[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]People tend to focus on the
what,
why and
how of supplement use.
What supplements should I be taking? Why will this supplement benefit my health? Why might this supplement not be a right fit for me? How much should I take daily?
All good questions.
But most people don’t spend enough time thinking about the
when of their supplement regimens. Like the timing of medications more broadly, the timing of daily supplements can have a major impact on their effectiveness. But for a lot of us, daily routines for taking supplements come down to convenience. Knowing what
supplements can help sleep is one part of the process—knowing when to take them ensures you get the most benefit from the sleep supplements you and your doctor choose to include in your routine.
When is the best time to take supplements for sleep?
The best time to take sleep supplements depends on a combination of factors: the characteristics of the supplement, how it functions in your body, as well as your
circadian rhythms and individual chronotype.
Knowing your individual chronotype is the foundation for making determinations about the specific timing of supplement use, and how to time all your daily activities and routines.
Following are six of the most common, popular natural supplements for sleep—how they work to improve nightly rest, and the optimal time to take them.
But first, a couple of guidelines that apply broadly to the use of sleep supplements, for best results.
- Once you’ve identified your optimal time (based on your chronotype—find out yours at chronoquiz.com), take your supplements at that time every day. Our bodies—and our circadian sleep-wake cycles—thrive on consistency. Establish the routine and stick to it.
- Take your supplements consistently for the duration of their use. Often, people fall into the trap of taking a sleep supplement only when they think they “need it.” But the cumulative impact of a sleep supplement taken over time can be a key element of its effectiveness. Note that consistently doesn’t necessarily mean indefinitely. Melatonin, for example, is highly effective in short-term use for jet lag. In that case, you’ll want to take melatonin every day, at the same time, for the duration of your trip.
When you talk with your doctor about adding a sleep supplement to your routine, be sure not only to discuss the sleep issues you want to address, but also to plan with your healthcare provider for the timing of your daily supplement and the duration of time that you’ll use the supplement to support sleep.
Melatonin: a key sleep hormone
This hormone, produced naturally by the body in response to darkness, is essential for sleep. As a supplement, melatonin is one of the most-used natural solutions for sleep support. Indications are that use of melatonin for sleep
rose sharply during the pandemic.
How melatonin works
People are often surprised to hear that melatonin is
not a sedative. Melatonin doesn’t directly induce sleep—but
it is an important sleep facilitator. Melatonin production is triggered by exposure to darkness, and melatonin is a powerful regulator of circadian rhythms. Melatonin aids sleep by helping to
support the body’s circadian sleep-wake cycles. Stronger sleep-wake cycles translate into a more consistent--and ultimately more restful and refreshing--sleep routine. Melatonin also paves the way for nightly rest through its interaction with
neurons that signal the body to wake up and be alert.
†
Aging,
stress, irregular sleep-wake cycles and excessive exposure to light in the evening hours can all inhibit the body’s natural melatonin production.
How melatonin may help sleep†
Melatonin functions as a circadian pacemaker, and taking melatonin supplements at the right time can help support healthy sleep-wake cycles. Research shows that
melatonin can support a healthy amount of time for falling asleep, and may help to support sleep duration and sleep quality, as well. Studies additionally show that melatonin may
support healthy REM sleep. REM sleep is important for memory processing, regulation of mood and to refresh the regions of the brain associated with learning.
†
Supplementing with melatonin can be away to address:
When to take melatonin
When using a melatonin supplement, it’s important to get the timing right. Take your melatonin too early, and its effects will peak too soon. Take it too late, and you may feel drowsy the next morning. If you are using melatonin in pill form, I recommend taking your supplement 90 minutes before bed. If you’re using a liquid melatonin, take it 30 minutes before bed. For all types of melatonin, adjust the timing in 15- or 30-minute intervals until you find your optimal time for falling asleep at your optimal bedtime and waking up feeling rested, but not overly drowsy as you begin your day.
†
For jet lag, I recommend taking melatonin 90 minutes before bedtime in your new time zone—and make sure to get a dose of bright light exposure first thing the next morning, to help your circadian rhythms reset to your destination time. To shift your circadian rhythms during travel, and avoid jet lag, I recommend using the app
Timeshifter. Plug in your destination, flight schedule,\ and chronotype and the app provides a sleep and activity schedule designed to help your body adjust to your destination time zone.
Magnesium: a sleep-supportive mineral†
Magnesium is an important macro-mineral for overall health. Yet, it's estimated that about half of adults in the United States may not be getting enough magnesium.
†
How magnesium works
Magnesium plays a widespread role in the human body, helping regulate and many essential functions. One of magnesium’s most important roles is to enable healthy enzyme function. Magnesium is involved in
more than 300 different enzyme-related reactions in the body’s cells. This mineral helps regulate blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, and it helps to control the body’s stress response. Getting sufficient magnesium helps the body maintain healthy levels of
GABA, a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep, as well as promoting a healthy mood.
†
How magnesium may help sleep†
This mineral has a range of scientifically backed connections to sleep.
Magnesium is involved in regulating the body's circadian rhythms and plays a role in melatonin production. Low levels of magnesium are linked to low levels of melatonin. Research shows supplemental magnesium can
support healthy sleep quality, especially in people
who sleep poorly. Magnesium also may help with discomforts related to
restless-leg syndrome. This mineral can
help support a healthy stress repsonse. Easing stress (and overall mood), in turn, can help you rest better.
