Sleep Supplements: How to Stack Safely for Better Rest

Getting sufficient sleep is a non-negotiable requirement if you want to function optimally on all levels — physically, mentally, psychologically, and emotionally. The problem is that adequate sleep is often elusive for many people; a full one-third of U.S. adults are said to suffer from chronic sleep insufficiency, which is defined as fewer than seven hours of sleep per night.

Many of the sleep aids available for purchase consist of prescription drugs that are often accompanied by health complications, antihistamines marketed specifically for their drowsiness side effects, or artificial variants of sleep hormones. 

However, since sleeplessness is often caused by a shortage of specific nutrients, your diet should be the first place you turn to see if you can solve your somnambulistic struggles. With this in mind, here is a list of the nutrients you should prioritize in your efforts to sleep-stack safely.

Tryptophan-High Protein Source

Protein sources are often ranked in terms of their completeness and capacity to rebuild muscle tissue, but each amino acid contained within protein performs important tasks within your body that are often separate from tissue repair. Almost every complete source of protein — from chicken, pork and beef to whey, soy, and casein — is high in tryptophan. 

Tryptophan performs multiple tasks that are directly linked with the promotion of sleep, including the creation of both serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that performs a number of roles, including the regulation of sleeping patterns. Meanwhile, melatonin is synthesized from tryptophan, and naturally induces the drowsiness that prompts you to fall asleep. 

If you’re looking to ensure restful sleep through the consumption of nutrient sources, consuming protein sources with tryptophan — especially in the evening before bedtime — is an excellent start.

Zinc

Grossly underrated in terms of its importance to the body, zinc is essential to cell growth, wound healing, and the maintenance of a healthy immune system. On top of this, zinc is also connected to the production and regulation of melatonin, resulting in adequate zinc consumption being linked with a shorter time to sleep and a higher quality of sleep.

To be clear, studies also indicate limited benefits of zinc in dealing with matters that are classified as “disordered sleep,” so its usefulness may be somewhat limited if the cause of your sleeplessness is a diagnosable sleeping disorder. However, if you’re having difficulty falling to sleep, ensuring that you’re getting your requisite allotment of zinc can make a world of difference.

Vitamin B

Given the number of available sources of B complex vitamins — including several meat sources — along with the acknowledgement that they are added to several forms of enriched cereal and bread, and also nearly every energy drink, you might think vitamin B deficiency would be rare. 

Despite the wide availability of the B complex vitamins, several populations are known to be deficient in vitamin B, including vegans, vegetarians, and older adults. These deficiencies are usually caused by a lack of meat-protein consumption, and the reduced capacity of many older adults to absorb vitamin B12 in particular.

This is important to note, because several B complex vitamins contribute to the production of serotonin and melatonin, with B12 playing a critical role in both melatonin creation and the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. Because of this, it’s important to make sure your late-night nutrition plan includes a well-rounded source of vitamin B.

Glycine

Owing to its status as a non-essential amino acid, the functions of glycine are often overlooked. In most instances, your body will produce adequate amounts of glycine to adequately perform the functions that glycine plays an integral role in, including the protection of cells from free radicals, and the metabolism of vital energy sources, including glucose and creatine.

In addition to this, glycine operates as a neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation and reduces anxiety. As it performs these functions, glycine promotes blood flow to the extremities, and the lowering of the body’s core temperature, which reduces the time it takes you to fall asleep, and increases the length of REM sleep.

In this case, the easiest way to ensure that your body has access to sufficient glycine to induce this relaxing effect is to find it through a supplemental source. Fortunately, many sleep aids already pair glycine with magnesium for a multi-pronged approach to tackling sleeplessness.

Magnesium

Of all the essential micronutrients that your body craves, magnesium is one of the most difficult to acquire from whole food sources. Much of the challenge stems from the relatively low levels of magnesium contained within foods that are promoted as magnesium-rich. 

The reality is that in order to acquire all of the magnesium your body is advised to acquire in a day, you would probably need to structure all of your snacks and meals specifically around the consumption of magnesium sources. This chronic shortfall of magnesium amongst most populations makes magnesium supplements one of the first places you should turn if you find that you have difficulty sleeping. 

In addition to reducing cortisol and assisting in the production of melatonin, magnesium contributes to the wholesale inducement of head-to-toe muscle relaxation. This makes it invaluable for promoting restfulness, and essential that you address magnesium shortfalls before you turn to more aggressive methods of promoting sleep.

Better Sleep Through Nutrition

For most people, what seems like a hopeless case of insomnia may be addressable through the stacking of certain nutrients in the hours preceding sleep. If you consume protein sources rich in tryptophan, and combine that with the consumption of multivitamins or other supplements with magnesium, zinc, vitamin B, and glycine, you might be surprised just how rapidly the symptoms of your sleeplessness will improve

Summary:

1. Many people suffer from sleeplessness that is caused by a shortfall of essential nutrients.

2. Protein sources containing tryptophan can ensure our body’s ability to make adequate serotonin and melatonin to help you fall asleep.

3. Zinc and vitamin B, both of which are often found in multivitamin formulations, are also major contributors to the production of melatonin and regulation of the sleep-wake cycle.

4. The amino acid glycine lowers your core body temperature, inducing you to fall asleep faster, and increasing the length of your REM sleep.

5. Magnesium, which most people are critically low on, promotes a feeling of head-to-toe relaxation when consumed before bedtime.

6. The combination of one or more of these nutrient sources — all of which contribute to a healthy diet — can dramatically improve your chances of achieving restful sleep.