10 advantages of Nightwatch’ natural energy over artificial energy.

No added sugars

Firstly, it’s important to know that sugars aren’t bad for you. In fact, the right amount of sugars will give you energy and support your level of dopamine. There are, however, drinks that are more likely to contribute to your weight gain and undesirable health conditions, such as added sugars. 

Added sugars are sugars that are not naturally found in foods like fruit or milk, but added in the process of making a product. They are usually added to increase the level of sweetness but also to give you a great amount of energy. We call them ‘fast-sugars’. They give you the rush and energy you need, just like any other sugarbomb, but it isn’t a long term solution for energy. In fact, it will make you feel de-energized because of your blood sugar. When this gets too high, your body makes insulin to lower it down and you will feel even more de-energized than before.

One would argue that you’re allowed to consume some added sugars each day, but research shows that it should not overstep the limit of 25 grams for women and just under 40 grams for men. The average artificial energy drink contains about 27 to 30 grams of added sugars, which exceeds this limit dor women. 

At Nightwatch we only want you to feel energized which is why we do not add any sugars. Our main ingredient guayusa contains enough natural caffeine that there’s no use for an overload of sugars that your body can’t process. The only sugars that our drink contains, are natural ones that can be found in fruits and plants.

Natural, strong energy

So as we just said, our Nightwatch drink does in no way need any extra sugar to increase your energy level, because of our guayusa plant. The guayusa plant is our main ingredient and can be found in the Amazon in Ecuador. It was once discovered by a tribe called the Quichua and is still used by them to go on hunting trips or to guard their villages at night. They say it sharpens their instincts and keeps them awake. This Focus & Power is what we wanted for our natural drink. But why is this guayusa caffeine better than artificial caffeine? 

As with many artificial products, the caffeine comes with a great amount of harsh chemicals. And with these chemicals we do not mean the hydrogen and oxygen that can be found in water. No, artificial caffeine is made with methylene chloride, ethyl acetate and carbon dioxide. These are ingredients that do not contribute to your health.Why then still use it? It is cheaper and can be made in any environment, as long as you have a factory. 

Moreover, artificial caffeine is associated with a ‘crash’ of energy because of the fast release of energy. To cover that, it stimulates you to drink another which will just make you go around in circles. The natural caffeine that can be found in guayusa is accompanied by vitamins which minimise the crash that artificial caffeine delivers.

The xanthines that stimulate your nervous system.

The xanthines in guayusa have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system. One of the properties of these xanthines is the caffeine which contributes to your ability to focus.  

The xanthines that can be found in the guayusa plants release their energy slowly over time. This natural blend of molecules prevents you from experiencing a sugar rush and the unavoidable energy dip associated with artificial energy.

This is different from artificial energy and coffee drinks that release all of their energy at once. While trying to focus you will feel highs and lows because of the artificial drink which is not preferable. What we do want is a constant stimulating feeling that provides us with focus and power.

L-theanine

The thing that also contributes to not feeling any highs or lows is the l-theanine that can be found in guayusa. L-theanine is proven to ease down excited nerves. This is because it stimulates the level of dopamine in your brain. 

Moreover, l-theanine contributes to the cognitive functioning of the brain and the ability to focus. Research shows that it has a promoting effect on for instance your memory and attention.

In comparison to artificial energy, Nightwatch does contain l-theanine. In combination with caffeine, the l-theanine gives you the perfect amount of stimulation. Caffeine alone can make you restless and increase your blood pressure. L-theanine makes all of that go away. Caffeine in combination with l-theanine, strengthens the mind.

Good absorption

Artificial energy drinks contain a lot of sugar which makes you hyped, the second you drink it. The problem is that it will not get absorbed properly by your body. You will feel bloated or experience a sugar rush and right after that, feel de energized because of the insulin that your body creates as a counter reaction. We want you to feel energised for a longer stretch of time and not get all exhausted after your drink and work out which is why we chose guayusa as our energy resource.

Because of this, there’s no use for an overload of sugars that your body can’t process. Instead, we use less and only natural sugars that can be found in fruits and flowers. Nightwatch contains only 4,2 grams of carbohydrates per 100 ml that fully consist of these natural sugars only.  Your body will absorb our drink fast and well.

Better than coffee

If you have already ruled out artificial drinks, you might still be hung up on coffee. The reasons why it is less effective and good for you in comparison to Nightwatch, is because of the l-theanine and the xanthines it lacks. Just like artificial energy, it releases all of its caffeine at once. This goes hand in hand with the feeling of a ‘coffee-crash’ right after the energy has done its three minute magic. 

Moreover, coffee contains less antioxidants than guayusa does. Last but not least, coffee gives you really bad teeth and guayusa does not. Coffee, just like tea and red wine, contains tannins that change the color of your teeth. Unlike coffee, guayusa will actually rectify the state of your dental hygiene because of its level of antioxidants. 

More antioxidants than green tea

Antioxidants are very important for your body and guayusa contains more antioxidants than coffee and other drinks. Guayusa even contains more than green tea, which is supposed to be known for its level of antioxidants. 

Improves your mental state

Guayusa also contains the alkaloids theobromine and theophylline which are properties that increase your ability to focus and raise your energy levels. Thus, Nightwatch doesn’t only improve your energy physically, but also mentally. Besides the alkaloids, the amino acids also improve your mental state and thereby help you relax. The l-theanine contributes to this. It reduces your stresslevel and helps you focus on what’s in front of you.

Contribution to local Ecuadorian farmers

Several years ago, we started working with an Amazonian tribe in Ecuador called the Quichua. These Amzonian tribe members were the first ever to come across the guayusa plant and find out about the caffeine that it contains.

The Quichua have extensive knowledge of the jungle and because of our collaboration, they can now profit from their herbs. While working together, we find it important to work on things like reforestation but also education. In order to do so, we organise Community Days together where we dance, drink and talk about these social- and environmental subjects. Child labor is of course out of question and by working together with Yanapuma and Project Ecuador, we make sure every child has got a roof over their heads and Spanish schools are being set up. That way, the ancient Quichua knowledge can be passed down to younger generations and they can improve the level of farming even further.

Sustainability

Together with the so-called Nightwatchmen, we set up a sustainable forestry project to harvest guayusa plants. To make sure the cultivation of guayusa is done sustainably, we are collaborating with the Green Matters Foundation who teach not only us, but also the Quichua tribe, about sustainable farming and reforestation. We want to enjoy the guayusa plants, without encroaching on the forest. 

Furthermore, our packaging for bottles went from little to zero plastic waste. We only use cardboard boxes now. The production of greenhouse gases is way lower when you use cardboard instead of plastic. Let alone the fact that the cardboard we use is either made from recycled paper or paper from sustainable woods.

The producer of Nightwatch is also known as environmentally conscious: Herman Pfanner. We love working with Pfanner because of their high standards of the beverage industry when it comes to the quality of production. In fact, they received certificates on ‘Outstanding quality management’, ‘The most state of the art factory in Europe’ and ‘The highest environmental standards’.

If we haven’t convinced you yet: try it yourselve and have a look at our webshop.