The reason for difficulty sleeping may lie in poor eating habits that make your body lack many important vitamins, minerals, and nutritional supplements that help you sleep better.
Difficulty sleeping is one of the most common problems affecting our lifestyle. You feel tired and exhausted at the end of the day, and you want to go to bed so that you can get enough sleep to go to work and actively finish your life the next day.
But despite that, you were surprised that you could not sleep, and you do not know the reason, because you did not wake up late, did not sleep during the daylight hours, and were not busy with your mobile phone or anything else. Smart screen about two hours before bed.
What is the cause of difficulty sleeping?
The reason may lie in poor eating habits that make your body lack many important vitamins, minerals, and nutritional supplements that help you sleep better.
In this report, we review vitamins important for sleep quality, but we recommend that you consult your doctor or pharmacist first before adding any nutritional supplements or vitamins to your diet.
Better, of course, to get it naturally.
Vitamins to fight sleep disorders
- Vitamin D
Most experts agree that vitamin D is not actually a vitamin, but a hormone made in the body using sunlight.
Vitamin D is known for its role in bone health and inflammation control.
In a meta-analysis published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, vitamin D deficiency was found to be indeed associated with an increased risk of sleep disorders.
Scientific studies have also shown a link between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of obstructive sleep apnea.
You can get vitamin D from medical supplements, sunlight, and certain foods rich in vitamin D, including eggs, salmon, tuna, and mushrooms.
Check with your doctor or pharmacist about your current vitamin D level and how much supplementation you should take. It is fat soluble, stored in the body, and becomes toxic if its level is increased.
Vitamin E
A 2012 study investigating the neuroprotective effect of vitamin E showed that it can prevent sleep deprivation-induced memory impairment, as well as normalize antioxidant mechanisms in the hippocampus during sleep deprivation.
During sleep, the brain processes memories and what we have learned recently, and when we suffer from a lack of sleep, we can have problems with short-term and long-term memory. With its antioxidant capabilities, Vitamin E protects brain health and function.
In addition, people with sleep apnea often have low levels of vitamin e.
Studies have shown that vitamin E, along with vitamin C and other antioxidants, can improve nighttime breathing and sleep quality in people with sleep apnea.
In addition, vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects body tissues from damage caused by free radicals.
It also helps keep the immune system strong, is important in the formation of red blood cells, and helps the body use vitamin K.
Sunflower seeds and almonds are foods that contain relatively adequate amounts of vitamin E, and you can also buy them in capsule form at most pharmacies.
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, so consult your doctor or pharmacist to assess your needs.
b vitamins
There are 8 vitamins that are essential to your health, collectively called the “B” complex vitamins.
Some emerging research shows that certain vitamins B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12 help regulate the body’s supply of tryptophan, which in turn helps the body produce melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone produced in your body that makes you sleepy.
A 2018 study from the University of Adelaide, Australia found that vitamin B6 can help people increase their ability to remember their dreams. Its deficiency may also be associated with increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and difficulty sleeping.
Research has also shown that vitamin B12 is involved in regulating sleep-wake cycles, which helps maintain circadian rhythms.
A good healthy diet containing whole grains, meat, fruits and vegetables often provides a good amount of B complex vitamins.
Calcium and magnesium
These two minerals are often recommended to be taken together right before bed, as they play a role in muscle contraction and relaxation.
Calcium and magnesium deficiencies are thought to cause a lot of sleep disturbances throughout the night, and calcium works with tryptophan (a hormone involved in sleepiness) to produce melatonin, which aids sleep.
Chronic insomnia is also a major symptom of magnesium deficiency, which helps melatonin production and relieves muscle tension.
- theanine
Theanine is an amino acid found in tea leaves, especially green tea, and some mushrooms.
Theanine improves certain brain chemicals (such as dopamine and serotonin) that help regulate sleep, and it also reduces chemicals in the brain that have an excitatory effect.
Experts believe it helps induce drowsiness and speeds up the time it takes to fall asleep, while also improving sleep quality.
As mentioned, you can get theanine from green tea or from supplement tablets.
- iron
The first symptoms of iron deficiency are fatigue and difficulty sleeping.
Low iron levels are a major risk factor for restless leg syndrome, which can cause insomnia or insomnia.
Low iron can also contribute to feelings of anxiety, which can also lead to difficulty sleeping.
Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, so try taking any recommended supplement with apple or orange juice.
You can get iron either as a supplement or by eating iron-rich foods such as beef, shellfish, chicken, beans, lentils, cashews, dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, whole grain cereals and fortified bread.
melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced naturally by the body that makes you feel sleepy and helps regulate your body clock.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, you can also find it in supplement form, and you can usually take it for a short time (determined by your doctor), to help reset your circadian rhythm and allow you to fall asleep faster.
Before you turn to a supplement, you can help melatonin do its job by turning off the lights, turning off blue-light smart screens, and trying to get some rest.
tryptophan
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that, like other amino acids, is used to build proteins.
The body needs tryptophan to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps produce healthy sleep patterns.
Studies have shown that tryptophan can cause drowsiness and help you fall asleep faster.
Since the body does not produce tryptophan on its own, you can buy tryptophan supplements or get them naturally from many foods such as nuts, seeds, poultry, milk, spinach, eggs, and salmon.
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