The Science of Switch On

THE RATIONALE BEHIND SWITCH ON

A huge number of us don’t look, feel or perform our best because we don’t routinely sleep well. There are many forms of sleep problems. Some sleep issues are common, such as recurrent sleep restriction (not getting as much sleep as needed) and “social jetlag” (shifting sleep times between workdays and work-free days). Other sleep problems are more debilitating, however, and these include 6 broad categories of sleep disorders (insomnia, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, sleep-related breathing disorders, sleep-related movement disorders, parasomnias, disorders of hypersomnolence). Perhaps unsurprisingly, some sleep problems have been exacerbated by COVID-19 lockdowns.

While each sleep problem is unique, there’s substantial overlap between the health and performance consequences of many forms of sleep disruption, and it seems likely that recurrent sleep disruption negatively affects all aspects of health – the function of the brain, cardiovascular system, endocrine system, reproductive system (in both women and men), immune system, digestive system, and musculoskeletal system are all compromised.

Against this backdrop, we developed Switch On.

To our knowledge, Switch On is the only nutrition product that was formulated specifically to comprehensively support the function of all bodily systems, even when not sleeping well. Switch On contains clinically-proven doses of ingredients shown to help target many of the processes that are detrimentally affected by poor sleep. Here are just a few examples:

• Sleep deprivation leads to attentional lapses and other impairments in brain function, in part because of local sleep in brain circuits that have been working overtime. Some of this is driven by accumulation of a sleep-promoting chemical named adenosine in the spaces between brain cells. By increasing neuronal phosphocreatine stores, creatine in Switch On buffers this accumulation of adenosine, reducing the pressure to sleep and helping to maintain cognitiveand physical performance when short on sleep. Caffeine in Switch On blocks the interaction of adenosine with its receptors, also supporting performance during periods of sleep disruption.
• Simplistically, the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline ready your body and mind for activity, and they are important to motivation, mood, and attention. When you’re sleep deprived, you increase demands on neurons that communicate with other neurons by releasing dopamine and noradrenaline. L-tyrosine in Switch On is a precursor to dopamine and noradrenaline, supporting performance after sleep loss by helping to maintain optimal dopamine and noradrenaline signaling.
• Insufficient sleep impairs cardiovascular health in a range of ways. One of these is worsened function of the endothelial cells that line blood vessels, which contributes to increased blood pressure. Cocoa in Switch On improves endothelial function, lowering blood pressure.
• Sleep loss increases appetite and food intake, which contributes to weight gain and diminished insulin sensitivity. Sleep loss also reduces the degree to which eating increases muscle protein synthesis, which might help explain why people on weight loss diets lose more muscle when they don’t get enough sleep. Ginger in Switch On accelerates fat oxidation and contributes to weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity over time. Chlorogenic acid-rich green coffee extract in Switch On has some similar effects on bodyweight, and other ingredients such as inulin help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Meanwhile creatine monohydrate in Switch On accelerates exercise-induced increases in muscle mass and strength.
• Sleep loss challenges the immune system in ways that increase risk of various infections, including the common cold. Switch On contains a dose of vitamin C that reduces risk of the common cold in people who challenge themselves physically.
• Insufficient sleep impairs the function of the gastrointestinal system, which might contribute to immune dysregulation underlying much chronic disease. For example, 2 nights of sleep restriction slightly disrupted the composition of the microorganisms in the gut. Cocoa in Switch On has prebiotic actions, increasing the abundance of gut microorganisms widely touted as beneficial. This effect is paralleled by reductions in C-reactive protein, a blood marker of systemic inflammation. Inulin in Switch has prebiotic effects too, supporting the integrity of the gut barrier and helping to counter bowel issues such as constipation.
• People rate sleep-deprived individuals as being less physically attractive, and insufficient sleep negatively affects skin in ways that hinder wound healing. Cocoa in Switch On can improve skin wrinkles and elasticity, and vitamin C in Switch On is important to skin health and wound healing.

Even if you are sleeping well, Switch On can still help you be at your cognitive and physical best, both now and in the long term. After all, many of the studies on Switch On’s ingredients have shown beneficial effects in people who do sleep well.