Jeffrey Blumberg, a professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University in Boston, says otherwise. He suggests taking your dietary supplements at night isn't advisable. “Digestion slows down during sleep, so taking your nutrient supplement late at night would not be associated with an efficient absorption.”
However, taking a multivitamin too close to bedtime could actually interfere with your ability to fall asleep. Many vitamin formulas contain energizing ingredients that encourage your body to be alert and awake when taken too late in the day.
Certain vitamins, like those believed to aid in supporting your energy levels, may actually interfere with your sleep if you take them too close to bedtime, and on the other hand, some vitamins can help promote a deeper, more restful sleep.
More research is needed to determine how multivitamins affect your sleep, if they do at all, and whether the time of day you take them can impact this. There just isn't enough information to recommend avoiding multivitamins at night, so you can take them whenever you find it most convenient.
Vitamin D
As it is recommended to take it with full meals should be avoided in the evening. Also, a study showed that when taken in large quantities, vitamin D can reduce the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
When is the best time to take multivitamins? Because multivitamins contain a mixture of both fat and water-soluble vitamins, in general it's best to take them with a meal for optimal absorption [1].
Folate and vitamin B-12 help you feel energized and alert. They play a role in red blood cell production, which helps you ensure that your brain can access the oxygen it needs to work.
Vitamin D and sleep: The surprising connection
Early research suggests it is inversely related to melatonin, your sleep hormone. Increasing vitamin D levels may suppress melatonin levels. So, it makes sense that taking it at night could disrupt your sleep.
The results suggest that the use of combined multivitamin supplements, as well as single vitamins, including vitamin B complex, hurts sleep maintenance, causes a higher rate of insomnia, and requires greater use of sleep medicine.
Not only can magnesium help you get to sleep, but it plays a part in helping you achieve deep and restful sleep as well. In one study, older adults were given 500 mg of magnesium or a placebo. Overall, the magnesium group had better quality of sleep.
After controlling for age, sex and other variables, the scientists found a slightly higher rate of poor or interrupted sleep in people taking multivitamins.
It seems vitamin D helps you sleep because it takes part in the regulation of our circadian rhythms. Increasing dosages could be the first step to improving sleep, but pay attention to its effects. Vitamin D may suppress melatonin production. So take it in the day, not before bed.
While the best timing has not been established, scientific data to confirm anecdotal reports that supplementing at night may interfere with sleep is unavailable. Current research suggests you can fit vitamin D into your routine whenever you prefer.
Therefore, magnesium supplements can be taken at any time of the day, as long as you're able to take them consistently. For some, taking supplements first thing in the morning may be easiest, while others may find that taking them with dinner or just before bed works well for them.
When is the best time to take multivitamins? Because multivitamins contain a mixture of both fat and water-soluble vitamins, in general it's best to take them with a meal for optimal absorption [1].
Several of the most popular natural sleep aids include melatonin, GABA, tryptophan, 5-HTP, CBD and THC, valerian root and lavender.
One study of older adults with insomnia found that magnesium supplementation at a dose of 500 milligrams daily for eight weeks helped them fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, reduced nighttime awakenings, and increased their levels of naturally circulating melatonin.
Vitamin D keeps your immune system strong and can help regulate insulin levels. It keeps your energy levels up and enhances your mood, too.