Disturbed sleep is more than an inconvenience that leaves you dragging the next day: it can affect your emotional and physical health. It negatively affects your memory, concentration, and mood and boosts your risk for depression, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Happily, there are easy fixes that can improve your sleep that is well researched and easily available.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that your body naturally produces that helps you sleep. Your circadian rhythm dictates melatonin production, which naturally increases as the sun goes down. Supplementary melatonin can help restore a dysfunctional circadian rhythm and allow you to get some much-needed rest.
In most countries, you need a prescription to obtain synthetic melatonin, but it’s available over the counter in the U.S. as a nutritional supplement.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral involved in hundreds of processes in the human body, and it’s important for brain function and heart health. In addition, magnesium may help quiet the mind and body, making it easier to fall asleep.
Studies show that magnesium’s relaxing effect may be partly due to its ability to regulate melatonin production. Magnesium is known to relax muscles and induce sleep, and magnesium supplements are available in many forms, including some that combine magnesium with other sleep-promoting ingredients such as glycine or melatonin.
GABA
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter that sends chemical messages through the brain and nervous system and helps regulate communication between brain cells. GABA’s role is to reduce or calm the activity of neurons. Many prescription sleeping pills boost GABA in the brain, leading to manufacturers suggesting GABA supplements might help with stress and sleep.
Adaptogens
Recent research shows that Ayurvedic herbs like Ashwaghanda can help reduce stress and anxiety and help people fall and stay asleep. Reishi mushroom also has an anti-insomnia effect. You can find these as supplements and in sleepytime teas.
Lavender
The lavender plant can be found on almost all continents. It produces purple flowers that, when dried, have a variety of household uses. Moreover, lavender’s soothing fragrance is believed to enhance sleep. In fact, several studies suggest that simply smelling lavender oil shortly before sleep may be enough to improve sleep quality in those with mild insomnia.
Though lavender aromatherapy is considered safe, the oral intake of lavender has been linked to nausea, belching, and diarrhea in some cases. Essential oils are intended for aromatherapy, not oral ingestion. It’s also worth noting that only a limited number of studies are available on the effects of lavender supplements on sleep. Thus, more research is needed before strong conclusions can be made.
CBD/THC
The cannabis Sativa plant contains more than 100 different natural chemical compounds called phytocannabinoids, with cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) being the two most researched and well-known. These phytocannabinoids act on your endocannabinoid system, a cell signaling system responsible for regulating many processes in the body, including communication between cells, appetite, metabolism, immune response, memory, and more.
People consume CBD and THC in many forms, capsules, candies, foods, or liquid tinctures, and they can be consumed separately or together. Some theories suggest that CBD and THC work synergistically, meaning that they’re more effective when taken together.