS] or deep sleep; rousing is more difficult and people report feeling disoriented if awakened.
Stage 5 - or rapid eye movement [REM] predominates in the last third of the night; the brain activity is similar to that when awake but the body remains in full muscle paralysis except for respiratory and cardiac function. This allows the mind to experience a full dream without the consequential bodily movement.

The preservation of this natural brain rhythm of sleep or ‘sleep architecture’ is every bit as important as the overall sleep time. We need to experience all 5-stages of sleep in order to wake rested. These stages are not necessarily experienced in chronological order but cycle throughout the night.

To obtain a good night’s sleep, it is very important to avoid factors that disrupt sleep architecture. Our sleep environment, the medication we take, our diet and our thought patterns can directly impede sleep patterns. The good news is that these factors are eminently within our control to change and the preservation of constructive sleep architecture will result in better sleep.

How does Zenbev help insomnia?

Zenbev provides the body with a natural food source of tryptophan, which is more readily assimilated by the body than synthetic sources. The tryptophan required by our bodies is provided in a way the brain recognizes. Combined with the proper ingredients, Zenbev’s unique formula facilitates optimal efficiency for treating insomnia. The tryptophan in the protein source metabolizes into serotonin, which then metabolizes into melatonin at night, serving to activate the brain’s sleep mechanism. As the brain produces the exact amount that it requires, Zenbev helps you achieve a deep, uninterrupted sleep and wake up feeling rested and refreshed.

Anxiety Help

What is anxiety?

Anxiety may be described as a feeling of danger and dread in response to a perceived threat. It is a common reaction to everyday stress and a positive catalyst or a destructive and debilitating force. When anxiety overwhelms us, it can cause increased respiratory rate, increased heart rate, and a sense of panic, flushing and perspiration. It is said that anxiety is related to performance by an “inverted U”. In the first part of the up-slope of the “inverted U”, your initial anxiety can actually enhance your performance by increasing vigilance and improving cognitive ability. As the anxiety further increases, however, you may enter the down-slope of the “inverted U”, experiencing a myriad of unpleasant physical symptoms and mental discomfort.

What can you do about anxiety?

Taking a natural source of tryptophan primes the brain to produce its own natural anxiety suppressor, serotonin. An increase in serotonin causes a reduction in anxiety in harmony with normal brain chemistry.

Tryptophan, unlike many drugs, does not dull cognitive abilities to fool you that the perceived stress is somehow less then it really is. It simply allows you to deal with perceived stresses in a calm and efficient manner. The result is that you remain on the part of the “inverted U” where you almost feel energized by the stressful situation and able to deal with it with clarity and a rapid thought processes. Since tryptophan works within the brain’s own natural chemistry, it produces just the right amount of serotonin at the right time, thereby avoiding issues like side effects and dependence.

How does Zenbev help anxiety?

When taken during the day, Zenbev provides tryptophan in a natural formulation, which metabolizes into serotonin. Combined with the specific ingredients to ensure optimal delivery across the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), Zenbev is a powerful source of relaxation and aids in alleviating anxiety, stress and depression.

Glossary

Amino Acids are the building blocks of proteins. Proteins make up the bulk of a cell's structure, and can serve as enzymes for catalyzing cellular reactions.

Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) is the barrier that is designed to protect the brain from harmful, unnatural chemicals circulating in the blood. There are precise sites in the BBB which are specifically designed to recognize amino acids like tryptophan so that they can be transported to the brain where they are needed.

Dependence The body goes through a withdrawal period once a medication is ceased.

Half-life The time the body takes to metabolize and rid itself of half the ingested dosage.

High Glycemic Index Carbohydrates are carbohydrates that generate insulin in a more rapid time-frame than others. Limited amounts of high glycemic index carbohydrates are a normal part of any healthy diet and allow natural source tryptophan access to the BBB transport sites which, in turn, increase brain serotonin levels and in low-light situations, melatonin. It is important to find the right balance between natural source tryptophan and high glycemic index carbohydrates. Taking too much protein without carbohydrates can suppress brain tryptophan.

Melatonin is made from serotonin when there is an absence of light. It is secreted by the pineal gland, a pea-size structure at the center of the brain, as our eyes register the fall of darkness. At night, melatonin is produced to help our bodies regulate our sleep-wake cycles. The amount of melatonin released at night varies among individuals, but can be related to age. Children, on average, secrete more melatonin than adults; melatonin levels may decrease with age. However, research has shown that older people with sleep problems do not always have lower melatonin levels than people who experience normal sleep.

Serotonin is a chemical in the body that is made from tryptophan and helps cells communicate with each other. In the brain, increased serotonin levels are associated with an elevated sense of calm, happiness and confidence. Lower levels of serotonin are associated with anxiety, depression, pain and risk of various addictions.

Tolerance Increasing dosages are required over time to maintain the medication’s effect.

Tryptophan is the rarest of the protein building blocks known as "amino acids". Not only is it the rarest amino acid, tryptophan is also the weakest at competing for access to the transport sites across the BBB. It is an essential amino acid, meaning that the body cannot produce it and must ingest it.