1. Magnesium. Magnesium is perhaps the most important vitamin or mineral when it comes to sleep. It plays a key role in the bodily function that regulates sleep and studies have shown that sleep suffers without optimal vitamin intake.
Magnesium. Magnesium was the featured nutrient in a study published in the Journal of Research of Medical Science, which found that adding a supplement in elderly participants improved the symptoms of insomnia and sleep quality. Nuts, beans, seeds, tofu, bananas and whole grains are all good sources of magnesium.
One of the more recently discovered functions of magnesium is its effect on cellular timekeeping and regulation of circadian rhythm. Studies that back up this theory have shown that inadequately low levels of serum magnesium are associated with low quality sleep and insomnia [17].
Reasons this might happen include drinking caffeine or alcohol late in the day, a poor sleep environment, a sleep disorder, or another health condition. When you can't get back to sleep quickly, you won't get enough quality sleep to keep you refreshed and healthy.
Possible culprit: A vitamin or mineral deficiency
One possible reason for feeling tired, anxious, and weak is having low levels of iron, vitamin D, or B12. Many experts believe that a significant percentage of the U.S. population is deficient in vitamin D.
Background: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with sleep disorders and poor sleep quality. Whether vitamin D supplementation (VDS) helps resolve these problems remains unclear.
Magnesium may help to quiet the nerves in the body that keep people awake. However, while experts recommend melatonin for treating some sleep disorders, magnesium may not be something that a doctor recommends unless a person has another reason to take it, such as evidence of low magnesium levels.
While evidence that supplements can help improve sleep is limited, cannabidiol, valerian, synthetic melatonin, and chamomile are generally regarded as safe, says Dr. Suzanne Bertisch, clinical director of Behavioral Sleep Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
While this doesn't prove that magnesium alone can help with sleep, taking a magnesium supplement each night before bed won't necessarily hurt you. However, it's recommended that you see your healthcare provider before you start popping magnesium supplements at bedtime.
We recommend daily use for at least three months to see the full effects on sleep.
First, one of the most common and most debilitating symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency is extreme fatigue, 'tired all the time' and in some patients also insomnia. If a patient's mood is low at the same time, this can easily be interpreted as depression.
B12 also plays a role in the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythms. It is possible that a deficiency of B12 could lead to disrupted sleep patterns. Vitamin B12 also helps in the production of energy. Low levels of B12 cause a reduction in the formation of red blood cells.
Supplementing vitamin B6 may improve sleep quality and duration. A 2019 study also found that taking a supplement of magnesium, melatonin, and vitamin B complex for 3 months improved sleep and helped treat insomnia.
Even when you get a full night's sleep, you may still feel sleepy when you wake up because you've got lingering sleep debt. Your body wants more sleep to make up for what it's lost out on. You might have high sleep debt because you're simply not giving yourself enough time to sleep at night.
If iron deficiency is the cause of your fatigue, treatment may include iron supplements. You can also add iron-rich foods such as spinach, broccoli, and red meat to your diet to help relieve symptoms. Vitamin C with meals or with iron supplements can help the iron to be better absorbed and improve your symptoms.
Sometimes, our minds can keep us awake more than any outside distractions. A particularly stressful day can lead to intrusive thoughts in the middle of the night — maybe they come in the form of a nightmare that jolts you up at 3 a.m. In more serious cases, some people even experience sleep paralysis.
If melatonin does seem to help, it's safe for most people to take nightly for one to two months. “After that, stop and see how your sleep is,” he suggests.
However, if you want to maximize the benefits for better sleep, it's best to take your magnesium supplement an hour or two before bedtime.