Sometimes it can be tough to get enough sleep.
However, upping your hours of sleep each night can be easier said than done.
“They show that it’s possible for you to somewhat normalize or at least make sleep better.
Marysia Machulska
It’s hard to draw firm conclusions, but they are proof of concept.”
Read on for five nutrients that can help you catch more zzz’s at night.
Melatonin
You may be familiar with the supplement form of this sleep hormone.
However, it’s also found in foods and is produced naturally by the brain’s pineal gland.
Melatonin isn’t a sedative that conks you out like Ambien.
“I’ve come to the realization that all whole foods may have some level of melatonin.
It’s intrinsic to the fruits, vegetables and animal products we consume,” says St-Onge.
“What we don’t know is how much foods actually contain.”
Food sources of melatonin:
2.
(For comparison, 3 ounces of salmon has about 1,000 mg of DHA.)
What makes omega-3s such good bedfellows?
“We know that they help with circadian timing.
Fatty fish may be a particularly good sleep aid.
Food sources of omega-3 fatty acids:
3.
Yet around 40% of American adults are deficient.
(Less than 12 ng/mLnanograms per milliliteris considered a deficiency; 12 to 20 ng/mL is an inadequacy.)
The researchers note that the findings “suggest a potential role for vitamin D in maintaining healthy sleep.”
There’s evidence that lack of vitamin D may up the risk for sleep apnea, as well.
Around 15 to 20 minutes of direct sunlight on your skin causes your body to produce what you need.
(Long enough to get a dose of D without getting burned.)
And because deficiencies are so common, it’s not a bad idea to get your levels checked.
It’s a simple blood test your doctor can order.
If yours are low, you may want to consider taking a supplement as an insurance policy.
Food sources of vitamin D:
4.
Magnesium
According to theNational Institutes of Health, 48% of Americans get too little of this mineral.
(RDAs for adults range from 310 to 420 mg.) And that does not bode well for sleep.
“Magnesium calms you down,” Breus explains.
Plus, it’s involved with the regulation of your circadian rhythms.
Meanwhile, a placebo group had virtually no changes in their sleep.
Unlike vitamin D, your body doesn’t make magnesium, so you have to eat it.
Food sources of magnesium:
5.
Iron
This is yet another micronutrient that Americans tend to fall short on particularly women.
But it has been tied to sleep troubles, as well.
This essential mineral is involved in certain chemical processes in the brain that are linked to sleep physiology.
It was also shown to throw off their various stages of sleep.
On the flip side, iron-deficient people who upped their intake to normal levels slept better and longer.
“It’s a neuromuscular issue that has to do with how your brain transports iron.”
