The ritual’s right, but the drink is wrong. You wind down with a glass of something in the evening—maybe wine, a G&T, or a beer. It helps you switch off… until you wake up at 3am, wired, restless, and wondering why you feel like you’ve barely slept. The truth? That nightcap might be sabotaging the very thing it promises to deliver. But what if there were a better way to unwind? One that supports natural sleep rather than disrupting it?
It’s time to rethink what we pour into our glasses at night.
Meet GABA Red.
Let’s start with the basics: alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, but it plays dirty with your sleep cycle.
Here’s why. Alcohol enhances the activity of a neurotransmitter called GABA—a natural chemical in the brain that helps us relax. This is what gives alcohol its initial sedative effect, slowing your thoughts and softening social anxiety. So far, so relaxing.
But as you drink more alcohol it flips the script. Your brain starts to rebound, triggering a surge of stimulating brain chemicals like glutamate. This is the ‘rebound effect’—it wakes you up in the early hours, making it harder to fall back asleep. Even if you do doze off again, you’ll spend less time in deep and REM sleep—the crucial phases responsible for memory, immune function, emotional processing, and physical recovery.
So that lovely drift-off you felt? It’s followed by disrupted rest and groggy mornings. Which is exactly what people mean when they ask: why does alcohol keep me awake all night?
Even when people know alcohol is messing with their sleep, they’re often reluctant to give up the evening drink. Why? It’s not just the liquid—it’s the ritual. That cue to exhale, decompress, and shift out of daytime mode.
It’s why alternatives matter. Herbal teas are great. Mocktails are tasty. But they don’t quite deliver the same sensory and emotional satisfaction. They’re missing the functional spark—that sense of something happening that drinkers are used to.
To genuinely replace the nightcap, you need something that not only feels rewarding, but works in harmony with the body. That’s where functional alternatives like GABA Red step in.
You may have already explored time-honoured remedies—calming teas, melatonin-rich juices, sleepytime tinctures.
They have their place. Here are a few you might know:
- Valerian Root – A traditional herbal extract used for relaxation and mild insomnia.
- Chamomile Tea – A gentle nervous system calmer with centuries of use.
- Tart Cherry Juice – Naturally rich in melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep cycles.
- Warm Milk – Rich in tryptophan, an amino acid linked to sleepiness.
These can help lay the groundwork for better sleep—but they don't provide the same effect as an alcoholic drink. That’s why GABA Red was designed to build on these traditions, but take things a step further.
At the heart of GABA Red is the brain’s GABA system—your body’s own natural calming mechanism. Your brain’s natural GABA slows neural activity. Your thoughts decelerate. Muscles loosen. You feel more at ease. Alcohol achieves this by directly stimulating GABA receptors—this is why your first drink makes you feel relaxed.
But there’s a catch: alcohol is a blunt instrument. It overrides your brain’s control systems, and then crashes your neurochemistry later in the night.
SENTIA, by contrast, was developed by Professor David Nutt, a globally recognised expert in neuropsychopharmacology. Instead of acting like alcohol (an agonist, which directly switches on the system), GABA Red uses positive allosteric modulators—compounds that support and enhance the function of the GABA system your brain is already using, without taking over the controls.
This means you’re not sedating yourself—you’re supporting your brain’s own ability to unwind.
Designed with the evenings in mind, GABA Red is your functional nightcap.
Powered by calming botanicals like passionflower and ashwagandha—both shown to support relaxation—GABA Red helps ease you into a restful state, ready for deeper, more restorative sleep. And it does so without the crash, the dehydration, or the 3am panic.
The flavour: Expect a sophisticated pour: herbal depth, bittersweet berries, and layered aromatics. It’s bold enough to feel like a real drink—complex, satisfying, and never cloying.
The serve: Simple, elegant, and easy: pour GABA Red over ice with a splash of tonic and a twist of orange peel. Call it a 'GABA & Tonic'—a proper wind-down ritual with actual function.
Ditching alcohol doesn’t mean giving up your evening ritual. It means upgrading it.
With GABA Red, you get the winding-down effect your brain craves—without the neurological whiplash. Instead of sedating the system, it supports it. Instead of hijacking your chemistry, it helps restore it.
A drink that’s designed to work with you, not against you.
Try GABA Red now [Shop GABA Red] [Explore all functional spirits] [What is GABA?]
