It happens to all of us. It’s 2:00 AM. Your body is tired, but you still can’t find that blissful state of oblivion called sleep. We all know how important getting a full 8 of hours of sleep is for both the body and mind. New research constantly emerges demonstrating the importance of sleep on the recovery, healing, and performance. And yet an astounding 25% of Americans suffer from insomnia. While there are many theories on the topic, sleep remains largely uncharted territory.
Today, the subject of sleep has become so prevalent in the media that there is a rapidly growing industry dedicated to products that can help you get those elusive zzz’s. From melatonin to magnesium, ashwagandha to astragalus, meditation to good sleep hygiene, there are a lot of techniques and supplements that promise to aid in better sleep. BUT, there’s another one you likely haven’t heard about yet: Glutathione.
What is glutathione?
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that's created by the liver. Glutathione modulates a wide range of diverse cellular processes, including DNA synthesis and repair. It's needed for every system in the body and plays crucial roles in the immune, nervous, gastrointestinal, and respiratory systems. Glutathione is so crucial in fact, that even moderately lower-than-normal levels can result in the systematic breakage of cells, while extremely poor levels result in cell death. Glutathione is a key antioxidant and detoxifier for the body because glutathione protects cells from the damage of oxidative stress by eliminating free radicals and heavy metals. Plus, glutathione strengthens and repairs cell walls, and increases the action of other antioxidants (such as vitamin E and C) in the body. There are so many benefits to glutathione (decreases inflammation, supports cardiovascular health, helps fight infections, restores skin, improves cognitive function, reduces muscle fatigue, fights oxidative stress) that we will dedicate another article to expounding more on this "Master Antioxidant”, as it’s often referred.
Glutathione and Sleep
Several recent studies have found that people with high levels of glutathione not only fell asleep faster, but also woke up feeling more refreshed. Plus, a good night's sleep also increases your body’s ability to produce more glutathione, which may account for the vicious cycle many find themselves locked into with poor sleep. This is particularly important since new research has shown that sleep deprivation is linked to low levels of glutathione in specific regions of the brain.
One of the leading causes of insomnia is pain. Pain worsens sleep patterns and lack of sleep in turn impacts pain. However, glutathione strengthens the immune system while eliminating toxins and reducing inflammation. There are a variety of studies demonstrating the effectiveness of glutathione as an emerging treatment for pain.
Why Poor Levels of Glutathione?
Why are we finding these persistently low levels of glutathione in so many people today? Chronic stress, age, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, environmental factors, and disease can all affect levels of glutathione. And with glutathione being one of your body’s most powerful antioxidant and detoxifiers, it is an impactful addition to your health maintenance routine.
Glutathione and Absorption
It is important to note that not all supplements are alike. Not all supplements are absorbed by the body at the same rate. Some supplements break down before they reach your stomach, some are either fat or water soluble, and some micronutrients work best with (or without) the presence of other micronutrients. Additionally, glutathione specifically cannot be digested by the body alone. Enter liposomal technology.
Liposomal supplementation utilizes liposomes (a tiny lipid bubble) as a nutritional delivery system – delivering the supplement directly into the cell. Liposomal encapsulated pharmaceutical-grade supplements, like Lipo Naturals, provides supplementation that is easy on the stomach, easily absorbed, more potent, and boosts supplement levels in your body. Encapsulating glutathione in liposomal form allows for absorption of this amazing antioxidant without the use of IV treatment.
In short, consider adding this amazing antioxidant to your healthcare routine. It could be just the trick to getting the deep and restful sleep you’ve been craving.