New Mood Review: Will It Actually Reduce Your Stress?

What is Onnit New Mood?

New Mood is one of the many products that come from the Onnit brand. Founded in 2010, Onnit has since then been manufacturing everything from supplements and fitness gear to workout apparel designed to help their clients get fitter.

New Mood is the company’s take on what they call “Daily Stress Support” for mood and relaxation. They pitch this product as a stress reduction supplement that is “like a deep breath and a smile in a bottle”.  

The supplement presents a compilation of ten main ingredients to deliver the promised stress support and bring a daily dose of calm in your life. But do more ingredients necessarily equate better results?

Let’s find out by taking a look at the supplement’s ingredient list.

New Mood Ingredients

The working mechanism behind the complex nutrient profile of Onnit New Mood aims to deliver a punch of relaxation by using brain boosting ingredients that enhance serotonin levels.

That sounds like a solid proposition, but our concern here is to see whether the ingredients compressed into New Mood meet the recommended dosage requirements and if they can achieve the desired results.

Niacin

With New Mood you get 30mg of niacin, also known as vitamin B3 which is most often associated with regulating cholesterol levels.

Sleep-wise, B3 doesn’t necessarily work as a sedative but can help provide a foundation for better sleep and help the body rest. It activates benzodiazepine receptors in the brain, which can potentially affect sleep by reducing anxiety first.

However, limited and somewhat dated research that has studied the effects of niacin on insomnia requires users to take between 1-3g of niacin administration a day to be effective.

New Mood’s 30mg falls short and may not produce the desired sleep-related results.

Vitamin B6

New Mood yields 20mg of Vitamin B6 in every serving. This vitamin is known to be helpful in regulating mood by converting tryptophan into serotonin.

A combination of magnesium and vitamin B6 is often touted to have a synergistic effect on stress so supplementing the two together may help lower stress, which in turn, can improve sleep patterns.

Also, both are important for the body’s ability to produce melatonin, otherwise known as the sleep hormone.   

Oftentimes, B vitamins are used together for maximum potency and New Mood uses two of these together in their formula.

Magnesium

Magnesium has been linked to improved sleep and you can get 40mg from every serving of the New Mood supplement.

It works by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for making the mind and body feel relaxed. It also regulates melatonin levels for an improved sleep cycle.

Studies on magnesium for sleep show 500mg to be effective for insomnia. Doses around this mark appear to improve sleep efficiency, sleep time and sleep onset latency.

After these three ingredients, Onnit uses what they call the “Onnit Tranquility Blend” which is a combination of the following four herbal ingredients.

Valerian Root

People have been taking valerian root as a treatment for insomnia and anxiety for a long time.

The working mechanism of valerian is linked to its ability to increase GABA levels in the brain that have a calming effect on the body and mind.  

Studies regarding the subject show that valerian can potentially improve the time needed to fall asleep, and the quality of sleep. For anxiolytic effects, results from one study show that 50 mg of valerian given 3-4 times a day reduced symptoms compared to placebo. [1]

On the flip side, the fact that valerian root has been incorporated in the 450mg proprietary blend of the supplement, leaves some questions unanswered.

Chamomile

Most often consumed as a calming tea, chamomile flower extract has of recent become a popular ingredient in supplements.

It is another excellent addition to the formula used for its anxiolytic effects with its active ingredient, apigenin doing most of the work.

Preliminary studies on its anxiolytic effects show chamomile to reduce symptoms in subjects with generalized anxiety disorder. [2]

A more recent study looked at the effects of the herb’s long-term use with promising results. Participants experienced significantly better symptoms and improved psychological well-being. They also went longer than the placebo group before experiencing relapse. [3]

These results provide a reason for optimism especially with relieving stress and symptom management.

Lemon Balm

This is another time-tested ingredient that is advertised as a natural sleep aid as well as an anxiolytic.

Some research points to the calming effects of a single serving of lemon balm in stressed adults. Related symptoms such as excitability and nervousness may also be regulated by using this ingredient.

One 2014 research indicated that consuming foods containing lemon balm improved mood and cognitive effects of the participants. [4]

Clinical data shows users need to get between 300-600mg of lemon balm three times a day to be effective for anxiety-related issues.

Jujube Seed Extract

Joining the ranks of the other Tranquility Blend ingredients is jujube seed extract in the supplement.

There are two types of phytochemicals in the plant, saponins and flavonoids that bring about changes to brain GABA levels and serotonin making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

One of the saponins present, jujuboside A, helps quiet the mind while another flavonoid compound, spinosin, triggers sleepiness through its effects on serotonin.

In the capacity of an anxiolytic, the same compounds that relax and bring on drowsiness also have anxiolytic effects.

L-tryptophan

Tryptophan is an amino acid that produces serotonin which is important in providing relief from anxiety and depression and has a role in healthy sleep.

Tryptophan has natural sedative effects that can help you relax the body and improve your sleep experience. Studies show that people with mild insomnia who use 1 gram of tryptophan taken 45 minutes before bedtime fall asleep faster than others. [5]

It may, however, be not as effective in individuals with moderate or severe insomnia.

5-HTP

Another amino acid that is part of the biosynthesis of serotonin, 5-HTP is used for both insomnia and other conditions where serotonin is believed to play an important role.

5-HTP is often prescribed alone or alongside other anti-anxiety medications for maximum effect. Experts recommend starting at 50mg and going up to 200-300mg of 5-HTP over a span of two to three weeks to see improvement in the quality of sleep and reducing the severity of daytime anxiousness.

Inositol

This is a carbohydrate that is also believed to work along the lines of boosting serotonin production.

Since this brain chemical impacts mood and behavior, studies with inositol have focused on whether inositol supplements can improve symptoms for disorders like panic disorders and OCD.

Research indicates that inositol may be able to lower the number of panic attacks in individuals with panic disorders. [6]

Likewise, when people with OCD were administered 18 g of inositol daily, they showed improved symptoms as well. [7]