Try supplementing magnesium
Magnesium is an overall good choice for supplementation since a lot of people are deficient in it and it is not toxic at daily doses up to 800 mg. It’s generally affordable and widely available so wherever you decide to buy, look for chelated forms of magnesium like glycinate and malate. As with all vitamins and minerals, don’t rely only on supplementation long term, your diet should provide you with enough magnesium. If you’re struggling, focus on magnesium-rich foods like avocado, nuts, legumes, bananas, and leafy greens.
Experiment with melatonin
If you really messed up your sleep pattern either by poor lifestyle or travelling across time-zones, supplementing with the sleep hormone melatonin itself might be a good option. It can be very effective if your sleep problems are related to poor melatonin production. Just keep in mind that it’s a hormone and if you take it long term, your body will adjust and reduce its own production of it. So, supplement only short term to avoid dependence and kick-start your sleep quality and natural hormone production.
Add a nap
Naps are amazing! Studies show that they aren’t just very healthy, they can improve your mood, and they won’t have a negative impact on your night time sleep. The perfect nap for everyone is 90 minutes long and taken between 13:00 and 15:00. It will be deeply refreshing but you might need a while to get back to full working speed. If you just need a quick boost of energy and positive mood as little as 20 minutes will do. If your job allows it, make naps a regular thing!
Track your sleep
So, you’ve tried every recommendation in this series and you want to know how much you’ve improved? First thing you should focus on is how you feel in the morning. You should be much more rested, energized, and optimistic about the new day. But if you want to measure your sleep, you can try various sleep tracking apps or wearables that measure your sleep quality through your night time motion.
