Supplements, Foods etc., for good sleep

[iTommy]

Hey lads! My sleep is overall pretty bad (insomnia). I usually wake up multiple times early in the morning, and struggle to get back to sleep. I am physically and mentally tired when I need to be awake, which then again costs me a lot of energy. I've already done quite a few things besides taking supplements for good sleep, although I am on anti-depressants and one usually helps me get tired at night. So, I am currently looking for supplements or similar that might encourage a good night's rest, and thought that some of you might have some ideas regarding this topic. 

 

 

 

[moon777light]

Not melatonin.  Avoid that

[InfinitePotential]

The best "supplement" I've found for a good night's sleep is blue light cancelling eyewear. 

Putting em on when the sun goes down / a couple or few hours before bed helps your melatonin naturally rise. 

And of course destimulating before bed, and sleeping in a cool, dark, quiet room. 

 

For food supplements specifically, magnesium is great for relaxation. 

[Colin]

blue light blocking glasses work to increase melatonin and reduce cortisol at night. Use for at least 2 hours before bed. Also, use flux or night shift on top of the glasses if you use a computer at night. 

Conversely staring at blue screen and lights will decrease melatonin and increase cortisol.

This must be done every night consistently to get powerful benefits.

http://www.newsweek.com/blue-blocking-glasses-may-help-treat-bipolar-disorder-promote-sleep-484065

check out this study

[iTommy]

@moon777light Hmm, why is that? Many sites recommend melatonin.

 

@InfinitePotential @Colin I never knew of blue light cancelling eyewear till now. I need to dig deeper into this.

[moon777light]

@iTommy we are taught in med school that melatonin is for giving feelings of sleepiness aka for falling asleep,not staying asleep.  In sleep deprivation disorders such as insomnia, you have a problem staying asleep. According to my sleep lecture notes treatment is 

1st choice: journaling, complete darkness/no electronics 1-2hrs prior, and using the bed ONLY for sleep, nothing else (not even meditating)

Then the other options are your typical pharma drugs like zolpidem (also called Ambien) or eszopiclone (lunesta) 

Some natural options would be to have a glass of chamomile tea with honey or warm milk (cow or goat) with honey before bed

 

Also i totally agree about the light thing, but i had to uninstall my flux app on the laptop, it ended up hurting my eyes and i had more sleep issues that without it. Also, from many studies published recently, they have discovered that green light triggers melatonin release more than blue light, so best thing is to avoid all electronics hour or two before bed. Ideally none after sunset.

Edited April 2, 2018 by moon777light

[pluto]

Stay active during the day, get natural sunlight, add more magnesium too your diet, when the sun goes down wear blue-blocker glasses or turn all your artificial lights on a very low/warm color like amber or candle-like. Avoid heavy foods few hours before sleep.

IMO Melatonin is good when nothing else works but only short term to get you back on track and harmonize with circadian rhythms don't rely on it. Just make sure the melatonin is pure. (Life Extension) is a very clean brand.

Cut out processed foods, especially processed sugars and caffeine or other stimulants. Try eat more whole foods and keep snacks well away from bedtime.

Anti-Depressants could be interacting with parts of your brain/body maybe look for herbal alternatives like St Johns Wort for example or Rhodiola I.E natural anti-depressants or adaptogens. Pharma-drugs will F you up in the long run.

As expert advice is to ease of them slowly if you have been taking them for a while and replace with natural alternatives. Nature works everything else made in a lab is 99.9% of the time for business and profit purposes stemming from ignorant training/conditioning.

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2018 by pluto

[tomlatham]

You can eat mango as much as possible. This is the natural process for good sleep. 

[iTommy]

@moon777light Ah, thanks for the insight

@pluto I agree. I've been going down on my medication, now I have to deal with withdrawal symptoms.

[tomlatham]

That's good. Thanks!

[Michael569]

natural melatonin is highly concentrated in pistachios, probably the highest content of all. 

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4707265/

. Also, exceptionally high melatonin concentrations (227–233 μg/g) have been found in four different varieties of Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) (Oladi et al., 2014); they are the highest values reported for any plant organ to date

Edited April 12, 2018 by Michael569