What is it?
Hypnos has been designed with the key ingredients of zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6, and casein as a supplement to be taken at bedtime and so aid quality sleep as well as promote muscle protein recovery. This is ideal for the sportsperson who has either played a match later in the day or trained at night, or those who have had heavy training bouts in a day. Good sleep and muscle replenishment while you sleep – what more could you ask for?

Hypnos can be taken either as a mousse like pudding or as a milk shake type drink depending on preference.

Who is it for?
We would recommend Hypnos for any athlete engaged in strenuous training or those who are involved in competition i.e. matches/games.

When to take it?
Hypnos is best taken around 30 minutes or so before retiring to bed at night. It is particularly useful when taken the night before a competition or the night after competition when sleep may be difficult to achieve. We also suggest that it should be taken on days when you have been training hard and feel ‘wiped out’.

Why?
Logic would say that getting enough sleep is important not just for optimal sports performance but also general health. Recent studies have found that that sleep deprivation can slow glucose metabolism by as much as 30 to 40%, as results showed that after 4 hours of sleep per night glucose was metabolised less efficiently than after 8 hours of sleep. Levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) were also higher, and this has been linked to memory impairment, and impaired recovery in athletes. Most of what we know about sleep deprivation has to do with immune function and brain function. This study is interesting because it showed that sleep deprivation negatively impacts physiology that is critical for athletic performance. While no one completely understands the complexities of sleep, this (and other research) indicates that sleep deprivation can lead to increased levels of cortisol, decreased activity of human growth hormone (which is active during tissue repair), and decreased glycogen synthesis. So quality sleep is important. Quite often athletes find sleep difficult to achieve, notably before and/or after competition. Products which may aid sleep would be useful. Zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6 in a scientifically formulated manner have been reported to do such. In addition, zinc and magnesium are reported to promote other beneficial effects for athletes.

This combination of zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6 has been touted as a significant step forward in the natural enhancement of testosterone, and thereby strength gains and increases in muscle mass. In fact, an increase in strength has been scientifically reported following magnesium supplementation alone. Zinc supplementation has been shown to increase testosterone levels and also to maintain levels of thyroid hormone and testosterone which are normally depressed following exhaustive training bouts in elite wrestlers. In addition, zinc supplementation results in decreases in markers of oxidative stress

Quality sleep promotes repair and recovery of muscle and other tissue. However, another requirement is the need for protein to help in these processes. After training there is a need for protein supplementation. At night, the requirement is most likely to be for a protein source that is slowly digested and so is taken up over a longer period. This should provide the amino acids necessary for tissue repair whilst sleeping. Whey protein is a soluble protein whereas casein clots in the stomach and so delays digestion and emptying, and results in a slower release of amino acids. Studies have reported the beneficial effects of casein on post meal blood amino acid levels and muscle gain or loss. The plasma appearance of dietary amino acids after casein is slower, lower, and prolonged, and this is beneficial at night.

We believe that Hypnos hits all the right buttons in terms of nightime recovery i.e. promotes quality sleep and provides essential amino acids for muscle.

Directions for use:
Add 33 grams (1 scoop) of pudding powder to 200ml skimmed milk, stir/whisk and consume when set (2 minutes). Consume at night for optimum slow release protein.

IF a milk shake type drink is preferred then use 1 scoop with 350 ml skimmed milk and whisk.
Ingredients

Calcium caseinate, waxy maize starch, flavouring, magnesium oxide, tricalcium phosphate, guar gum, zinc picolinate, vitamin B6, sweetener (sucralose), sodium chloride.
Nutrition Information
Info Per 100g Per 33g serving
Energy 1541kj / 368kCal 508kj / 121kCal
Protein 83.1g 27.4g
Carbohydrates 5.1g 1.7g
(of which sugars) 0.2g 0.1g
Fat 1.3g 0.4g
(of which saturates) 0.2g 0.1g
Sodium 45mg 15.1mg
Dietary Fibre 0.2g 0.1g

Other Ingredients
Info Per 100g Per 33g
Vitamin B6 39mg 13mg
Zinc 47mg 16mg
Magnesium 1350mg 450mg