I don’t sleep much. Not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t get my brain to turn off. Just about the time I’m about to drift off to la-la land, boom! A random thought jumps to the forefront of my brain.
I ignored it in my twenties. I could snag four hours of shut eye and still function efficiently throughout the day. Now with my 38th birthday knocking on the door, if I don’t get my rest I’m groggy, argumentative, and very short with my wife and kids.
The importance of sleep
I’m not unique in that regard. The human body requires sleep to function fully. According to the Mayo Clinic, adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. If you’re not getting that amount, you’re putting your health at risk. Lack of sleep has been linked to the following:
- Stress
- Weight gain and weight loss
- Poor memory function
- Weakened immune system
- Increased inflammation
- Depression
- Decreased lifespan
The Mayo Clinic does not mention anything about poor hunting performance, but that’s what happens to me when I don’t sleep on hunts. I tend to make poor decisions, feel generally awful pushing up a mountain and simply can’t enjoy the experience to the fullest.
Searching for sleep
My doctor wrote me a prescription for sleeping pills, prescribed pills, but they put me in a coma. I slept well, but I wasn’t able to wake up fully in the morning. Reading was another fail. I like to read — a lot — so all it did was get the hamster in my head running faster. Oils and Sleepytime tea were a bust.
Slumber at last
While I was at the 2018 ATA Show, a buddy tossed me a bag of MTN OPS’ newest concoction — Slumber. Given my track record with products designed to help me sleep, I wasn’t inclined to be optimistic. That said, I love MTN OPS. I use their Enduro, Ignite, Ammo and Multi-Vitamin daily because I’ve found that the products work. So I was willing to give Slumber a try.
My first night back home, I followed the directions on the back of the package and stirred a scoop of the Sleepy Chai Slumber into 8 ounces of hot water. The taste was great, but what happened 37 minutes after slurping down the brew was even better. I was sitting on the couch watching a television show with my bride when I felt it. I was getting tired, snuggling deeper into the blanket and just feeling incredibly relaxed.
That night I slept a full eight hours, and according to my Garmin fenix 3 watch, four hours and three minutes of that was considered deep sleep. (Because I’m a numbers nerd and keep a journal, I know my average deep-sleep pattern is one hour, 45 minutes.) In the nights that followed, the results have been the same. Best of all, I wake up in the morning refreshed without that hungover feeling the prescribed pills gave me.
How does it work?
According to MTN OPS, the Hibern8 deep sleep formula utilizes trace minerals from the Great Salt Lake coupled with melatonin, L-theanine and natural extracts to encourage deep sleep. And because your sleep is so deep, your body is able to recover faster, meaning you will feel better the next day. Aiding in the recovery process is collagen, which, according to MTN OPS, is one of the most important nutrients needed to ensure the health and vitality of your skin, hair, tendons, cartilage, bones and joints.
Sweetening the pot is a non-stimulated, tannin-free rooibos tea, which has 50 times more antioxidants than green tea.
I’ve tried it. It works. I’m going to continue using it. If it will help me sleep better so I can work and train harder the next day, well, put me in coach.