For most Americans, getting a good night’s sleep is but a dream. Your eyes barely stay open at work—but once your head hits the pillow in your own comfy bed, you can’t manage to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Why is it so hard to conk out at night?
Is it just further evidence that life is a series of cruel ironies that don’t cease until we reach our eternal slumber?
Actually, it has a lot to do with your diet. Some ingredients, such as caffeine and sugar, are notorious for keeping you awake.
Other ingredients help you sleep better, however. If you add the right combo of nutrients to your diet, you may fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.
That’s the dream, isn’t it?
In this post, we’re going to take a look at 7 sleep-enhancing nutrients, and we’ll tell you how to add more of these natural sleep aids to your diet.
7 Nutrients for Better Sleep
Stamp your passport to dreamland by adding some of these ingredients into your diet.
These natural sleep aids will help you sleep better at night and feel rested during the day.
1. Melatonin
Melatonin is one of the gears inside your body clock. Known as “the sleep hormone,” your body releases it when the sun goes down to chill you out and get you ready for bed. In the morning, its counterpart cortisol kicks in to wake you up.
Your body produces its own melatonin, so you may not need to take it. However, it’s easy to disrupt the release of melatonin.
Melatonin is triggered by darkness, so exposure to artificial light (such as your phone’s screen) can block its release and keep you from feeling tired at bedtime [1]. Some signs of low melatonin include difficulty falling asleep, waking up often, and a lack of dreams.
If that sounds like you, try taking a sleep supplement containing melatonin about an hour before bed.
To boost your body’s natural melatonin production, add some of these foods to your diet:
- Cherries
- Eggs
- Fish
- Nuts
- Milk
2. GABA
GABA may seem like it’s screaming at you IN ALL CAPS, but it’s actually very relaxing. GABA is your brain’s primary neurotransmitter for promoting relaxation. When your GABA receptors are stimulated, you feel like a pad of butter melting on a stack of pancakes.
You probably know how it feels, because GABA is one of the main neurotransmitters stimulated by alcohol. That’s one theory why you feel relaxed—and even sleepy—after a drink or two.
You don’t need alcohol to get your GABA going. Studies have found that taking a GABA supplement shortly before bed resulted in a “significant reduction” in the time it takes to fall asleep [2].
To boost your body’s natural GABA, eat more yogurt, citrus, spinach and soy.
3. Magnesium
Want to improve your nights and your days? Try magnesium. This essential mineral is involved in hundreds of body processes, including regulating your sleep cycle [3].
About half of Americans don’t get enough magnesium in their diet, so it could be a big factor in our collective sleep debt [4].
You’ll find magnesium in foods like leafy greens and legumes. Unfortunately, your body doesn’t store magnesium for long, like calcium in bone. It must be consumed regularly because excess plasma (circulating in the blood) magnesium is typically excreted in the form of waste [5]. Taking a magnesium supplement is recommended for those who don’t want to eat kale and lima beans every day.
Tip: Some types of magnesium are more potent than others, so check the supplemental facts label before buying! For example, magnesium L-threonate is highly bioavailable, while other types like magnesium oxide are not.
4. L-Tryptophan
L-Tryptophan is the ingredient infamous for making you pass out on your in-laws’ sofa after Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey is full of this amino acid, as are chicken, dairy, fish and peanuts.
L-tryptophan provides fuel for your brain to make serotonin, a hormone that promotes relaxation and sleep.
Research has found that supplementing with L-tryptophan before bed can help reduce the time it takes to fall asleep [6]. More L-tryptophan = more serotonin. And more serotonin = you drooling on your MIL’s hand-crocheted pillow sham.
5. Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is an important component in the Indian ayurvedic tradition. Recently, scientists in the west have been uncovering dozens of its fascinating benefits, many of which promote better sleep.
In studies, Ashwagandha supplements improved every measured aspect of sleep quality, including the time it takes to fall asleep, total sleep time and sleep efficiency [7].
Ashwagandha is also emerging as an anti-anxiety supplement. In multiple tests, ashwagandha produced the same calming effect as lorazepam, a benzodiazepine used in anti-anxiety medication [8].
Plus, it doesn’t have the side effects and risk of dependency associated with benzos. Ashwagandha may be a helpful ingredient for reducing stress and intrusive thoughts that keep you from falling asleep.*
6. Valerian Root
Valerian root is a popular plant-based sleep aid found in supplements and teas. While it isn’t super potent for those with sleep disorders, it has been found to improve sleep in healthy individuals.
An overview of clinical studies found that participants taking valerian root had an 80% greater chance of reporting improved sleep against a placebo [9].
