Eat Your Way to Better Sleep: The BARLEYMAX Bedtime Advantage

Effect on Sleep Improvement by Oral Administration of Functional Barley BARLEYMAX.

By Eiichi Kitazono, Aya Nishimura, Kazuo Imose

This before-and-after intervention study examined whether consuming a BARLEYMAX®-containing short bar (delivering 12 g/day of BARLEYMAX) for four weeks could improve sleep in Japanese adult women experiencing insomnia symptoms. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, alongside sleep-diary measures. Stool samples were also analysed to explore changes in gut-microbiota species linked to serotonin production.

After four weeks, participants showed improvements in several sleep-related measures, including reduced sleep difficulty scores and better overall sleep quality. The proportion of gut Clostridium species associated with serotonin synthesis increased by around 1.6-fold during BARLEYMAX® intake, returning toward baseline after washout. Overall, the findings suggest that daily intake of 12g of BARLEYMAX® may help improve sleep quality in adults with insomnia symptoms, potentially through shifts in gut bacteria involved in serotonin pathways.

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