SUPPLEMENTS FOR MOOD, OILS FOR SLEEP, AND THE POWER OF YOGA NIDRA

I subscribe to a brilliant website called Examine.com where a team of researchers comb through hundreds of scientific studies and reports to find which food supplements really work. So when a friend recently asked for suggestions to lift her low mood, I turned to this trusty website.

As we’ve written here before, headlines, TikTok and celebrities should never be followed willy nilly.  Ideally reports should be combed through with a careful eye on the sample, the study methodology, the limitations, even the authors (which is what we attempt at the Age-Well Project).  But when I’m time pressed, or the volume of data is as vast and conflicted as it is on food supplements, I like to open up my Examine.com database (paid subscription only) and have a quick scan of studies that have been filtered, interrogated and summarised by experts with lots of time and no axe to grind.

Today I’ll share the programme of supplements I suggested to my friend (with the caveat that you should always talk to your doctor, of course, and that you shouldn’t mix supplements and medication without talking to your doctor first).  I also recommended some essential oils and yoga nidra – having combed that data myself (there’s far less of it!).  I think you’ll be as surprised as I was at what I found.

And if you’re wondering what low mood/depression has to do with living a long and healthy life, studies consistently show them to be a major factor in reducing life expectancy. It’s not that depression leads to premature death, but that the associated behaviours can up the risk of chronic and deathly disease. According to a Canadian study ‘the connection between depression and a shorter lifespan appeared strongest in the years following a depressive episode… part of the risk might be reversed by effectively treating the mental illness.’

Depression is extremely complicated and there are many routes to recovery, but let’s start with simple supplements to (potentially) lift your mood. Examine.com helpfully list the supplements in order of those that are safest and most proven, with the Primary Supplements for mood-boosting as follows:

Omega 3/Fish Oil

The supplement deemed safest and most efficacious for mood was fish oil.  ‘Fish oil can slightly improve depression when compared to control,’ according to the Examine team who also note that ‘adding fish oil to antidepressant medication seems to be more beneficial than antidepressant treatment alone.’ How much? Well, 1-2 grams daily containing ≥60% proportion of total EPA + DHA seems to be especially beneficial.

I’ve recommended my friend take a 2 gram daily capsule, after supplementing my Examine.com reading by digging into recent studies (yes, I still like to cross-check and I recommend you do too). Of course, you could just eat oily fish a few times a week.

Saffron

Saffron has been a recent addition to my chest of sleep aids (yes, I’m still experimenting with sleep supplements for those nights when my sleep goes back to its old ways), after improving sleep in four out of five studies.  But saffron supplements also have a good track record of lifting mood: as Examine.com puts it ‘Saffron is a potent antioxidant and has shown consistent benefits for depression.’ Three studies have found that ‘used in people with minor to moderate depression, saffron appears to be superior to placebo and comparable to some commonly used antidepressants (e.g., fluoxetine, citalopram) for reducing symptoms of depression and achieving remission.’

This sounds promising, but as the Examine researchers point out, all these studies have been done in Iran on small sample sizes. More research is needed (as always), but if you want to trial it on yourself, find a reliable brand and start on a low dose of 15mg twice a day.

How and why does saffron lift our mood? No one really knows, but some researchers speculate that its active compounds (crocin, crocetin, safranol, and picrocrocin) may indirectly affect the brain possibly by preventing the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters — like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine — which allows their (positive) effects to linger for longer. Another suggestion is that Saffron might reduce levels of the stress-hormone, cortisol, and increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).  Alternatively, saffron might reduce inflammation in the brain, thought by some to be the cause of depression.

Saffron also appears to benefit our cognitive brain:  a report published this month points out that ‘Several clinical and preclinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of saffron and its constituents in improving cognitive function, mood, and other neurological outcomes.’  Meanwhile a report published last month found that saffron reduced anxiety and depression among cancer patients.

While Saffron and fish oil feature at the top of Examine.com’s suggestions (being the best studied with the most positive results), their Secondary List is comprised of Vitamin D and St John’s Wort.  Let’s look at Examine.com’s evidence:

St John’s Wort

The most studied herbal remedy for depression, St John’s Wort has – according to Examine.com –  ‘shown promise as an effective treatment for mild-to-moderate depression’, with some studies finding that it has ‘similar antidepressant properties and remission rates to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs),’ and with fewer side-effects.

I’ve suggested my friend start with saffron and fish oil supplements before trying St John’s Wort. This will give her an idea of what’s working – or not.  When you take everything at once, it’s almost impossible to gauge what’s genuinely effective. Note that St. John’s Wort can adversely interact with many pharmaceuticals, including some antidepressants.

