Composition for improving sleep

Abstract

Provided is a food or drink having a sleep improvement effect, which uses a natural food material as a functional ingredient. A composition for improving sleep, characterized by using young barley leaves as an active ingredient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a composition for improving sleep, which is characterized by containing young barley leaves.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, due to changes in the social environment, stress caused by human relationships, disruption of the life rhythm, busy daily life, etc., the number of people who are dissatisfied with the quality of sleep has been increasing. Examples of the deterioration of the quality of sleep include poor falling asleep, frequent middle-of-the-night awakenings (waking up several times at night), lack of a feeling of deep sleep, and fatigue upon waking up. As a countermeasure against such deterioration of the quality of sleep, there is a method of using sleeping pills (pharmaceuticals). As sleeping pills, barbituric acid-based sleeping pills, benzodiazepine-based sleeping pills, etc. are known. However, since these sleeping pills may cause side effects such as headaches and dizziness, they cannot be taken casually.

[0003] Therefore, as a means of easily improving the quality of sleep, food and drink products containing functional ingredients have been developed. As a functional ingredient having a sleep-improving effect, for example, theanine is known (Patent Document 1). Theanine is a compound obtained by synthesis or extraction and purification from tea. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of safety, there are consumers who feel uneasy about ingesting unfamiliar compounds. Therefore, instead of a compound obtained by synthesizing or purifying a specific compound, there is a demand for the development of food and drink products that use natural food materials as functional ingredients and have a sleep-improving effect.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a composition having a new function using young barley leaves.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In the course of studying the functions of young barley leaves, the present inventors found that young barley leaves exhibit an effect of improving the quality of sleep or an effect of increasing the sleep time, and thus completed the present invention.

[0007] That is, the present invention is as follows. [1] A composition for improving sleep, characterized by containing young barley leaves as an active ingredient. [2] A composition for improving the quality of sleep, characterized by containing young barley leaves as an active ingredient. [3] A composition for reducing drowsiness during the day and upon waking up, a composition for improving falling asleep, a composition for suppressing middle-of-the-night awakenings during sleep, a composition for reducing drowsiness during the day or upon waking up, a composition for reducing fatigue during the day and upon waking up, a composition for improving satisfaction with sleep, a composition for improving REM sleep and / or deep sleep, characterized by containing young barley leaves as an active ingredient. [3] The composition according to any one of [1] to [3], characterized in that dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves is an active ingredient. [4] The composition according to any one of [1] to [3], characterized in that the daily intake of young barley leaves is 0.25 g or more. [5] The composition according to any one of [1] to [4], characterized in that the daily intake of dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves is 0.125 g or more. [6] The composition according to any one of [1] to [5], characterized in that it is a food with functional claims or a food for specified health use. [7] A food or drink containing young barley leaf powder, characterized by using dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves as an active ingredient, Food and drink products that exhibit one or more functions selected from the group consisting of improvement in sleep quality, improvement in falling asleep, improvement in satisfaction with sleep, improvement in sleep sensation, improvement in deep sleep sensation, improvement in sleep depth, reduction in the number of awakenings during the night, reduction in fatigue during the day or upon waking up, and improvement in the feeling of extended sleep time. [8] The food and drink product according to [7], characterized in that the daily intake of dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves is 0.125 g or more. [9] The food and drink product according to [7] or [8], characterized in that it is a food with function claims or a food for specified health use.

[10] Use of young barley leaves for the manufacture of a composition for improving sleep.

[11] A method for improving the quality of sleep or increasing sleep time in a living body of an individual, comprising the step of orally administering young barley leaves to the individual.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] The composition of the present invention can improve the quality of sleep or increase sleep time.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The composition of the present invention is characterized by containing young barley leaves. The composition of the present invention can improve the quality of sleep or increase sleep time. Here, the improvement in the quality of sleep in the present invention is a concept including the action of improving the quality of sleep or the action of preventing or reducing the deterioration of the quality of sleep.

[0010] 1. Barley young leaves The present invention is characterized by containing young barley leaves. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is native to Central Asia and is an annual or biennial herb belonging to the Poaceae family. Depending on the spike shape, it is roughly classified into two-row barley, six-row barley, etc. Barley is often used as a grain with its seeds being utilized. However, in the present invention, young leaves are used. When comparing the two, the seeds of barley mainly consist of starch (carbohydrates), while young barley leaves mainly consist of dietary fiber and protein, and their component compositions are completely different. The barley variety used for the young barley leaves of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is commonly available, and young barley leaves of any variety such as two-row barley or six-row barley may be used. Note that young barley leaves mean the leaves of barley before the start of ear emergence, and in the present invention, the stem may be included together with the young leaves.

