Here at Brain Wave, we focus on brain health. This is usually highlighted by lion’s mane mushroom in our proprietary blend, as it supports mental cognition and vaporizes that all too familiar brain fog. But there is another huge piece of the brain-health puzzle – sleep. And most of us aren't getting enough good, consistent sleep.
A large-scale study evaluating over 11 million nights of sleep data showed that only 30% of adults reached 7-9 hours of sleep per night, and middle-aged participants scored the worst. Even among adults who do get that amount of sleep, irregular sleep is prevalent (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38071172/). So, getting enough sleep is important, but quality also matters.
Sleep quality is defined as an individual’s overall sleep experience, including factors such as how easily we fall asleep, how well we stay asleep, and how rested we feel afterward. Poor sleep quality can have important adverse health effects. There are drugs to treat sleep disorders, but some can be associated with side effects, tolerance, or dependence, which is one reason there is growing interest in natural approaches to supporting healthy sleep.
We know reishi helps.
A 2021 study showed that reishi mycelium extract shortened the time it took to fall asleep and increased total sleep time in mice (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34211003/). The researchers also found changes involving serotonin in the hypothalamus, a region of the brain involved in regulating sleep. Even more exciting, a newer study presented this year at the SLEEP conference in Baltimore found that reishi outperformed melatonin in 218 adults with chronic insomnia (https://www.sleepmeeting.org/). This is particularly interesting because unlike the earlier mouse study, these results came directly from people experiencing chronic sleep problems.
And that brings me to something we've been working on at Brain Wave. We are developing a new reishi-based formula designed to support healthy sleep. Reishi will be the star, but it won't be working alone. Another ingredient we are excited to introduce is saffron.
Saffron comes from the bright red stigmas inside the purple Crocus sativus flower. It is responsible for the distinctive golden color and earthy, floral flavor found in many foods. It is also famously one of the world's most expensive spices. At Brain Wave, we focus on quality rather than cheap ingredients. But saffron has something even more interesting going for it: human clinical research data on sleep.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial published in 2025 studied 165 adults with moderate insomnia. Participants received either 20 mg of saffron extract, 30 mg of saffron extract, or a placebo every day for four weeks. Compared with placebo, saffron significantly reduced insomnia symptoms. Participants taking either dose also reported significantly better sleep quality after three weeks, and those improvements were maintained through week four. Saffron also significantly reduced perceived stress (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40698027/). Importantly, no serious adverse events were reported during the study.
But those results came from a single study. A systematic review published in 2023 examined five randomized clinical trials investigating saffron and sleep (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37484523/). A systematic review is different from an individual experiment. It is a structured research method that collects, evaluates, and summarizes evidence matching pre-specified criteria to answer a clearly defined research question. In this case, the review included five randomized clinical trials with a total of 379 participants from three countries that focused on saffron and sleep. Overall, the studies supported a beneficial effect of saffron on sleep, with improvements reported in measures of sleep quality and duration. And these studies were with humans, not mice.
But how can saffron affect sleep?
Two of saffron's best-studied bioactive compounds are crocin and safranal (https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/6/4/63). Crocin is a water-soluble carotenoid responsible for much of saffron's characteristic color and has been studied for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32640351/). Safranal is another major bioactive component of saffron and is responsible for much of its distinctive aroma. Interestingly, research suggests that crocin and safranal interacts with the GABAergic system in the brain (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22632633/). GABA is the brain's major inhibitory neurotransmitter, essentially helping quiet neuronal activity rather than stimulating it.
Research into saffron suggests that its compounds can influence neurotransmitter systems involved in mood, stress, and sleep. That is particularly interesting because sleep doesn't operate independently from stress and mood. Anyone who has stared at the ceiling at 2 a.m. with their brain refusing to shut off already knows that.
So now, Brain Wave is going to use two very different natural ingredients to approach sleep: reishi, with emerging research on sleep regulation, and saffron, with human clinical evidence showing improvements in insomnia symptoms, sleep quality, and stress.
This is exactly the kind of combination that gets me excited as a scientist. I love learning about the molecular mechanisms behind how each ingredient works and then translating that science to a broader audience through this blog.
Sleep well,
Dr. Andy