If you enjoy a hot cup of tea before bed, give valerian root tea a try. Otherwise, look for it as an ingredient in your sleep supplement.
7. Lemon Balm
Lemon balm sounds more like a sleep mantra than a nutrient. Just letting it roll off your tongue is instantly soothing: Lemon baaaalm. It also has calming effects as a supplement, especially when it’s combined with other sleep-enhancing ingredients like valerian root and chamomile [10].
More research needs to be done on lemon balm, but a few studies have suggested that it may remedy the symptoms of sleep disorders by reducing stress and anxiety. It has also been found to increase GABA for a relaxation boost [11]. *
Why Can’t I Just Take a Sleeping Pill?
We won’t lie: pharmaceutical sleep aids are very effective at knocking you out. But, sleeping pills are not natural solutions to your sleep issues. They are compounds specifically formulated to force your brain into relaxation mode.
They may be effective in the short term, but they don’t address the underlying causes of poor sleep. That means when you stop taking them, your sleep problems will likely return.
Sleeping pills also have side effects and a risk of dependency. You might suffer from confusion and disorientation that lasts for hours after you wake up.
They can also affect your memory and performance at work. If you become dependent on sleeping pills (addicted), you’ll find it increasingly difficult to sleep without the medication. In this way, sleeping pills can actually make your sleep issues worse.
Nearly every pharmaceutical sleep aid has a dependency risk [12].
Sleep, Naturally
If you have trouble sleeping, we strongly recommend trying a natural sleep aid before asking your doctor for a pharmaceutical solution.
Manna has formulated two highly potent and bioavailable sleep complexes containing only natural ingredients.
Our sleep aids contain all of the sleep-supporting nutrients above without the concern over dependency.
Plus, both are formulated using our NANOFUSE® Liposomal Technology, which optimizes each nutrient for maximum bioavailability.
Which Manna Sleep Complex is right for you?
If you have symptoms of low melatonin or haven’t taken melatonin before, we recommend Manna Sleep Complex with Melatonin.
After taking melatonin for a few months and following a healthy sleep routine, the gears of your body clock may be turning regularly without the need for additional melatonin.
At that point, you can switch to a non-melatonin sleep complex to support a healthy sleep cycle in the long term.
Better Sleep, One Night at a Time
Deep, fulfilling sleep doesn’t come naturally to many of us. In fact, about 70 million Americans (about 1 in 5 people) suffer from chronic sleep problems [13].
Many of us work hard to maintain a daily diet and exercise routine but neglect our time in bed, even though sleep is arguably the most important factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The truth is that sleep is a skill.
You have to work at it one night at a time in order to improve. Take baby steps to create new, healthy sleep habits. It might be tough to shut off your screens two hours before bed on day one. But you can add some sleep-enhancing nutrients to your daily diet right now.
Choose a few of the natural sleep aids above, like Manna Liposomal Sleep Complex and start working towards better sleep, naturally!
FAQ
Natural sleep aids are substances like nutrients, herbs, or supplements that help improve sleep quality without the side effects or dependency risks associated with pharmaceutical sleep aids. Examples include melatonin, magnesium, and valerian root.
Melatonin regulates your body’s internal clock, promoting sleep at night, while magnesium helps relax muscles and supports the body’s sleep cycle, improving restfulness.
Natural sleep aids can be effective, especially for mild sleep issues. Unlike sleeping pills, they support the body’s natural processes without causing dependency or grogginess.
Foods rich in sleep-enhancing nutrients include cherries, eggs, fish (for melatonin), yogurt, spinach (for GABA), leafy greens, and legumes (for magnesium).
Results vary, but many people notice improvements within a few days to a couple of weeks. Supplements like melatonin or magnesium are typically effective shortly before bedtime.
Most natural sleep aids have minimal side effects when taken as directed. However, some people may experience mild side effects such as drowsiness or digestive issues, depending on the supplement. Always follow dosage guidelines.
Sources:
- https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin-what-you-need-to-know#:~:text=Melatonin%20is%20a%20hormone%20that,in%20the%20body%20beyond%20sleep
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29856155/
- https://health.clevelandclinic.org/does-magnesium-help-you-sleep/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22364157/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455825/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC161739/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6827862/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3252722/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4394901/
- https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/lemon-balm#:~:text=Insomnia%20and%20anxiety,itself%2C%20except%20for%20topical%20use.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6521387/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/in-depth/sleeping-pills/art-20043959
- https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_us.html#:~:text=About%2070%20million%20Americans%20suffer,costs%2C%20and%20lost%20work%20productivity.