[0011] As young barley leaves, for example, pulverized products, squeezed juices, extracts, extraction residues, etc. can be used. Examples of pulverized products include dry powders (young barley leaf powder), shredded pieces and their dried products (dried shredded pieces), etc. The squeezed juice or extract may be in a liquid state, but squeezed juice powder is preferred. As the squeezed juice powder of young barley leaves, for example, the squeezed juice of young leaves is concentrated at a low temperature to concentrate the solid content, and the concentrated liquid obtained by freeze-drying or spray-drying can be used. As the extract, for example, water (warm water, hot water), ethanol, and aqueous ethanol can be used. As the extraction residue, for example, the precipitate obtained by suspending young barley leaf powder in water, stirring and shaking, and then centrifuging can be used. The extraction residue is a fraction removed in the process of obtaining the squeezed juice or extract, but since it is rich in dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves, the effects of the present invention can be enjoyed.

[0012] When using young barley leaves powder (ground young barley leaves powder) as the young barley leaves of the present invention, there is an advantage that it can be manufactured at low cost. For example, young barley leaves juice extract powder is obtained by extracting soluble components such as water-soluble vitamins by juicing, removing insoluble components, and evaporating and drying the water. However, since the insoluble dietary fiber, which is the main component of young barley leaves, is removed, the amount of young barley leaves juice extract powder obtained is small compared to the amount of young barley leaves (raw leaves) used as the raw material. The same applies to the extract of young barley leaves. On the other hand, young barley leaves powder (ground young barley leaves powder) is obtained by drying and grinding young barley leaves (raw leaves) without removing insoluble components. Therefore, when manufacturing using the same amount of young barley leaves (raw leaves) as the raw material, a larger amount can be manufactured compared to young barley leaves juice extract powder, and the manufacturing cost per unit weight is low. Furthermore, although young barley leaves powder (ground young barley leaves powder) uses less young barley leaves (raw leaves) as the raw material than young barley leaves juice extract powder, as shown in the animal tests described later, it exhibits effects equal to or better than those of young barley leaves juice extract powder. Therefore, as the young barley leaves used in the present invention, the ground product is preferable because it can be manufactured at low cost without removing insoluble components, and the effects of the present invention can be highly enjoyed by containing dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves. Among the ground products, dry powder (young barley leaves powder) is particularly preferable.

[0013] When using young barley leaves powder, for example, young barley leaves dried so that the water content of the young barley leaves is 10% by mass or less, preferably 8% by mass or less can be used.

[0014] The young barley leaves powder used in the present invention preferably has a median diameter of 5 μm or more and 50 μm or less, and more preferably 8 μm or more and 30 μm or less. The median diameter means the particle diameter at which the cumulative percentage of the particle size distribution of the powder is 50%. Specifically, it is the particle diameter of the cumulative 50% (×50) of the particle size distribution measured using LMS-300 or LMS-350 manufactured by Seishin Enterprise Co., Ltd., which is a laser diffraction / scattering type particle size distribution measuring device.

[0015] In addition, the young barley leaves used in the present invention preferably contain 10% by mass or more of dietary fiber, more preferably 20% by mass or more, and even more preferably 30% by mass or more, from the viewpoint of more enjoying the effects of the present invention. The upper limit may be, for example, 80% by mass. The dietary fiber referred to here is the total amount of insoluble dietary fiber and soluble dietary fiber. The amount of dietary fiber is measured by the Prosky method.

[0016] In addition, the young barley leaves used in the present invention preferably contain 5% by mass or more of insoluble dietary fiber, more preferably 10% by mass or more, and even more preferably 20% by mass or more, from the viewpoint of more enjoying the effects of the present invention. The upper limit may be, for example, 70% by mass. The amount of insoluble dietary fiber is measured by the modified Prosky method.

[0017] In order to make the amount of dietary fiber and the amount of insoluble dietary fiber within the above ranges, in the method for producing young barley leaves, young barley leaf powder may be prepared by pulverizing young barley leaves without performing juice extraction or extraction.

