Seven of ten adults experience sufficient daily stress to the point that it disrupts their nightly sleep–and athletes are no different. Have you had a big event–an early morning race, a big game, or even an important meeting at work–that has caused your mind to race thinking about it the night before? Most everyone has, right?

Some athletes have reported anecdotally that just a one-time use of Thorne’s Multi-Vitamin Elite PM formula has helped them catch the Zzz’s they need to perform their best the next day.*

Thorne specifically added the plant extracts of Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense (aka Relora®) to their Multi-Vitamin Elite PM formula to support restful sleep.* Our research and development team partnered with EXOS in Phoenix, Arizona, to put the Multi-Vitamin Elite PM formula to the test.

The question they wanted an answer to: “Does the Multi-Vitamin Elite PM formula, designed for sleep, really help you sleep?”

The study team, led by Laura Kunces, PhD, RD, selected the night before an endurance cycling event of 100 miles on a hot summer day in Texas. They would research the effect that one serving of the Multi-Vitamin Elite PM formula would have on the competitors’ sleep–having deemed it to be an event that would surely keep the cyclists anxious about finishing.

Sixty-six adult cyclists were screened for not having any previously diagnosed sleep-related issues, and were evenly split into three groups. The three groups were blinded as to whether they were consuming the Multi-Vitamin Elite PM formula, a regular multi-vitamin formula, or a placebo, the night before the cycling event. All 61 cyclists met with the study team before gathering at the early-morning starting line to report their experiences.

The pre-study data obtained from the three groups of cyclists showed there were no differences in the athletes’ demographics, their habitual sleep quality leading up to a race, and the time it usually took to fall asleep prior to a race day.

However, when meeting with the study team on race morning, the cyclists who consumed the Multi-Vitamin Elite PM formula the night before reported that they fell asleep 28 minutes sooner and achieved better sleep quality compared to the other two groups, with no reported side effects.*

And then the race started and 66 cyclists took off! Previous research on the two plant extracts in the proprietary Relora formula has shown their effectiveness to act on neurotransmitter receptors in the brain to relax muscles and reduce stress.*

In addition, the Multi-Vitamin Elite PM formula is specifically higher in magnesium content and lower in B vitamin content than the AM formula for the purpose of optimizing the sleep process in adults.*

What does this mean for you? As part of the Multi-Vitamin Elite AM and PM formulas in the Thorne sports performance product line, Craving and Stress Support, in combination with other vitamins and minerals, can support you in falling asleep and receiving good quality sleep—perhaps even after just one serving.*

Thorne is committed to funding additional research in this area and for all of their NSF Certified for Sport® supplements to understand the benefits of consistent supplementation on physical and mental performance and other health benefits.* But we all already know how getting a good nights’ sleep can help you push ahead of the competition.

Thorne's Sleep Test tracks hormone fluctuations that regulate the sleep-wake cycle.