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Our relationship with sleep can be a complex one, influenced by myriad lifestyle and health factors – and awareness of this has intensified. An increasing tendency to view health and wellness holistically, paired with a shift toward natural, botanical remedies, has seen a growing number of consumers turning to nutraceuticals with dreams of achieving those elusive, restorative eight hours. FoodBev explores.

We live in a busier world than ever – filled with demands and distractions, with factors like chronic stress and overwhelm resulting in significantly impacted sleep for many of us. Meanwhile, advances in sensor technology have made it easier than ever for people to monitor the quality of their sleep using wearable tech such as smart watches.

A spokesperson for functional beverage brand Trip told FoodBev: “For a long time, sleep only really entered the conversation when people were struggling with it. Now the focus has shifted, with more people thinking about how to optimise their sleep as part of their everyday wellbeing”.

“As a result, people are becoming much more intentional about how they prepare for sleep. They are not just tracking how many hours they get each night, but building proper wind-down routines, such as cutting back on screen time, reducing alcohol, or turning to natural sleep aids.”

According to research from FMCG Gurus, the top reasons for worsened sleep cited by those impacted included emotions (43%) and financial situation (38%). Elena García, scientific product and communication manager at Nektium, noted that many factors are contributing to the problem, including blue light from devices and noise pollution. In many cases, stress is the culprit.

“Whether it’s work, finance or emotional issues, stress causes the body to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, leading to higher cortisol and adrenaline levels,” García said. “Over time, stress hormones make it hard for the nervous system to switch off and will directly interfere with the body’s circadian rhythm.”

Younger consumers in particular are paying attention to this, with Gen Z and Millennials showing more interest in improving their sleep compared with Generation X and Baby Boomers.

Trip’s spokesperson commented: “Recent research shows Gen Z and Millennials now dedicate around 41% of their discretionary spend to wellness habits, with sleep products and night-time rituals becoming one of the fastest-growing areas.”

Through night and day

Lack of quality sleep due to heightened cortisol – which delays the release of sleep-regulating hormone melatonin – can disrupt emotional resilience the next day, further exacerbating the problem.

“This can create a vicious cycle where chronic stress negatively impacts sleep quality, which then feeds into poor management of mood and stress, and so sleep continues to worsen,” said Nektium’s García.

Awareness of this role that daytime emotional balance plays in the cycle has sparked a shift toward natural, botanical solutions, with many consumers also carefully considering how their daytime behaviour is influencing the night.

“Instead of just reaching for more coffee, people are now recognising that sleep debt and circadian disruption can have long-term effects on resilience, hormone health and overall performance,” said Nora Khaldi, founder and CEO of Nuritas.

She added that while melatonin supplements are a popular way for consumers to support their sleep at night, many are now seeking convenient alternatives that can support their full sleep cycle without feeling groggy in the morning, and integrate easily into their daily rituals.

Eléa Witrant, brand manager at Ingredia, told FoodBev that consumers are increasingly seeking solutions that provide both clinically proven efficacy and the safety of natural origin.

Trip’s spokesperson pointed to market data that reflects this shift, with the strongest growth across the global sleep aids market – worth over $6 billion – coming from the natural end of the category.

“Products built around ingredients such as magnesium, adaptogens and botanicals are growing at nearly 13% annually versus 5% for the category overall,” Trip’s spokesperson added.

Nature’s medicine

Cannabidiol (CBD), which Trip built its core beverage offering around before its expansion into other functional ingredients like lion’s mane mushroom, is often associated with relaxation and improved sleep. FMCG Gurus data shows that 46% of consumers associate it with enhanced sleep, though some are skeptical of its effectiveness.

“On the relaxation side, magnesium and B6 are very frequent formulation companions, as well as traditional herbal solutions like passionflower and valerian root,” said Ingredia’s Witrant.

FMCG Gurus’ data shows consumers most associate botanicals like chamomile, dandelion, lavender, ginseng and rose with improving sleep patterns. Additionally, tart cherry and L-theanine are showing up in many formulations, both linked to improved sleep quality.