[0018] 2. Sleep improvement In the present invention, improving sleep means improving the quality of sleep and / or increasing the sleep time. Improving the quality of sleep means shortening the sleep latency (the time from the waking state to falling asleep), reducing the number and duration of middle awakenings, increasing the proportion of non-REM sleep (non-rapid eye movement sleep) and deep sleep (when non-REM sleep is divided into four stages according to the depth of sleep, especially the sleep in stages 3 and 4 where sleep is particularly deep. Also called slow-wave sleep), etc. By improving the quality of sleep, effects such as reducing drowsiness when waking up or during the day, improving the sense of satisfaction and deep sleep feeling with sleep, improving the sense of extended sleep time, having a refreshed awakening, and reducing fatigue can be obtained.

[0019] On the one hand, an increase in sleep time means increasing the time (total sleep time) obtained by subtracting the sleep latency (the time from going to bed to falling asleep) and the wake time during sleep (the total wake time during sleep) from the time in bed (the time from going to bed to getting up). For example, when the sleep latency is shortened or the wake time during sleep is decreased, the quality of sleep is improved, and at the same time, the total sleep time also increases. Thus, the improvement of the quality of sleep and the increase in sleep time are concepts that are closely related to each other.

[0020] As shown in the clinical trial using the OSA sleep questionnaire described below, by ingesting the composition of the present invention, factors such as "morning sleepiness", "falling asleep and maintaining sleep", "dreaming" (an index indicating a good sense of sleep), "recovery from fatigue", and "sleep time" are improved. Therefore, the composition of the present invention can be used as a composition for improving the quality of sleep, a composition for reducing daytime and morning sleepiness, a composition for improving falling asleep, a composition for suppressing wake time during sleep (suppressing the number and / or time of wake time during sleep), a composition for reducing daytime and morning fatigue, a composition for improving satisfaction with sleep, a composition for improving REM sleep and / or deep sleep (improving the time of REM sleep and / or deep sleep and the proportion of REM sleep and / or deep sleep in the total sleep time).

[0021] 3. Composition of the present invention <Composition for improving sleep>

[0022] The sleep improvement composition of the present invention contains young barley leaves and is not particularly limited as long as it can be distinguished from other products as a product in terms of being used for sleep improvement. For example, anything that displays the function of improving sleep on any of the main body, packaging, instruction manual, or promotional materials (advertising media) of the product according to the present invention is included in the scope of the present invention. The sleep improvement composition of the present invention may indicate young barley leaves or components derived from young barley leaves (such as dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves) as the active ingredient, but it is not limited to those in which young barley leaves or components derived from young barley leaves (such as dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves) are indicated as the active ingredient on the packaging of the product, etc. For example, it may not specify the active ingredient. Note that as a sleep improvement composition containing dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves as the active ingredient, it only needs to contain dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves, and it is not necessary to use fractionated dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves. For example, by blending young barley leaves containing dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves, such as young barley leaf powder (ground powder), a sleep improvement composition containing dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves as the active ingredient can be obtained. Also, even general foods that are manufactured and sold with suggestions of their uses are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, foods, etc. that are sold with testimonials mentioning sleep improvement as personal impressions of the consumers who have ingested them described on a homepage, etc. are also included in the scope of the present invention. Further, functional foods that use papers, etc. showing sleep improvement by young barley leaves as the scientific basis of functionality and young barley leaves or components derived from young barley leaves as the functional involvement components are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0023] Specifically, in so-called health foods, those indicating "enhancing the quality of sleep", "helping to improve the quality of sleep", "improving the quality of sleep", "supporting good (sound) sleep", "helping to achieve good (sound) sleep", "helping good (sound) sleep", "alleviating (relieving / improving) daytime (temporary) sleepiness", "enhancing (helping to improve / improving) the satisfaction with sleep upon waking up", "improving (relieving) sleepiness upon waking up", "helping to have a refreshing awakening", "helping to have a refreshing awakening with a sense of briskness (upon waking up)", "bringing about deep sleep promptly", "helping to improve falling asleep", "enhancing (helping to improve / improving) the feeling of extended sleep time", "reducing the number of middle-of-the-night awakenings", "reducing the frequency of middle-of-the-night awakenings", "helping not to wake up during sleep", "enhancing (helping to improve / improving) the feeling of sleep", "enhancing (helping to improve / improving) the feeling of sound sleep", "making sleep (even) deeper", "being able to sleep soundly", "enhancing (helping to improve / improving) the depth of sleep", "increasing (raising) the proportion of deep sleep", "increasing (raising) the proportion of REM sleep", "alleviating (reducing) the fatigue upon waking up", etc., or those indicating that these functions have been reported can be exemplified.

