Double-blind placebo and active (caffeine) controlled study to examine the effects of the herbal nutritional supplement beverage "Wake up" on vigilance and function after lunch.
BACKGROUND
Post-lunch dip is a well-known phenomenon that results in a substantial deterioration in function and productivity after lunch.


OBJECTIVE
To assess whether a new herbal-based potentially wake-promoting beverage is effective in counteracting somnolence and reduced post-lunch performance.


METHODS
Thirty healthy volunteers were studied on three different days at the sleep clinic. On each visit they ate a standard lunch at noontime, followed by a drink of "Wake up," 50 mg caffeine, or a placebo in a cross-over double-blind regimen. At 30 and 120 minutes post-drinking, they underwent a battery of tests to determine the effects of the beverage. These included: a) a subjective assessment of alertness and performance based on a visual analog scale, and b) objective function tests: the immediate word recall test, the digit symbol substitution test (DSST), and hemodynamic measurements. The results of the three visits were compared using one-way analysis of variance, with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant.


RESULTS
In all performance tests, subjective vigilance and effectiveness assessment, both Wake up and caffeine were significantly superior to placebo 30 minutes after lunch. However, at 2 hours after lunch, performance had deteriorated in those who drank the caffeine-containing drink, while Wake up was superior to both caffeine and placebo. Blood pressure and pulse were higher 2 hours after caffeine ingestion, compared to both Wake up and placebo.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that a single dose of Wake up is effective in counteracting the somnolence and reduced performance during the post-lunch hours. In the current study it had no adverse hemodynamic consequences.
Sleep Laboratory, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel. ola.kassis@gmail.com
Ola
O
Kassis
Neriel
N
Katz
Sarit
S
Ravid
Giora
G
Pillar
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001628:Beverages; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D062409:Lunch; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019518:Postprandial Period; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects*; D055815:Young Adult
D010936:Plant Extracts; D002110:Caffeine