Sleep
Sleep and the Importance of Minerals
Getting a good night’s sleep is extremely important if you’re concerned about your mental and physical health. Sleep affects every aspect of the body, including your brain, heart, muscles, etc.
Unfortunately, getting the perfect night’s sleep is often easier said than done. Whether it’s because of a physical or mental condition, the stress of life, or because you have many things on your mind, it seems harder than ever to get a solid night of sleep. A big part of the reason that so many people struggle to get the sleep they need and crave is that they aren’t putting the right things into their bodies.
If you know you need sleep but are struggling to find it, you’ve come to the right place. This article will look at some of the most basic but important minerals you need to fall and stay asleep. We’ll also look at some of the best products that contain these minerals and where to find them.
How Does Magnesium Improve Sleep?
Although several minerals play big roles in improving your sleep, magnesium is at the top of the list. Magnesium is one of the most underrated minerals known to man. The human body uses it for many things, primarily sleep and relaxation. Here’s how magnesium can help improve your sleeping habits.
Controls the Heartbeat
The first thing that magnesium does is help control your heartbeat. One of the main reasons people struggle with occasional sleeplessness and difficulty falling or staying asleep is their hearts. By regulating the heart, you’ll also have lower blood pressure and a healthier heart, veins, and arteries.
Magnesium also works with calcium to regulate your heartbeat. Calcium gets into your body and causes your heart to contract, but magnesium does the opposite and helps it relax. Together, calcium and magnesium cause both contractions and relaxations, which results in a normal heartbeat.*
Helps Regulate Neurotransmitters
Another hidden job that magnesium has is helping neurotransmitters in your brain and body transmit messages. These messages include those that tell you to fall asleep and that release hormone to make that happen. While magnesium alone isn’t enough to stimulate a solid night’s sleep, it plays an important role, especially when combined with calcium.*
Helps Your Muscles and Cells Relax
The phenomenon of magnesium helping your heart relax after it contracts is the same as the rest of the muscles in your body. Calcium causes them to contract and flex, but magnesium helps them relax and return to resting. Therefore, if you don’t have enough magnesium in your system, your muscles won’t be able to relax, and you’ll be hard-pressed to get a good night’s sleep.*
If you want to increase your magnesium uptake, here are a few foods you should add to your diet.
- Seafood
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat
- Beans
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Wholegrain cereals
Best Magnesium Supplement to Help With Sleep
If you’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep and cannot eat enough food containing magnesium, you may want to consider a supplement. Magnesium bisglycinate is one of the best supplements you can take for sleep aid if you’re low on magnesium. It has proven to have a calming effect on the mind and body, which is crucial for getting a good night’s sleep. *
How Does Calcium Improve Sleep?
Calcium is a mineral best known for helping produce healthy bones and teeth. It’s also prized for the fact that it helps reduce the chance of osteoporosis and other diseases of the bones. However, calcium is also proving to be a great sleep aid as well.*
One of the main ingredients in calcium is the amino acid tryptophan. While most people have never heard of tryptophan, it’s one of the few amino acids that help your body naturally produce melatonin. Your body can naturally produce melatonin, but it usually isn’t enough to have much effect.
As a result, many people look to other dietary supplements, or changes to their diets to increase their calcium intake. Supplements come in a variety of different forms, including pills, chewable tablets, and gummies. These are simple approaches to help ensure that your body gets the minerals you need.
Additionally, you can also monitor your food and drink intakes to help increase the minerals you need. You should opt for foods and drinks heavily in calcium, such as milk. As the calcium gets into your body, it uses tryptophan from the calcium to create melatonin.*
Hyperpolarization
Calcium also helps your body consume other minerals, such as potassium and magnesium, through a process known as hyperpolarization. Essentially, the result is that potassium and magnesium flow in and out of various cells in your body which causes you to feel sleepy. Having enough calcium in your system before going to bed ensures that you’ll be able to fall and remain asleep through the night.*
Problems With Not Having Enough Calcium
- You’re more likely to struggle to fall asleep.
- You’re more likely to wake up soon after falling asleep.
- You’ll struggle to fall asleep again when you inevitably wake up after falling asleep.
- You won’t get enough REM sleep.
While getting calcium into your system isn’t necessarily a cure-all, it’s a great start to taking control of your sleep health. Calcium supplements are a great option to help people that are too busy to adhere to a strict diet. However, you can also make some simple changes to your diet that help to increase the calcium that you naturally consume. Some of these options are: *
- Milk
- Cabbage
- Turnips
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Broccoli
- Tofu
- Nuts
Calcium and Magnesium Together
While both calcium and magnesium play a vital role in helping you on your quest for rest, taking them in equal amounts is important. Calcium is vital to many human body parts; you should take it no matter what. However, because calcium causes your muscles and heart to contract, you should ingest plenty of magnesium to offset this effect. That way, your muscles can relax when needed, and you can get a better night of sleep.*
Sources
Benefits of Calcium Before Bed | livestrong
Why Magnesium & Calcium Are Essential Nutrients – BetterYou USA
Insomnia: Studies Suggest Calcium And Magnesium Effective (medicalnewstoday.com)
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