The Truth About Supplements and Your Sleep

If you’ve got sleep problems, and maybe you don’t feel like your sleep problems are big enough to warrant going to the to an md,  You might take a look at some supplements to help you catch those z’s.  Last year, the world spent around 7 billion dollars on over-the-counter sleep aids.  And I’m going to be honest, most of them are a mixed bag.  Some may work for you, others don’t really work for anyone, and the rest are pretty variable in that they may not work like you are hoping they will.  I am not gonna lie, lifestyle changes are often the most effective ways to improve your sleep.  They’re often not the most fun and they’re certainly not as easy as swallowing a supplement, but they are effective.  That being said, however, this time around we are going to explore some major types of over-the-counter sleep remedies and supplements.  So go get your 7 billion and let’s get ready to do.

Most importantly, before you take anything that claims to effect your sleep you should definitely reach out to your primary care provider.  If you don’t want to go in for a full visit or appointment, fine.  Maybe just shoot them a message, give their office a call.—whatever, but check with your provider.  Especially if you are already taking a prescription medication or have any pre-existing medical conditions.  A lot of herbal remedies, and a lot of over the counter sleep aids don’t play nice in the sandbox with other supplements and pharmaceuticals.  And thats not just a disclaimer on my part, I mean it.  You’re not taking good care of yourself if you’re not well informed.  And while social media can be a fine place to start learning, it should never be the end.  Always check your thinking and your choices with a licensed medical doctor instead of using your body as a chemistry experiment.

Also, and this is a big one—maybe your most important take away from this video, there are no over the counter sleep aids that are really safe to take long term.  I’ve been at this for years, and I have yet to find any truly long-term studies to illustrate safety for years of use.  And on that note, its not super easy to find a tremendous amount of short term studies on a lot of the products that are out on the market either.  Its more possible to find research on the ingredients of some of the products, but because regulation on a lot of this stuff is pretty loose, and a lot of product studies are proprietary and locked away in corporate vaults somewhere, a lot information on efficacy, quality, and side effects is just not available—and thats not great.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I am not trying to discourage you from trying something that might help you sleep.  If something doesn't cause you any harm, and it works for you, then it works for you!  But I also don’t like peddling information that isn’t true, helpful, and isn’t kind to you.  The truth of the matter is that you may find that some over-the-counter remedies help get you over the hump while you’re making other changes in your life that can insure lasting solutions for your sleep.  And some of these remedies can be helpful short-term measures to resolve less acute sleep issues. Always, if you find that you have long-term sleep struggles, you really need to reach out to your doctor.

So all that being said, if you’re looking to try some over the counter sleep remedies… Let’s take a look at your options.  This is not going to be a review of every product on the market, but I am going to cover 4 main groups of over the counter sleep remedies and supplements that are available on the market as of the date of this video.

First up, antihistamines—things like NyQuil, Benadryl, Unisom.  And no, none of these brands or others are paying me to mention them.  Anti-histamines are a class of drugs, many of which are available over the counter that are often used to treat seasonal allergies.  Sometimes you can find them in cold medicines as well.  And there are brands who market anti-histamines as sleep aids.  That being said, lets take a look at their opposite.  Histamines are naturally occurring chemical communicators in our bodies that effect a LOT of things.  They serve an immune function.  They effect sleep-wake cycles and help with blood flow—and thus they can keep you awake.  Taking an ANTI-histamine, interrupts all that and thus will put many of people to sleep.  BUT.  They can leave you drowsy the next day, give ya dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, make your brain foggy, and interfere with a bunch of medications.  So. There’s that.

Second?  Melatonin.  Its a hormone, and your body makes it on its own in response to the setting of the sun.  Night time is your body’s cue to start making melatonin literally to help put you to sleep.  And, daylight is your body’s cue to get rid of it and it metabolize away.  You can buy synthetic versions as sleep aids, not all formulations are created equal, and timing is everything.  Your body, age, metabolism, and the formation of the melatonin supplement informs on the most effective timing.  And despite what the supplement bottle says, the average adult really only needs to take around 2 milligrams of it to feel the effects.  Its also important to note that melatonin helps put you to sleep.  Its not necessarily great at keeping you asleep.  Because of this, many OTC melatonin supplements are slow release—so it can put you to sleep and then essentially keep putting you to sleep throughout the night.  That however, can leave some folks pretty groggy the next day.  There is one area, however, in which melatonin rules the roost.  And that is long distance travel.  Because melatonin is very effective if you’ve been traveling and jet lag has got your internal clock all messed up.  Because it is an integral hormone to the sleep-wake cycles of your circadian rhythm, it can help you acclimate to new timezones easier than going it alone.

