Sleep is good for your body and brain to function properly. A good night's sleep can improve your learning, memory, decision-making, and even your creativity. Sleep deprivation has even been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Despite this, sleep quality and duration are at an all-time low, and insufficient sleep is becoming more common with each passing year. Keep in mind that sleeping well sometimes starts with good sleep habits and practices. However, for others, that's not enough.
If you need a little extra help getting a good night's sleep, consider trying the following 9 natural sleep-promoting supplements. Melatonin is a hormone that the body naturally produces, which signals the brain that it's time to sleep. The time of day influences the cycle of secretion and production of this hormone; melatonin thresholds naturally increase at night and decrease in the morning. For this reason, melatonin supplements have become a common sleep aid, especially in cases where the melatonin cycle is disrupted, such as jet lag.
What is insomnia and its causes
Furthermore, several studies have reported that melatonin improves the quality and duration of daytime sleep. This is especially helpful for people with schedules that require them to sleep during the day, such as shift workers. Furthermore, melatonin may improve overall sleep quality in people with sleep disorders. In particular, melatonin reportedly reduces the time it takes people to fall asleep (sleep latency) and the total amount of sleep they spend. While there are also some studies that did not observe melatonin to have a positive effect on sleep, they were usually small in number. Those that did report positive effects usually administered 3 to 10 milligrams (mg) of melatonin to the subjects at bedtime.
Melatonin supplements are apparently safe for adults when taken for short or long periods. Valerian is a plant native to Asia and Europe. Its root is used as a natural remedy for symptoms of anxiety, depression, and menopause. Valerian root is one of the most commonly used herbal supplements to promote sleep in the United States and Europe. However, study results remain inconsistent. Menopausal and postmenopausal women have seen improvements in their sleep quality and sleep disorder symptoms after taking valerian, according to randomized controlled trials.
Factors that can contribute to insomnia
Two previous literature reviews also reported that taking 300 mg to 900 mg of valerian just before bedtime can improve self-rated sleep quality. However, all improvements observed in these trials and studies were subjective. They relied on participants' perceptions of sleep quality rather than objective measurements taken during sleep, such as brain waves or heart rate. Others have found that, at best, valerian's benefits are irrelevant. For example, it may cause a minimized reduction in sleep latency. However, short-term consumption of valerian root is safe in adults with fewer and less common side effects.
Despite the lack of objective measurements for valerian, adults may choose to try it for themselves. Conversely, safety remains uncertain in the long term and in certain populations, such as pregnant or breastfeeding women. Magnesium is a mineral compound involved in hundreds of bodily processes and is essential for brain and heart function. Additionally, it may help calm the mind and body, making it easier to fall asleep. Studies show that magnesium's relaxing effect may be due in part to its ability to regulate melatonin production. Magnesium is known to relax muscles and induce sleep.
Negative effects of insomnia on health
One study discovered that a mix of magnesium, melatonin and vitamin B was useful in the treatment of insomnia, without regard to etiology. Magnesium also has the action of increasing gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels, a neurotransmitter with sedative action. Studies have shown that insufficient levels of magnesium in the body can be associated with sleeping disorders and insomnia. On the other hand, increasing your magnesium intake by taking supplements can help you optimize the quality and quantity of your sleep. One study administered 500 mg of magnesium or a placebo daily to 46 subjects for 8 weeks. The group taking magnesium fared better in having an overall improved quality of sleep.
This group also had elevated levels of blood melatonin and renin, which are regulating hormones of sleep. In another small study, subjects who took an Passionflower, or Passiflora incarnata, or maypop, is a traditional remedy for insomnia. Passionflower species used in sleep enhancement are indigenous to North America. They are also cultivated today in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. The sleep-stimulating effects of passionflower were demonstrated in animal experiments. But its action on humans is also said to be based on how it is taken.
Conclusion
One study involving a human subject compared the effects of a passionflower tea with the effects of a placebo tea made from parsley leaves. Participants drank each tea approximately one hour before bedtime for a period of one week, and took a one-week break between the two teas. Each tea bag was steeped for 10 minutes, and researchers took objective measures of sleep quality. the end of the 3-week study, objective measurements indicated that participants had not experienced improvements in sleep. However, when asked to subjectively rate their sleep quality, they rated it about 5 percent higher after the week of passionflower tea compared to the week in which they drank parsley tea.
In one recent study of subjects with insomnia, subjects who took passionflower extract for 2 weeks showed significant improvement in certain sleep measures relative to a group receiving placebo. However, a study published in 1998 compared the effect of a 1.2-gram passionflower supplement with that of conventional over-the-counter sleeping medications and with placebo. The researchers found no difference between the passionflower supplements and placebo. More studies are needed, but it's worth noting that passionflower intake is generally safe in adults.
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