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Instructor/Advisor

Dr. Nicholas SantaBarbara

Keywords

nitric oxide, vasodilation, sleep onset

Abstract

Sleep plays a critical role in physical and psychological well-being. However, numerous challenges face athletes and servicemembers that contribute to an observed trend of insufficient sleep duration (ISD) in these populations. ISD is connected to numerous physiological and performance decrements. A primary contributor to ISD is an increase in sleep onset latency (SOL) and research points to peripheral blood flow redistribution as a potent initiator of sleep onset. Vasodilation of the endothelium facilitates an increasing distal-proximal skin temperature gradient (DPG), aiding in sleep onset. The role of nitric oxide (NO) in vasodilation suggests the potential beneficial effect of NO precursor supplements, such as l-arginine (L-ARG) and l-citrulline (L-CIT), toward reducing SOL. These amino acids interaction in the urea cycle may also contribute to the buffering of hyperammonemia-induced fatigue in periods of extreme sleep deprivation (SD). This narrative review demonstrates the potential effect of NO supplementation as a novel nutritional intervention for sleep enhancement in chronically under slept active individuals.

Therapeutic Potential of Nitric Oxide Supplements for the Enhancement of Sleep Quality in Chronically Under Slept Active Individuals

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