Nothing aids performance, physical or mental, more than a good night's sleep.

Conversely, nothing hurts performance more than a poor night's sleep.

Worse, lack of sleep kills the ability to enjoy life. It saps us of our strength, our vitality. If sleeplessness had a face, it would be that of Count Dracula.

For years, doctors have told us that sleeplessness results from depression, neurosis, or some other underlying psychological pathology. But there's evidence to suggest that we've got it backward, that sleeplessness leads to depression, in addition to alcoholism, emotional instability, and other mental problems!

While surveys suggest that 10 to 15 percent of the U.S. population suffers from chronic insomnia, personal experience and anecdotal data lead me to believe that occasional sleeplessness plagues at least half of the population.

The causes are largely unknown, although there's some indication that it might even be genetic. Personally, I know that my sleeplessness is directly caused by the demons — or vampires — that come in the middle of the night, the ones that remind me of responsibilities, bills, friends in need, or any of a number of gut-knotting problems.

The sleeplessness takes its toll in the gym, in business, and in health. People who ffer from sleeplessness have statistically more visits to the doctor (because they're at the mercy of every passing illness), more hospitalization, and more accidents on the job and on the road.

Closely related to sleeplessness is plain old daytime anxiety, the kind that leads to the tyranny of the scattered mind. Anxiety is like a persistent itch that you just can't scratch.

While most athletes spend a lot of their time getting jacked up by stimulants, very few give any thought to the restful yin to the energy yang.

Obviously, rest is crucial. A calm mind is crucial. We all know it. Now it's time we applied the inestimable creativity of Biotest researchers to addressing it.

Enter the latest Biotest product. Enter blissful rest without a sleep hangover. Enter calmness without loss of strength or focus.

Enter Z-12.

Z-12: What it Does

Biotest's Z-12 provides a full night's sleep without the sleep "hangover" associated with virtually all other prescription or non-prescription sleep aids.

Z-12 is also useful to people who might not generally have trouble sleeping, but who might occasionally need a guarantee of a good night's rest, like the night before an exam, a job interview, or athletic meet.

Travelers might find it useful, too, in overcoming the first-night insomnia that often afflicts those who sleep in beds they're not accustomed to.

And Z-12 is helpful for making an anxiety-packed day a lot more tolerable.

My personal experience with Z-12 is that I fall into a deep, restful, uninterrupted sleep within 15 minutes of taking two capsules at bedtime. When I wake up, I feel entirely refreshed without the least bit of grogginess.

Like I said, Z-12 can also be used during waking hours for temporary relief of nervousness or anxiety without impairing brain function. Just one capsule allows me to calm down without impeding work performance in the slightest. In fact, it seems to allow me to focus better.

Z-12: What it is

Z-12 is an encapsulated, non-addictive formula that contains three anxiety reducing, sleep-inducing ingredients:

4-amino-3-phenyl-butanoic acid HCL (PhGABA)

L-theanine

5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)

Z-12: How it Works

PhGABA

The main workhorse in Z-12 is PhGABA. The compound is a derivative of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA.

When we're stressed, our brains experience an uninterrupted flow of stimulatory neurotransmitters and this causes restlessness, irritability, and insomnia.