Nutrients for sleep
How many of you pop vitamins daily, or at least believe that nutrients play an important part in sleep and general health? I for one, take supplemental vitamins often because I believe the foods we eat every day are just too deficient and inadequate to be regarded as “sufficient” in fulfilling all our nutritional needs. Getting the right nutrients for sleep (and enough of it daily) is essential, whether we like it or not.
While perhaps not miracle workers, I fully believe supplemental vitamins are helpful in improving a lot of health conditions, and that includes sleep disorders. Theoretically, it is possible to obtain enough nutrients from foods, but unfortunately, this world is far from ideal.
From a sleep health standpoint, there are vitamins that do help you to fall asleep, and sleep better. The main sleep vitamins are the B complex group. The B vitamins consists of:
- vitamin B1 or thiamine
- vitamin B2 or riboflavin
- vitamin B3 or niacin
- vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid
- vitamin B6 or pyridoxine
- vitamin B7 or biotin
- vitamin B9 or folic acid
- vitamin B12 or cyanocobalamin
B vitamins are essential in helping the body cope with stress, and help with oxygen availability in the brain. Almost ALL of them have some effect on the nervous system, and without a healthy nervous system, your sleep soon suffers. They are essentially non toxic (eliminated via urine within hours); the only significant toxicity side effect from taking too much of them is maybe acne. Don’t take B vitamins near bedtime though; if taken too close to bedtime, it may result in insomnia.
The best natural source of B vitamins would probably be brewers yeast, although it is lacking in vitamin B12 (which is mostly found in meat and eggs). Brewers yeast contains much more than B vitamins though; it is a great source of natural protein and minerals like iron (one of the highest organic sources known), phosphorus and zinc. You can even replace man made B complex pills with brewers yeast, because they have a lot more to offer nutritionally. If you do take B vitamins and combine them with brewers yeast in a fruit juice mix, the effects are just GREAT!
All forms of stress, smoking, and drinking deplete the body of B vitamins rapidly. If you’re on oral contraceptives, or supplemental estrogen, you also need extra B vitamins. If you’re a nervous or excitable person by nature, you use up more B vitamins than you realize.
Another vitamin that helps with sleep is vitamin C. Like most B vitamins, vitamin C is excreted within hours from the body, and rapidly depleted by smoking and stress. Vitamin C functions as a natural antihistamine, and therefore, it has some sedative effect if taken in a large enough dose. More importantly, it helps to maximize the effect of the B vitamins and strengthens the body’s ability to withstand daily stress. However, you’ll need to take several grams of vitamin C a day for it to really be effective.
As for minerals, potassium and calcium are the minerals that help with sleep, because of their role in nerve impulse transmissions and oxygenation in the brain. If you drink a lot of coffee, you might find that the fatigue you’re feeling is due to the potassium loss you’re suffering from – caffeine increases potassium loss from the body (through the urine).
Calcium has long had a reputation as an insomnia aid and being calming on the nerves. It’s an important mineral. In fact, there is more calcium in your body than any other mineral. Calcium needs vitamin D to be absorbed properly by the body, so if you’re buying a calcium supplement, look for those with vitamin D added – Or try spending some time in the sun.
I’d also like to mention tryptophan, an amino acid that aids sleep. Tryptophan is converted into serotonin in the body, which is in turn converted into melatonin. Although it seems tryptophan tablets are not so easily obtained these days, if you can get hold of tryptophan supplements, take 2g of tryptophan tablets a half hour before sleep with plain water or juice. Is it any wonder that milk is well known as one of the foods that can help you sleep? It’s a rich source of calcium, potassium and tryptophan (and a host of other nutrients).