Third, herbal stuff.  There’s a lot of products on the shelf when it comes to herbal sleep aides.  And most of them, things like valerian, chamomile, and others are generally not regulated.  Which means that what is in them is actually anyone’s game.  The same should be said for potency.  If what you are taking is made from the root of a plant, well… not every root grows the same way, and not every plant will have the exact same nutrients in the exact same amounts.  Which is to say, that you actually end up taking may vary from pill to pill or from bottle to bottle and there’s no real way of knowing until you experience the effects of taking it.  Also, the effectiveness of herbal remedies can vary from person to person, and scientific evidence supporting their use especially for sleep is often limited or mixed.  Again, if you take something and it works for you, then it works for you.  But when it comes to any kind of herbal sleep aid, my biggest concern is quality and purity.  If you do want to try them, however, look for products that are tested by an unbiased, outside lab or third party.  Look for products made in European Union or Canada—as those areas tend to have the strictest and highest standards.  And if its possible look for verifiable labels that note the product as organic.

Last? Magnesium.  Your body needs magnesium to do a lot of things.  It helps regulate blood sugar, blood pressure.  It helps make DNA, bone, & proteins, and it also assists in around 55 other things that your body needs to function.  Some of the things that magnesium does relates to muscle relaxation and some nerve function—both of which contribute to sleep.  Interestingly, if you were paying attention a few minutes ago, and you recall me talking about histamines, you might recall that they also play a role in blood flow and blood pressure.  So, not only should this be a big tip off about the complex interrelated nature of our health and what we put into our bodies, but also…  if you’re thinking of trying out either magnesium supplements or an antihistamine based sleep aid, you should definitely make sure you read up, get informed, and reach out to your doctor because these two can interact in ways that might not be what you’re looking for.

Now, back to magnesium.  You can get magnesium by eating foods that are rich in it.  Soy, seeds, beans, whole grains, bananas, and many nuts—all of which can make decent little bed-time snacks.  Personally, I am a big fan of getting what you are looking for through foods.  But, this video is not about diet, its about supplements and over the counter sleep remedies, so, there are several different forms of magnesium supplementation. And you can get it in pills, capsules, drinks, and powders.  Each has its own benefits and drawbacks in terms of bioavailability , absorption and, efficacy.  There are also many (like a dozen or more) different kinds of magnesium that you can buy as supplements, and each has its own preferred uses.  One of the most popular for sleep is called magnesium glycinate.  Its known to be fairly gentle on your stomach, well absorbed, and has calming properties.  Some folks even take it to relieve anxiety, although evidence for that is pretty mixed.  Regardless of which form you take, be sure that you are well informed.  Some types of magnesium are better tolerated than others.  And at least one is actually used as a laxative, which definitely will not help you sleep.  Regardless, magnesium has been shown to help with relaxation and sleep, and also can have some side effects.  For some, magnesium can cause irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, muscle weakness, lethargy, diarrhea, dyspnea (shortness of breath), and more.

There are clearly side effects to just about anything you can take.  And as I said before, many supplements and over the counter remedies interact and interfere with other supplements and medications.  That being said, however, many over the counter sleep aides can be very effective for short term use for many people.   So much so that for each type of remedy we covered, there are devotees who will swear by what they take.  There are no over the counter remedies that are safe to take long-term, but honestly, if it works for you, then, it works for you.

One last thing, I covered 4 major types of over the counter sleep aids in this video.  And although those 4 types encompass the majority of the products you’ll find on the shelves of your local store there are certainly others as well.  Regardless of the choices you make, before you try anything, please be sure to consult your doctor.  Your a person, not a chemistry set.  And you should always know about you’re taking.  Be mindful and informed about the choices you make.

Follow me and keep an eye out for more videos about this, about wellness, growth, healing, and how to elevate your life.  Thanks so much for watching, be well and sweet dreams!