2-6-2020 **UPDATE** Espira Calm is not available at this time. I am hoping that Avon will bring it back. Espira Restful Sleep is available, so be sure to get on the wait list for that. Also be sure to check out all of Avon’s Wellness products – Click Here! Thank you!

We all have times when we may need a little mood support, or a calm(er) state of mind. I know that I resemble that remark. Whether it be work related, hormone imbalance, or just a stressful situation, it’s nice to know that there is something that can help during those times to help you relax your body and mind without causing drowsiness or harmful side-effects.

I will tell you my personal experience here lately of not being able to go to sleep some nights. I’m not stressed – especially not about my work, I absolutely love and enjoy what I do – I believe, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out at my youthful age of 54 – that the culprit is most likely hormones, honey. I know….

I do take a magnesium supplement from time to time to relax my body so that I can sleep, but seeing that Avon has this whole natural supplement line called Espira, and that they have a product called Calm, I ordered samples to try and to also let you try – yay!

Well, as luck would have it, I could not fall asleep last night and remembered that I do have Calm supplements now, so I decided that it was a great time to try them out.

The Calm supplement comes in capsule form. I personally have a time with taking capsules, so since these are herbal, I just opened the capsule and poured the contents into a glass and mixed with about 6 ounces of water. I made sure to eat a banana first as it says to take with food. The flavor of the mixture was pretty good. It tasted like herbs with a hint of lemon. I believe that is from the Lemon Balm.

I went back to bed and soon felt more relaxed, and you know I do not even remember drifting to sleep, but I did, and slept really well. These are not marketed for sleeping, as they do not cause any drowsiness, they are meant to calm you, and they did. I guess I just needed to be able to relax in order to fall asleep. I took only 1 capsule to try out. The dosage is 2 capsules, but the one did just fine. The directions say to take 2 capsules in the morning. These are formulated to give you good mood support throughout your day.

I did some research on the ingredients to better understand what everything is and how it is supposed to help calm our state of mind. Here’s what I found out:

Firstly, the top portion of the Supplemental facts reads of these ingredients: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Biotin, and Pantothenic Acid, all at 100% Daily Values. These are B-Complex Vitamins, so yay, we’re off to a great start! You can look each of these up and see the wonderful benefits of all the vitamin B’s.

Next, some ingredients that I was not familiar with, so I did look these up.

First is L-Theanine. I found this explanation:

L-theanine is a compound that occurs naturally in green tea and black tea, and it is also available in supplement form.

Research suggests that L-theanine might provide a range of health benefits, which may include improved mental focus and better sleep quality.

Source: Medical News Today

Next up is Sensoril® Patented Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). This is a patented formula, but I did look up Ashwagandha and found this explanation:

Ashwagandha is also used as an “adaptogen” to help the body cope with daily stress, and as a general tonic.

Some people also use ashwagandha for improving thinking ability, decreasing pain and swelling (inflammation), and preventing the effects of aging. It is also used for fertility problems in men and women and also to increase sexual desire.

Source: Web MD

Sounding really good hey?

Okay – next is Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) (aerial parts) (4:1 Extract).

Here’s what I found out:

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a lemon-scented herb that comes from the same family as mint. The herb is native to Europe, North Africa, and West Asia, but it’s grown around the world.

Lemon balm has traditionally been used to improve mood and cognitive function, but the potential benefits don’t stop there. Read on to learn more about this plant’s possible healing powers. (And I did read on to learn that it helps to relieve stress, reduce anxiety, and helps ease insomnia and other sleep disorders. I knew it helped me sleep!)

Source: Healthline.com

Then we have Eleuthero – Don’t even ask me to pronounce that. But here’s what I found out:

There is evidence that eleuthero was first used as an herbal remedy in China some 2,000 years ago.

The plant is mostly used in traditional medicines as an adaptogen, a compound that helps the body better handle and adapt to stress. Eleuthero also acts as a stimulant, increasing nervous system function.

Source: Medical News Today

And last, but not least, we have Rhodiola. Don’t ask me to pronounce this one either, but here’s the info on this ingredient:

Rhodiola has long been known as an adaptogen, a natural substance that increases your body’s resistance to stress in non-specific ways.

Consuming adaptogens during stressful times is thought to help you handle stressful situations better (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).

One study investigated the effects of rhodiola extract in 101 people with life- and work-related stress. Participants were given 400 mg per day for four weeks (3Trusted Source).

It found significant improvements in symptoms of stress, such as fatigue, exhaustion and anxiety, after just three days. These improvements continued throughout the study.

Rhodiola has also been shown to improve symptoms of burnout, which can occur with chronic stress.

Source: Healthline.com You can also find the links there to their Trusted Sources.

I don’t know about you, but all the ingredients sound really impressive to me. I’ve not heard of any of these herbs before, and I am thankful to Avon for introducing them to me and for making this awesome product.

Calm comes in a bottle of 60 capsules and is priced at $18.00 a bottle. You can subscribe to Avon’s Auto Replenish while you’re ordering and they will automatically send you a bottle every 4 weeks.

Now, if you are looking specifically for a sleep-aid, Avon makes a supplement called Restful Sleep. This is also all natural and non-habit forming. You may also sign up for the Auto Replenish for this product as well.

Restful Sleep contains a blend of melatonin, botanicals and magnesium. These are in capsule form and comes in a bottle of 60 and is also priced at $18.00 a bottle. (Not to be taken with alcohol.)

I hope you do give these products a try. Avon has been a trusted company for over 130 years, so I myself do trust all of their products. Avon has a full line of Espira Products including multi-vitamins formulated specifically for men, women, and children, Power Greens, protein drinks, products to block hunger, boost metabolism and more. I’ll be giving more of these nutritional supplement products a try and will let you know how it goes.

Onward and upward and cheers to great health! And a good night’s sleep is certainly necessary for health and beauty. So glad I got a good one last night – restful and calm…..

Till next time, I hope you feel fabulous!

Jfay