Sleep Well, Stay Well

In South Africa, over 7% of people—roughly 4.5 million—experience sleep difficulties. If you’re getting less than 5 hours per night, you may be one of them. The signs are common: heightened stress, trouble focusing, or increased cravings. Within days, poor sleep weakens immunity, making you more prone to illness. Over weeks, it can affect blood sugar, weight, and mood, potentially leading to conditions like diabetes or depression. Long-term, risks include high blood pressure or heart issues.

Sleep also regulates hormones like cortisol, oestrogen, and serotonin, influencing stress, energy, and well-being. Without adequate rest, these can become imbalanced, further impacting your immune system.

Adults typically need around 7 hours, though it varies. To find your ideal amount, try going to bed at a consistent time and waking naturally.
The recommended sleep for different ages includes:

• Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
• Infants (4–11 months): 12–15 hours
• Toddlers (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
• Preschoolers (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
• Primary school (6–13 years): 9–11 hours
• Teenagers (14–17 years): 8–10 hours

Historically, people slept over 9 hours until the 1960s, when television was invented. This shifted our habits. Today, screen time is the main culprit that keeps us awake. Does late-night browsing or binge-watching sound familiar? Other factors, like caffeine, stress, or irregular work schedules, also play a role. But quality sleep is essential—neglect it, and you leave yourself exposed.

Fortunately, small changes can help: limit screens before bed, reduce stimulants, and maintain a regular sleep routine. For those seeking more support, we at Nutribrands have explored this further.

After trying numerous products to enhance the depth and duration of sleep, this combination has proven to be the most effective:

• Daily 50 g of Nucleo anytime during the day.
• One capsule of Brainmag during the day, anytime before 17:00.
• 10 to 20 drops of DMSO in about 20 ml of water before bed, taken with
• 1 or 2 capsules of Sleep Matrix.

We’ve found the DMSO fast tracks the uptake of the Sleep Matrix ingredients, which makes it much more effective. Fall asleep sooner and sleep deeper. When waking up at night, it is easier to fall asleep again.

• You could also take one capsule of Sleep Matrix and one capsule of Anti-Stress.
• If you still struggle, add one or two droppers of CBD oil.

We call it - The Sleep Stack - available for purchase here.

Sleep doesn’t have to be a battle; with the Sleep Stack, you can support your body’s natural sleep rhythms and enjoy the kind of rest that strengthens your immunity and lifts your spirits.

Much of the insight for this post came from a YouTube talk by Dr Anton, linked below if you’d like to watch it.