Modulating stress and sleep through a multi-compound dietary supplement: a randomized, double-blind,...

Stress and poor sleep are prevalent public health concerns that negatively impact well-being and daily functioning. Although adaptogens and sleep-focused supplements have separately demonstrated potential benefits, few studies have examined combined effects, particularly in healthy populations. Therefore, this study evaluated the impact of morning adaptogens, evening sleep-focused supplements, and their combination on stress, mood, and subjective and objective sleep quality.

Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 103 healthy physically active adults (F = 53; age = 34.8 ± 9.6 yrs; BMI = 24.0 ± 2.7 kg/m²) were randomized to one of four treatment groups: 1) AMPM (n = 25): active morning (AM) and active evening (PM); 2) AM (n = 26): active AM and placebo PM; 3) PM (n = 25): placebo AM and active PM; and 4) PL (n = 27): placebo AM and placebo PM). The AM group contained 600 mg ashwagandha and 300 mg Rhodiola rosea (R. rosea). The PM group contained 2 g Magnesium L-threonate (MgT) (delivering 145 mg of magnesium), 200 mg L-theanine, and 50 mg apigenin. The total study duration was four weeks, consisting of one baseline week, two weeks of supplementation, and one washout week. Participants completed daily stress questionnaires and weekly questionnaires on perceived stress, affect, and subjective sleep (Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS), and monthly subjective sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at baseline and post-washout. Objective sleep data were collected nightly using a wearable sleep monitoring device. Data were analyzed using baseline-adjusted linear mixed-effects models with alpha set at 0.05. Tukey-adjusted post hoc comparisons were performed, and effect sizes are reported as partial eta squared (η²) and Cohen's d (d).

The AM group showed a decrease in weekly perceived stress (p = 0.034; η² = 0.020), whereas there were no differences in daily stress (p < 0.05). For positive affect, there was a significant effect in the AM group at the end of the cessation period (p = 0.003; d = 1.68), which continued to increase, whereas the AMPM group showed a decrease (p = 0.009; d = 0.16). The AM group showed a decrease in subjective sleep-related impairments (p = 0.032, d = 2.74) and in objective wake after sleep onset (p = 0.047, η² = 0.020). PSQI subjective sleep quality was significantly improved in the AM group compared with the AMPM group (mean difference = 0.66 AU, p < 0.001, d = 1.45).

Morning supplementation with adaptogens (ashwagandha and R. rosea) was associated with improvements in subjective stress, sleep quality, and positive affect following 14 days in healthy physically active adults as compared to the placebo product. Minimal effects on other outcomes may reflect limited benefits in healthy individuals over a short supplementation period. Future research should investigate longer interventions and populations with greater baseline stress and sleep disturbance.