Vitamin D

Several studies have found a correlation between depression and low levels of Vitamin D. This doesn’t mean that being Vitamin D-depleted causes low mood but it does suggest that having sub-optimal levels might not be helping.  We’ve been advocates of supplementing with Vitamin D ever since we started this blog and as my friend wasn’t taking a supplement, I suggested she try one. I take a daily 2000 iu supplement and Susan takes 3000iu supplement combined with 75ug of vitamin K2, in a spray. I usually stop in the summer, although Susan goes year-round.

But be aware that, as the Examine team put it, ‘If your levels of vitamin D are sufficient, then … supplementation isn’t likely to help.’   You can ask your doctor to test your Vitamin D levels if you’re concerned.

Alternatively get out in the sun where a mere 20 minutes a day, with sleeves rolled up will give you all the Vitamin D you need, as well as the other benefits of sunlight (which I wrote about here ) and – if you’re walking – of exercise too.  Movement is still the best proven mood-lifter, with a recent study finding that a combination of resistance/weights and moderate-to-vigorous movement provided the most effective mood booster. No need to hit the gym if you don’t want to – a brisk hike with a resistance band or a backpack (or a couple of bags of groceries) will give you all you need with the powerful addition of fresh air and nature (repeatedly found to lift our spirits).  Avoid polluted roads – there’s growing evidence that air pollution is linked to low mood, although it’s unclear why.

I’ve also suggested my friend use certain oils in a diffuser at night (I use a diffuser most nights), following a 2022 study that found essential and volatile oils  ‘can bypass the blood-brain barrier to target brain tissue through the nasal-brain pathway, where they act on the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and limbic system in the brain to improve symptoms of anxiety, depression and improve sleep quality.’  The authors of this study described certain oils as a ‘potentially efficacious treatment for mental disorders.’

Which oils? Lavender, chamomile, citrus (bitter orange is my current favourite) bergamot, sandalwood, rosemary have all shown benefits for both mood and quality of sleep.  Sleep in particular appears to improve with the presence of these oils: a recent study concluded that ‘Overall, aromatherapy improved sleep quality in healthy and unwell people, especially when used as inhalation’ (ie via a diffuser).

Lastly I suggested my friend try yoga nidra. Susan and I have been fans of yoga nidra for a long time – using our own minds and bodies as a gauge of its efficacy.  But a recent slew of studies indicate that practising yoga nidra really does work – and in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

A study carried out on depressed and anxious participants during COVID found that (a daily 30 minutes of) yoga nidra was more helpful than relaxation to music for reducing depression, anxiety, and insomnia among frontline COVID-19 healthcare workers .

A recent study found that 20 minutes of daily yoga nidra (done in the morning) for two weeks resulted in improved deep (slow-wave) sleep and better cognition. In this study participants (all male, sadly and annoyingly) were tested using both technology, self-reported diaries and cognition tests.  Slow-wave sleep improved, but so did the ability to focus, to absorb and recall new information, as well as reaction speeds.

The researchers aren’t sure why 20 minutes of yoga nidra would have such brain-boosting results, but wrote ‘It is likely that a reduction in sympathetic drive and an increase in parasympathetic drive occurred due to …the improved slow wave sleep.’ In other words, morning sessions of yoga nidra resulted in greater daylong serenity which resulted in better sleep and consequent improved cognition. You can read the report here. It follows a handful of other studies that have found similar results.   I’ve been using a 30-minute yoga nidra from Wisdom of the Masters (search on Spotify) but I also like this 15-minute Non-Sleep Deep Rest session on YouTube.

And what about diet – does that have any bearing on our mood? Research has found that eating a mediterranean diet is better than eating junk food (surprise, surprise). But as I type, a new study has just landed on my desk revealing a dramatic link between mental health and sugar. The researchers found that when participants increased their daily sugar consumption by 100g, depression levels rose by 28%, concluding that ‘Dietary sugar intake is positively associated with depression in US adults.’  100g of sugar is the equivalent of four Mars bars or a tub of Ben & Jerry’s peanut butter cup ice cream.  So I’ll also be suggesting that my friend keeps an eye on her sugar intake.

As ever, do your own research and talk to your doctor.  But I hope these suggestions help anyone wondering how to lift a jaded mood (or simply to sleep better) without side-effects. And if you’ve experience of using any of these, we’d love to hear. I’m particularly interested in any feedback on St John’s Wort…

My next events are in June in South Wales. I’ll be talking all things sleep, grief and the power of darkness on Wednesday 15^th from 7.30 in Crickhowell.  Tickets here.

And I’ll be ‘running’ a walking masterclass on Thursday 16^th June at 10.30 (also in Crickhowell) where you can discover how to walk further, faster, with fewer injuries and more elegance. Tickets here.

Hope to see some of you there!

Annabel