[0024] <Dosage form of the composition, etc.> The composition of the present invention can be used as an oral composition. The form of the oral composition is not particularly limited, and examples include food and drink products, quasi-drugs, pharmaceuticals, etc. However, from the perspective of daily intake of young barley leaves to supplement daily nutrition, it is preferably used as a food and drink product. The form of the food and drink composition is not particularly limited, and examples include foods with functional claims, foods for specified health uses, health foods, general food and drink products, etc. However, from the perspective of making it easier for consumers to understand the effects of the present invention, foods with functional claims and foods for specified health uses are preferred, and foods with functional claims are most preferred.

[0025] Examples of the form of the composition of the present invention include powdery, granular, liquid, tablet, capsule, etc. It may also be in the form of obvious foods such as jelly, cookies, candy, gum, etc. Since the young barley leaves of the present invention have good taste, they are suitable for ingestion in a form that can feel the taste. Therefore, powdery, granular, liquid, and tablet forms are preferred, and powdery, granular, and liquid forms are particularly preferred.

[0026] The content of young barley leaves in the composition of the present invention may be appropriately contained within the range where the effect is exerted. For example, in the composition of the present invention, young barley leaves can be contained in an amount of 0.01 to 100% by mass in terms of dry mass, preferably 0.1 to 100% by mass, and more preferably 1 to 100% by mass.

[0027] The content of dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves in the composition of the present invention may be appropriately contained within the range where the effect is exerted. For example, in the composition of the present invention, dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves can be contained in an amount of 0.01 to 80% by mass in terms of dry mass, preferably 0.1 to 75% by mass, and more preferably 1 to 70% by mass.

[0028] The intake amount of young barley leaves in the present invention is not particularly limited, but from the point of being able to enjoy the effect of the present invention more, it is preferable to ingest the young barley leaves in an amount of 0.25 g or more per day for adults, more preferably 0.5 g or more, and particularly preferably 1.0 g or more. The upper limit is, for example, 30 g, preferably 20 g, and more preferably 10 g.

[0029] In addition, the intake amount of dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves in the present invention is not particularly limited. However, from the viewpoint of better enjoying the effects of the present invention, it is preferable to ingest the dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves in an amount of 0.125 g or more per day for adults, more preferably 0.25 g or more, and particularly preferably 0.5 g or more. The upper limit is, for example, 15 g, preferably 10 g, and more preferably 5 g.

[0030] The composition of the present invention may be appropriately designed so that the daily intake amount of young barley leaves or dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves is the above intake amount. It may be a mode of ingesting the above intake amount at one time, or a mode of ingesting the above intake amount in multiple times. That is, for example, it can be accommodated as one day's portion in one container or divided into two to four containers.

[0031] The composition of the present invention can be produced by a known method by adding other components other than young barley leaves, if necessary.

Examples

[0032] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and the present invention can take various forms as long as the problems of the present invention can be solved.

[0033] Test 1. Animal test In order to evaluate the effect of young barley leaves on sleep, an animal experiment was conducted in which young barley leaves were administered to mice and the sleep time (the time until awakening) was measured.

[0034] <Test substance> (Young barley leaf powder) As raw materials, the above-ground parts (leaves and stems) of barley cut to a height of about 30 cm were used. After washing with water to remove the attached mud, they were cut into pieces about 5 cm in size, then blanched only once with boiling water at 95 °C for about 100 seconds and cooled with cold water. The obtained young barley leaves were dried with warm air in a dryer and coarsely pulverized to a size of about 1 mm. Further, they were finely pulverized using a jet mill to produce young barley leaf powder (median diameter about 20 μm, moisture content 5% by mass or less, dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves 51% by mass).

