The Sooma Formulation

The Sooma formulation was designed to address the basic whys and wherefores of emotional insomnia. And there are many. Chronic emotional insomnia is usually a result of life events that include diet, stress, depression, anger, worry, grief, trauma . . .

Sooma does not merely target symptoms. Ambien does that. So, does Lunesta. No, Sooma addresses the underlying organic issues beneath anxiety and obsessive thoughts without the pharmaceutical side-effect profile. For example, Sooma features Jujube a natural neuroprotector of neurotoxins. Where protracted use of Ambien undermines memory, Jujube generates something called “neuronal differentiation” which actually protects memory. Another of Sooma’s components, L-Glycine, surrounds our elusive NMDA receptor sites.

This is not only quite relaxing but NMDA receptor sites are a tremendous axis to depression modulation. Another important component of Sooma is Glycine. A fundamental amino, Glycine is a new and exciting approach to insomnia.

Among other things, it has the ability to lower body temperature. This is important because lowering core temperature induces deeper sleep. Glycine goes about resetting our internal thermostat while also increasing cutaneous blood flow. The result is a deeper, more sustained sleep, especially among the elderly who are prone to frequent waking.

Each capsule of Sooma contains 750 mg of glycine. Other research data suggests that glycine also facilitates outlying vasodilatation thru stimulation of the NMDA receptors. NMDA receptors are well known to play an important role in another underlying cause of insomnia—depression.

 Components of one capsule of Sooma

Glycine                                              750.0000 mg

L-Tryptophan                                     5.0000 mg

Jujube                                                5.0000 mg

Valerian                                             5.0000 mg

Magnolia Extract 2%                         5.0000 mg

Piperine (Black Pepper)                    2.5000 mg

Melatonin                                          1.5000 mg

The Chinese medicine called Jujube, has been prescribed as an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and sedative since before Confucius. Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata, may knock you out but at the price of your memory.  Jujube advocates sleep by binding to relaxing receptor sites in our nerves and muscles for faster and deeper sleep paralysis while protecting the brain from “oxidation insult”. By the way, jujube is also a useful antioxidant that relaxes an irritable digestive tract. Fact: our gut contains more feel-good receptors sites than our brain.

We folded valerian into Sooma because of its ability to modulate GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) neurons. The more GABA neurons, the better the sleep. Valerian prevents the brain from breaking GABA down. GABA is also a mood-stabilizing herb. It is the thing in alcohol that puts you to sleep.  GABA also modulates serotonin, one of the underlying governors of obsessive-compulsive disorder. In a recent controlled study, GABA mitigated hyperactivity and impulsiveness by more than fifty percent in one hundred and seventy elementary school children.

L-Tryptophan is a vital amino acid and a precursor to the calming neurotransmitter serotonin. Our bodies regularly turn serotonin into melatonin. This L-tryptophan to serotonin to melatonin starts in the gut then works its way up the vagus nerve to the hypothalamus in the brain. The Vagus nerve is the most important nerve you didn’t know you have. A long meandering bundle of sensory fibers, it links the brain stem to the heart, lungs, and gut. It powers up our involuntary nerve center—the parasympathetic nervous system—and controls unconscious body functions like heart function, breathing, sweating.

The management of emotions is controlled via the vagus nerve between the heart, brain and gut which is why we have a strong reaction to intense mental and emotional states. Stress can inflame the nerve. By the way you can calm the vagus nerve by simply rubbing your ears. Calming the Vegas nerve can result in better sleep. While lying on your back in bed, simply massage both ears. If you hit a tender spot, give that spot.

Magnolia bark has interesting links to relaxation. Filled with bioactive compounds like that link to our receptors it addresses pain as well as lifts mood. These are chemical compounds usually associated with medical marijuana research. Some research suggests that magnolia bark mitigates cortisol, the stress hormone.

Black pepper and piperine have myriad health benefits not the least of which is greater bioavailability of other supplements and drugs. This means that we can make more use of them at lower dosages. Other studies indicate that piperine supports mood and blood pressure.

Melatonin is our sleep hormone. It regulates circadian rhythm sleep. “Your body produces melatonin naturally. It doesn’t make you sleep, but as melatonin levels rise in the evening it puts you into a state of quiet wakefulness that helps promote sleep,” explains Johns Hopkins sleep expert Luis F. Buenaver, Ph.D., C.B.S.M.

We release less melatonin as we age, hence experience less REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Though we should experience about REM cycles (points at which we dream most actively and vividly), during the night, periods of REM should become longer as the night progresses, the most intense cycles occurring in the last third of a night’s sleep. Losing out on this last sleep time puts us at risk of missing out on the creativity-boosting effects of REM sleep.