†
When to take magnesium
There are
several different forms of magnesium available, and all have different effects and benefits for the body. Among the most common magnesium supplements are
magnesium citrate, m
agnesium threonate and magnesium glycinate (a combination of magnesium and glycine, an amino acid that also has sleep-promoting properties).
†
The optimal timing of magnesium supplements for sleep depends on the form. For magnesium supplements in capsule or tablet form, I recommend taking them 1-2 hours before bedtime. Magnesium on an empty stomach can cause upset, so consider taking your nightly magnesium with a light snack. If you’re using magnesium in liquid form (a powder mixed into water), I recommend drinking your magnesium 30 minutes before bedtime.
There’s one additional factor to consider: If you don’t have trouble falling asleep, but do have problems waking up at night, I recommend you push your magnesium supplementation closer to bedtime—taking capsules or tablets no more than an hour before bedtime, and liquid right before you go to bed.
†
Valerian and hops: a relaxing herbal pair†
This well-studied, herbal supplement duo is known for sleep and stress support. The root of the
valerian plant has an ancient history as a natural sleep supporter aid and tonic for nervousness and worry. Hops has been used for centuries for similar support.
†
How valerian and hops work
Both
valerian and hops help to support production of GABA, a calming brain chemical that promotes healthy sleep. Hops also has relaxing properties and contains flavonoids that may help
with hot flashes, night sweats and other symptoms of menopause that can interfere with sleep.
†
How valerian and hops may help sleep†
You can use valerian and hops separately for sleep support. Valerian may offer short-term relief for
falling asleep, supporting sound sleep and promoting relief for
discomforts that result from insomnia. Research also shows valerian can be helpful for
sleep disturbances linked to menopause. Hops may help to promote healthy
sleep time. Studies show these herbal supplements pair well together: according to research,
hops may be more helpful for sleep when taken in combination with valerian.
†
When to take valerian and hops
Valerian is often consumed as a
tea, or in tinctures and dry or liquid extracts, as well as in capsule or tablet form. Hops is most often taken in capsule, tincture or powder form. I recommend taking valerian 90 minutes before bedtime, in whatever form you and your doctor select. If you are taking valerian and hops together, take them at the same time, 90 minutes before bedtime. Because of their sedating effects, valerian and hops should not be taken during the day, when you need to be active and alert.
Vitamin D: a sleep-fortifying vitamin
How vitamin D works
Many of us know
vitamin D for its role in bone health. It’s also important for regulating mood, supporting immune function and helping to promote a healthy inflammatory response in the body.
Vitamin D has attracted lot of interest for its potential benefits for sleep—and for the issues that might arise when not enough vitamin D is consumed in general.
†
The body makes its own vitamin D, in response to exposure to sunlight. For this reason, vitamin D isn’t considered a vitamin at all, but rather it is classified as a hormone. Besides sun exposure, people also receive
vitamin D through foods—fatty fish and fish oils, egg yolks, as well as fortified foods like dairy and juice—and also from supplements.
Vitamin D may promote healthy sleep at least in part by helping to regulate our circadian clocks. Studies have shown that
vitamin D is associated with two circadian clock genes, which in turn support our 24-hour circadian rhythms. Light and darkness, we know, are the primary regulators of our internal circadian clocks. Sunlight is also our single best source of vitamin D. It appears that vitamin D may be a part of the mechanism by which sunlight keeps our circadian clocks—and our daily sleep cycles—running in sync.
†
How vitamin D may help sleep†
Research has found
that not getting enough vitamin D may be associated with shorter sleep duration and
poorer sleep quality. Another study showed that the links between insufficient sleep and lack of vitamin D is relevant for adults ages 50 and older. Note that more than half of the people included in the study did not have healthy vitamin D levels.
†
When to take vitamin D
In the case of vitamin D, timing is less important that
what you take with your supplement. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient—meaning the body needs the presence of fat in order to absorb vitamin D. It’s best to take vitamin D with a meal, or a snack that includes about 5 grams (roughly a teaspoon) of fat. You can schedule your daily vitamin D dose at any meal of the day, to help support healthy levels and to gain the benefits and protections this vitamin delivers for sleep and overall health.
†
Magnolia bark: a gentle relaxer†
The
bark of the magnolia tree has long been used in traditional health practices for sleep support, to protect healthy memory, to support healthy stress levels and to help with digestive health and weight management. Despite its long history, this natural sleep supporter sometimes gets overlooked.
†
How magnolia bark works
Magnolia bark is packed with natural compounds that have been shown to promote a healthy
inflammatory response and
healthy mood. Supporting both of these may, in turn, help with healthy sleep. Bioactive compounds in magnolia bark appear to support healthy levels of the
stress-inducing hormones adrenaline and
cortisol. Magnolia bark also supports healthy levels of GABA, a calming, sleep-promoting neurotransmitter.
How magnolia bark helps sleep†
Magnolia bark has relaxing properties, and it may help with
healthy sleep time and time spent in non-REM and REM sleep.
†
When to take magnolia bark for sleep
Magnolia bark is often taken in capsule and tincture forms. I recommend taking magnolia bark 90 minutes before bed. Because of its sedative effects, magnolia bark should not be taken during the day, when you need to be active, alert and focused.
†These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.
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