Monitor: The relationship between sleep and energy is clear—and complicated

General health and vitality along with immunity stand out as primary concerns for consumers in new consumer research from the Nutrition Business Journal, but it may be the close relationship between lack of sleep and and lack of energy that presents the most interesting findings for the dietary supplement industry.

In the survey of 1,029 respondents, 27% cited a energy of lack of energy as a health concern they are managing, but a nearly identical 26% called out “sleep or insomnia.” The relationship between the two conditions has long been a source of curiosity, as each seemingly impacts the other in profound ways.  If you’re not getting enough sleep, you might lack energy during the day and if you’re dosing up on energy supplements it could conceivably impact your sleep.

Coffee in the morning and Ambien at night is likely an all-too-common cycle.

What this presents to the supplement industry could be an opportunity for something of a more holistic lineup. Solaray is doing something like that with its Sharpmind line, marketed for cognitive health but with an array of products that could be used across the course of a day and features both energy and sleep as well as mood, stress and focus.

Another opportunity might lie in caffeine alternatives. Maca and the B vitamins come to mind.  The trick here would be documenting the half life of the ingredient. Caffeine has different effects on different people and an ingredient that brands can promise will clear the system long before bedtime might support a good marketing message.

Whatever tactic is taken, it’s important to remember the pairing and think holistically. We don’t see that paring in the offering very often. The right products and the right marketing could resonate with consumers.