Peptides are also having a moment across need states, including sleep, pointed out Nuritas’ Khaldi. PeptiSleep, a solution launched by Nuritas last year, is derived from natural plant peptides found in brown rice. It is designed to reduce peripheral cortisol, a hormone that keeps you alert.

“Unlike some sleep aids, it helps through every phase of sleep, including falling asleep and staying asleep, so consumers wake up rested and refreshed,” Khaldi said, noting the absence of a “sleep hangover” and its easy formulation across applications, and with other functional ingredients, as additional benefits.

Daniel Ramón, B2B marketing manager for EMEA at Symrise, pointed out that consumers increasingly opt for more traditional food and drink formats over supplements due to their perceived naturalness and affordability. Dairy products with probiotics, such as milk and yogurt, are favoured as consumers increasingly connect sleep to gut health, he emphasised.

The company’s Probi biotic solution range takes a ‘psychobiotic approach,’ built around the gut-brain axis and the ability of certain strains to influence sleep and stress-related pathways.

“Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HEAL9 is positioned to support sleep quality, stress management, mood and cognition, supported by multiple clinical studies,” Ramón said, noting that improvements have been shown in sleep quality and daytime function, with reductions in morning cortisol levels.

Elsewhere in dairy, Ingredia has seen success in sleep enhancement with its ingredient solution Lactium, a milk protein hydrolysate that contains a bioactive decapeptide with relaxing properties, α-casozepine.

“In our latest clinical and consumer studies, Lactium has shown ability to improve sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, subjective sleep quality and reduce daytime dysfunctions,” said Witrant.

Holistic approach

Witrant noted that Lactium reduced perception of stress and anxiety in a study conducted in women, while also acting on related symptoms including digestion (reduced nausea and snacking), reduced cardiovascular oppression symptoms, and improved concentration, memory, mood and social interaction.

This enables it to meet demand for multifunctional and specialised nutrition solutions in the women’s health and healthy ageing sub-categories of functional food and beverage.

Meanwhile, Nektium’s Vanizem solution – a fast-acting botanical extract made from West African spice Aframomum melegueta, designed to enhance feelings of calmness – showed benefits for menopausal women in a 2021 study when combined with soy isoflavone and Punica granatum skin.

“It brought a 38% improvement in Quality of Life on the Cervantes Scale, which takes into account the effects of vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, lack of sleep and energy, and ageing perception,” said García.

Though solutions for sleep improvement can span across categories and target broad consumer demographics, there is an important distinction between consumers seeking sleep-promoting solutions, and consumers with sleep disorders and medical conditions.

Symrise’s Ramón noted that it is crucial to take care when communicating sleep-related benefits – such as ensuring not to imply treatment of sleep disorders like insomnia, or mental health conditions such as depression. Structure/function-style language (such as ‘supports sleep quality’) can be used where permitted, but substantiation must match the claim, he warned.

“Ensure wording aligns with endpoints measured, such as quality measures and cortisol markers, and is strain-specific when discussing probiotics,” he commented. “Be careful with ‘next-day’ claims too: ‘daytime function’ may be acceptable if substantiated, but avoid implying prevention of fatigue-related disease or guaranteeing outcomes.”

In the coming years, Ramón believes the market will continue to shift from ‘sleep aids’ to ‘sleep routines,’ with growth in ritualised, comforting formats and multi-benefit bundles.

Trip’s spokesperson noted that sleep aids must fit seamlessly into evening routines, pointing out that this was central to the development of many of its products used for sleep support – including its CBD oil, as well as a new range of gummies and a soluble powder, made with ingredients such as magnesium, valerian root, tart cherry extract and chamomile.

“What’s also interesting is that the conversation has shifted away from duration entirely,” they said. “Research across major markets shows around 88% of US adults now say sleep quality matters more to them than the number of hours they get. That changes what people are looking for in a product – they’re not chasing more sleep, they’re looking for better quality sleep.”

The spokesperson added that product format will play a key role in how the category evolves. “Different formats suit different habits and preferences,” they concluded. “Sleep will become even more closely linked to mental wellbeing and performance and, crucially, focusing not just on the night itself, but how you feel the next day too.”