Sleep Better!

Many people have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, and if you have these nightly struggles, you aren’t alone.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 36 percent of adults in the United States say they sleep less than 7 hours on average each night. The National Sleep Foundation says that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 should sleep at least seven to nine hours a night.

To help them sleep, some people take magnesium supplements. Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps more than 300 enzymes carry out various chemical reactions in the body, including:

• Blood glucose control

• Blood pressure regulation

• Energy production

• Glycolysis

• Muscle and nerve function

• Oxidative phosphorylation

• Protein synthesis

Magnesium plays various roles in the sleep process, according to Dr. W. Christopher Winter, a board-certified sleep specialist at Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine in Virginia and author of The Sleep Solution. For example:

• It converts protein into the chemicals that help you feel sleepy.

• It helps calm the nervous system, allowing it to function more efficiently.

• It helps to relax muscles and plays a role in nerve function.

• It helps the body maintain GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) levels. GABA is a neurotransmitter (the body’s chemical messages) responsible for “turning off” wakefulness.

Chelsie Rohrscheib, the head sleep expert and neuroscientist at Wesper, says there are two forms of magnesium that support sleep:

1. Magnesium glycinate

“When magnesium glycinate is present, it stimulates the production and activity of the GABA neurotransmitter,” Rohrscheib told Women’s Health. “It has to be highly active to initiate and maintain sleep.”

2. Magnesium L-threonate

A 2022 study in the journal Nutrients suggests that this form of magnesium can improve cognitive function, which includes thinking, learning, and reasoning, as well as alleviate stress and anxiety.

“Stress and anxiety are probably the number one reason why people develop things like insomnia,” Rohrscheib told Women’s Health. “So if you can do anything before bed, including taking a supplement that has a relaxation effect, that can certainly help you sleep a bit better.”

Rohrscheib recommends talking to your doctor before taking either of these forms of magnesium to avoid taking too much of the mineral.

According to Dr. Winter, a “good, moderate dose” of magnesium that should be free of any side effects is about 100 to 350 milligrams a day.

While there are plenty of supplements to consider, food is the best way for your body to absorb magnesium, according to Nicole Avena, a research neuroscientist, author, and associate professor of neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Among the foods that contain magnesium are:

• Almonds

• Eggs

• Milk

• Peanut butter

• Soy milk

• Spinach

• Yogurt

Magnesium might not help everyone fall asleep, according to Dr. Rami N. Khayat, medical director of the University of California, Irvine Health Sleep Medicine Services.

“I recommend that patients decide what benefit they’re trying to get from the supplement, and then take it semi-regularly for two to three weeks,” Dr. Khayat told Women’s Health. “If it’s not working, they can either abandon it completely or try a different brand or preparation. If it works, they can take it regularly—it’s not harmful if it remains in a limited dose.”

Getting More Deep Sleep

There are two stages of sleep: Rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. Deep sleep is the third stage of NREM sleep, during which the brain’s electrical activity decreases and stabilizes into a coordinated rhythm, according to Colin Espie, a professor of sleep medicine in the department of clinical neurosciences at the University of Oxford.

“The amount of sleep we need varies depending on our age, our lifestyle, and other factors, such as those who may be new parents or are shift workers,” Espie explained to Women’s Health.

Espie provided tips for getting more deep sleep:

1. Avoid caffeine where you can. “Caffeinated beverages late in the day have been shown to prolong efforts to fall asleep as well as negatively impact sleep quality,” Espie notes.
2. Limit alcohol. “Alcohol may ease getting to sleep, but as the alcohol wears off, more time will be spent in the lighter, non-restorative stages of sleep,” Espie says.

3. Avoid naps during the day. This allows us to “build up ‘sleep pressure,’ which increases our chances of falling asleep that night,” he said.

4. Exercise earlier in the day. While studies show that exercise leads to better, more restful sleep, exercising too late in the day might delay your ability to fall asleep.

5. Limit exposure to light. According to Espie, maintaining a dark “sleep environment” helps prevent sleep disruptions and supports the release of melatonin in the brain, which promotes sleep. Blackout sleep masks and blackout curtains can also limit your exposure to light.

6. Put electronic devices away before going to bed. Espie explained that exposure to blue light suppresses melatonin release, which can affect your ability to sleep.

7. Try the quarter-of-an-hour rule. Espie suggests, “If you aren’t able to fall asleep within roughly 15 minutes of going to bed, try getting out of bed, going to another room, and going through your wind-down routine or do a light activity, such as reading, until you are feeling sleepy.”

8. Turn your brain off. “The racing mind is perhaps the culprit for many sleepless nights, as we find ourselves thinking about our to-do lists or replaying what took place that day,” Espie says. “Put your day and mind to rest by planning for tomorrow and taking the time to wind down beforehand—generally 90 minutes before bed—so you’re ready for sleep.”

9. Consider cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Turning your brain off is actually an example of a cognitive behavioral therapy technique used for those who struggle with sleep, Espie says.

However, if you are consistently experiencing poor sleep that’s affecting your daily functioning, Espie recommends seeking professional help, as CBT helps people change their thoughts and behaviors around sleep so that normal, restful sleep can return.

Sleep Consistency Matters

According to Espie, going to bed and getting up at the same time is “critical for poor sleepers and will help increase the predictability and consistency of sleep, regardless of whether you’re an early riser or night owl.”

A study published in the journal BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, found that inconsistent bedtimes dramatically increase the risk of major cardiovascular events.

The researchers analyzed data from 3,321 people in a long-term study in Finland and focused on sleep timing, bedtime consistency, and wake-up times, among other factors. The study participants wore movement trackers (accelerometers) sstarting from 2012 to 2014, and up to 2023.

The investigators discovered that 4% of the study participants experienced a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) like a heart attack, stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, or death from a cardiovascular reason during the study period.

“Among the participants with sleep durations under eight hours, irregular sleep timing was a significant risk factor for MACEs,” the researchers wrote in the study’s conclusion. “These findings highlight the importance of consistent sleep behavior, particularly regular bedtimes, as a potential target for health promotion.”

Source Links:

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a26947301/magnesium-for-sleep/
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a40511210/deep-sleep/
https://www.self.com/story/sleep-bedtime-heart-health