If you’re having trouble sleeping, you’re not alone. About one-third of American adults report difficulty falling and staying asleep. Many things can contribute to poor sleep, such as stress, anxiety, and caffeine consumption. But did you know that your sleep supplements could also be impacting your sleep? This article will explore how different supplements can help improve your sleep quality.
What Are Some Natural Supplements That Improve Sleep Quality?
The first thing to understand is that there are many different types of sleep. Sleep can be categorized as either rapid eye movement (REM) or non-rapid eye movement (NREM). REM, also known as dream sleep, occurs during the last few hours of your sleep cycle and it’s characterized by dreaming. Meanwhile, NREM happens right after falling asleep and consists of three stages: light, medium, and deep.
Deep sleep is when your body regenerates cells while restoring energy stores; this stage lasts for about 90 minutes. Light and medium stages only last around 20 minutes before they’re followed by a short REM period before repeating from the start. You progress through these four stages every 90 minutes throughout the night until you wake up in the morning.
What Are The Benefits Of Getting A Good Night’s Sleep?
Having a good sleep routine can benefit you in many ways: it boosts your immune system, improves memory and cognitive function, enables healthy weight maintenance (reducing both fat accumulation and blood sugar levels), helps regulate moods such as anxiety or depression, reduces inflammation that causes aging, increases sex drive, promotes healing after surgery or illness, reduces the risk of diabetes and heart attacks by improving insulin sensitivity, lowers blood pressure, regulates appetite by balancing hormones.
How Can Supplements Help You Get A Better Night’s Sleep?
Your diet is already known to affect your sleep. A healthy balanced meal before bedtime will make it easier for you to fall asleep. But did you know that some sleep supplements can help improve your sleep quality? These include melatonin, magnesium, and GABA.
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in your brain to detect darkness outside of daylight hours. This means that taking oral melatonin at bedtime helps regulate circadian rhythms for better sleep, especially if you’re traveling across time zones where light levels change dramatically or working night shifts with minimal natural light exposure.
Magnesium is an essential mineral required for optimal health; it’s involved in more than 300 different reactions within our body, including muscle contractions and nerve transmission. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to poor sleep quality because this nutrient helps relax muscles and stress levels to fall asleep easier. Some good food sources of magnesium include leafy greens, nuts, and seeds.
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. GABA receptors are located all over the body, especially in the brain and spinal cord. When these receptors are activated, they produce a calming effect. Low levels of GABA have been linked to anxiety and insomnia. Foods high in GABA include probiotic yogurt, bananas, wheat germ, peanuts, and green tea.
Are There Any Side Effects Associated With Taking Sleeping Supplements?
Like any other medication or supplement, there can be side effects associated with taking sleep supplements. It’s important to consult with your healthcare professional before taking any new supplement, especially pregnant or breastfeeding. Some common side effects of sleeping supplements include headaches, daytime drowsiness, dizziness, and digestive problems like constipation or diarrhea.
How Do I Know If The Supplement Is Right For Me?
The best way to know if a sleep supplement is right for you is to speak with your healthcare professional. They can help assess your situation and recommend based on your specific needs. There may be situations where it’s not recommended to take a sleeping supplement, such as struggling with an underlying mental health condition like anxiety or depression. In these cases, treating the root cause may be more beneficial than simply taking a pill every night to fall asleep faster.
The best way to know if a sleep supplement is right for you is to speak with your healthcare professional. They can help assess your situation and recommend based on your specific needs. There may be situations where it’s not recommended to take a sleeping supplement, such as struggling with an underlying mental health condition like anxiety or depression. In these cases, treating the root cause may be more beneficial than simply taking a pill every night to fall asleep faster.
It’s important to get enough sleep. This article discusses the benefits of getting a good night’s rest, how you can tell if you’re not getting enough sleep, and how supplements can help with improving your quality of sleep. If you are interested in trying out any supplements for better sleep but don’t know where to start or what product is right for you, make sure to do your research.