[0035] (Test substances other than young barley leaf powder) As test substances other than young barley leaf powder, the following were used. Dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves: Dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves was fractionated from the young barley leaf powder obtained by the above-described method and used as a test substance. Young barley leaf juice powder: A powder obtained by mixing and drying the squeezed juice of young barley leaves with dextrin was used (dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves 2% by mass). Barley (grain): Commercially available barley flour was used. Resistant dextrin: Commercially available resistant dextrin was used. Cellulose: Commercially available cellulose was used. Fructooligosaccharide: Commercially available fructooligosaccharide was used. Coffee ground powder: Ground powder of commercially available coffee beans was used.

[0036] <Test method> After acclimating 4-week-old male ICR mice for 5 days, they were divided into 9 groups (4 mice per group) so that the body weight values on the test day were approximately uniform. Each test substance was dissolved or suspended in pure water to obtain a test substance solution with a concentration as described in Table 1 at 10% (w / v) (for young barley leaf juice powder, 20% (w / v)). Each test substance was prepared to be 1 g / kg (for young barley leaf juice powder, 2 g / kg), and each group of mice was force-fed orally (10 mL / kg). Thirty minutes later, sodium pentobarbital (40 mg / kg) was administered intraperitoneally. After the disappearance of the postural reflex in the mice, the mice were immediately placed on a flat table in the supine position, and the time from the disappearance of the postural reflex to recovery (awakening) was recorded as the sleep time.

[0037]

Table 1

[0038] <Test Results> The test results are shown in Table 1. In Examples 1 to 3 where young barley leaves were administered, an increase in sleep time (time until waking up) was observed compared to the control. From this, it was found that the administration of young barley leaves suppresses middle-of-the-night awakenings and improves the quality of sleep. On the other hand, for Comparative Examples 1 to 5, no increase in sleep time was observed.

[0039] Test 2. Evaluation by clinical trial To confirm the sleep improvement effect in humans, a clinical trial using an OSA sleep questionnaire was conducted. The OSA sleep questionnaire is composed of five factors: Factor 1: Morning sleepiness, Factor 2: Falling asleep and maintaining sleep, Factor 3: Dreaming, Factor 4: Fatigue recovery, and Factor 5: Sleep time. The higher the factor score, the better the sleep feeling. The following describes the specific test method.

[0040] <Test Method> Test Food As the test food, a powdered drink in which maltose was mixed with young barley leaf powder (produced by the method described in Test 1) was used. As the control food, a powdered drink that did not contain young barley leaf powder and was adjusted using a coloring agent and a flavoring agent in maltose so that its appearance could not be distinguished from the test food was used. The intake amount per day for both the test food and the control food was set at 5.6 g, and they were put into plain aluminum bags of 2.8 g each and distributed to the subjects to ensure blindness for the subjects and the intervention implementers. Table 2 shows the calorie and nutritional component values per daily intake standard amount (2 bags) of the test food. The dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves contained in the test food was 0.7 g per daily intake standard amount (2 bags).

[0041]

Table 2

[0042] 2) Subjects Subjects were recruited as paid volunteers. They were healthy Japanese men and women aged 20 or above and under 65 years old with some sleep problems, and 40 of them (10 men and 30 women) who did not meet the following exclusion criteria were selected as subjects. Exclusion criteria: (1) Those suffering from severe liver disease, kidney disease, digestive disease, heart disease, respiratory disease, endocrine disease, or other metabolic diseases, or those under treatment; (2) Those with chronic diseases and taking medications; (3) Those with digestive diseases affecting digestion and absorption and a history of digestive surgery; (4) Those taking medications, health foods, or supplements that may affect sleep or stress; (5) Those who consume alcohol excessively; (6) Those who cannot abstain from alcohol on the day before the test (the day before the sleep questionnaire recording); (7) Those with sleep apnea syndrome or those suspected of having it; (8) Those with a history of treatment or current medical history of mental diseases related to sleep disorders; (9) Those who sleep in the same room with family members or others and may be disturbed during sleep; (10) Those who have scheduled business trips (domestic or overseas) or travels (domestic or overseas) during the test period; (11) Those who cannot stop consuming foods containing live bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria, and natto bacteria, foods fortified with oligosaccharides or dietary fiber, health foods said to be good for improving constipation, and foods containing a large amount of sugar alcohol during the test period; (12) Those who regularly consume normal foods containing lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria, or oligosaccharides for the purpose of relieving constipation; (13) Those who have reported an allergy to the ingredients of the test food; (14) Those with a history or current medical history of drug dependence or alcohol dependence; (15) Pregnant or lactating women or those planning to become pregnant; (16) Those with extremely irregular eating habits, or those with irregular shift work or night work and irregular sleep hours and sleep habits; (17) Those who are participating in or intend to participate in other food tests, drug use tests, tests applying cosmetics and drugs, etc.; (18) Others who are judged inappropriate as subjects by the responsible physician of the test.

