Melissa Snover, founder and CEO of Rem3dy Health, the parent company of Nourished, believes that growing consumer demand for sleep support has highlighted gaps in the market.
“A lot of people think of [sleep] almost as a passive state, but the amount of repair and restoration and really critical body processes that happen while we’re in very specific states of sleep are absolutely vital, not only for how we’re going to feel the next day, but actually how we will age,” she said.
Evidence-backed sleep support
Discussing the topic ahead of her appearance in NutraIngredients’ upcoming webinar on Mind Health, Snover said Nourished has tracked growing consumer demand for effective sleep support for almost five years.
She said the company’s data revealed a greater demand for anxiety and sleep support during the COVID lockdowns.
“We saw the number of people who wanted better sleep increase exponentially, and we’ve seen that continue. Sadly, it has not gone back down to pre-COVID levels after the crisis,” she said.
“We’ve known about this as a huge unmet need in the UK since probably towards the end of 2021.”
This prompted Nourished to seek clinically supported ingredients that could improve sleep physiologically.
“I couldn’t find anything that was really efficacious, clinically validated to actually support sleep physiologically, not just ritualistically,” Snover noted.
“I think people have tried a lot of those natural remedies and I think that they haven’t delivered enough of a benefit for them to be able to consider that problem solved.”
Peptide gummy to target deep sleep and recovery
Snover noted that while several commonly used ingredients in sleep supplements can offer benefits, few have demonstrated the ability to support sleep quality and restoration. Magnesium remains popular for muscle function, but does not directly promote sleep through its effects on the brain, she said, and herbal remedies can complement bedtime routines, but nutritional sleep-support options in the UK remain limited, with some alternatives relying on sedative ingredients more commonly found in over-the-counter medicines.
“From a nutritional perspective, particularly here in the UK, we have relatively few options when it comes to nutritional solutions that support sleep,” Snover said.
“That’s why we’ve spent almost four and a half years developing Sleep Pro. We struggled to find a natural ingredient with convincing clinical evidence that could support not just sleep duration, but also the amount of deep sleep people get.”
Launched in September, Sleep Pro is a gummy designed to support sleep quality and natural relaxation by helping regulate peripheral cortisol levels.
Developed using Nourished’s 3D-printing technology, it combines 250mg PeptiSleep with tart cherry extract, vitamin C, zinc and vitamins B1, B6, B12 and D3.
It takes a targeted approach to sleep nutrition, Snover explained, focusing not only on how quickly people fall asleep and how long they stay asleep, but also on sleep quality and restoration.
PeptiSleep is a patented, brown rice protein-derived peptide identified through Nuritas’ AI-powered peptide discovery platform.
“According to the research we reviewed - and PeptiSleep has been studied in three clinical trials - the reported outcomes included improvements in sleep onset and sleep maintenance, with participants staying asleep for an average of around 40 minutes longer,” she explained.
“Some of the most impressive reported results concerned deep sleep and REM sleep, with increases of 30–38%, alongside improvements in heart rate variability, which is often discussed as an important marker in longevity research.”
“We’re trying to really create solutions in empty and white space where there is nothing currently solving our customers’ problems,” Snover said.
Snover will join fellow experts at NutraIngredients’ Mind Health 2026 webinar, broadcasting live on October. 15 at 15:00 BST, to discuss the latest research and innovation in nutrition for mind health, including sleep, focus and cognitive wellbeing.
Register for the free Mind Health 2026 webinar here.