[0043] 3) Test method This test was conducted as a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group comparison test with a 4-week intake period (allocation ratio: 1:1). Allocation was performed using a block randomization method (block size 4) with gender and age as adjustment factors. The two allocated groups were assigned to the test food group and the control food group by a controller who had no direct relation to the test. Furthermore, the controller created and sealed a table (key code) describing the allocation results and stored it sealed until the key code was disclosed after determination of the analysis subjects, thereby ensuring blinding. During the test period, 2 bags (5.6 g) of test food per day (test food for the test food group and control food for the control food group) were dissolved in an appropriate amount of water or hot water and ingested. During the test period, the subjects were explained the following precautions throughout the test period: to live the same life as before the start of the test, to avoid using supplements and health foods, to avoid ingesting foods containing live bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria, and natto bacteria, foods fortified with oligosaccharides and dietary fiber, health foods said to be good for improving constipation, and foods containing a large amount of sugar alcohol, and not to ingest a large amount of alcohol (as a guideline, an amount such that the mental or physical symptoms caused by drinking continue until the next day after drinking). In addition, the subjects were explained to avoid ingesting alcohol on the day before each test as a precaution for each test. The subjects were to use pharmaceuticals only with the permission of the test institution except in case of emergency.

[0044] 4) Test items Before ingestion and 4 weeks after the start of ingestion, as an evaluation of the sleep state, evaluation was performed using the OSA sleep questionnaire (MA version). The OSA sleep questionnaire was implemented at the time of waking up, and the response scale values (Zc scores) were calculated based on the usage manual for the five factors of "Factor 1: Drowsiness upon waking up", "Factor 2: Falling asleep and maintaining sleep", "Factor 3: Dreaming", "Factor 4: Recovery from fatigue", and "Factor 5: Sleep duration". Note that "Dreaming" means that the lower the score, the worse the sleep quality, and the higher the score, the better the deep sleep (good sleep feeling).

[0045] 5) Analysis subjects The number of subjects included in this test was 40 (10 males and 30 females). After randomization, there were no dropouts, and the test was started with 40 subjects. During the test period, there were no withdrawals or dropouts, and the number of subjects who completed the test was 40. After the test, 6 subjects (4 in the control food group and 2 in the test food group) were excluded because problems were found in the reliability of the data due to non-compliance with precautions in daily life, and 34 subjects (10 males and 24 females) were included in the analysis (16 in the control food group and 18 in the test food group). The reason for the rejection criterion was that problems were found in the reliability of the data (4 in the control food group and 2 in the test food group).

[0046] <Test Results> The results of the OSA sleep questionnaire are shown in Table 3. In all five factors of "morning sleepiness", "falling asleep and maintaining sleep", "dreaming", "fatigue recovery", and "sleep duration", the change rate before ingestion was higher in the test food group than in the control food group. In the evaluation of the OSA sleep questionnaire, a higher factor score indicates a better sleep feeling. From this, it was confirmed that the quality of sleep is improved in humans by ingesting young barley leaves.

[0047]

Table 3

Industrial Applicability

[0048] The composition of the present invention can exhibit a sleep-improving effect by containing young barley leaves. Since it can be used as a food or drink for the purpose of improving sleep, its industrial usefulness is high.

Claims

1. A composition for improving sleep that contains barley leaf powder and contains dietary fiber derived from barley leaves as an active ingredient, A composition for improving sleep, comprising a daily intake of 0.125 g or more of dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves.

2. The composition for improving sleep according to claim 1, which is used to improve the quality of sleep.

3. A food or drink containing barley leaf powder and displaying dietary fiber derived from barley leaves as an active ingredient, The daily intake of dietary fiber derived from young barley leaves is 0.125 g or more, The food and drink is indicated as having one or more functionalities selected from the group consisting of improved quality of sleep, improved sleep onset, increased satisfaction with sleep, improved feeling of sleep, improved feeling of deep sleep, improved depth of sleep, reduced number of awakenings during the night, reduced sleepiness during the day or upon waking, reduced fatigue during the day or upon waking, and improved feeling of extended sleep time.

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