During regular sleep, you undergo several sleep layers, four in particular. Your sleep quality is contingent upon going through each of these stages and getting the right quality sleep throughout.
Without the right quality, the quantity you receive matters less and less because you are not achieving cycles appropriate to things like proper memory storage or hormone regulation. Thankfully, there are several good vitamins for better sleep that can help you enhance the quality you get.
Vitamins for good sleep: what is the connection?
Sleeping disorders are very common and they can have serious ramifications when it comes to quality of life and daily function. Studies have found a strong association between vitamins and sleep disorders finding that certain vitamins or respective deficiencies can have a direct impact on the quality of sleep you get or miss out on, respectively.
Vitamin deficiencies can negatively impact several areas of sleep. For example, excess vitamin B12 actually shortens the lengths of your sleep wake rhythm and this can affect your circadian rhythm. But other vitamin B can help treat leg cramps so if you have restless leg syndrome or you get cramps while you sleep, you can get natural treatment by finding good sleep vitamins.
Several studies have evaluated the efficacy of vitamins for good sleep and found that taking single vitamin supplements can help with the following:
- Sleep maintenance
- Length of sleep
- How long you stay asleep
- How quickly you stay asleep
- How often you wake up during the night
- Pain or spasms during sleep
The best vitamins for sleep: a detailed look
So, what vitamins are good for sleep? There are several that can help with different areas of your sleep quality, including vitamin D, vitamin E, and magnesium.
- Vitamin D: The sunshine vitamin and its impact on sleep
When most people hear vitamin D they think of sunshine. And there's a good reason for this. Vitamin D is one of the few vitamins that we don't get from our food nor is it naturally produced in our bodies. Vitamin D is something that we have to get from other sources including sunshine. Just 10 minutes per day of exposure to sun on your skin can give you the necessary vitamin D to help with things like sleep.
Several studies have found a link between vitamin D deficiencies and sleep disorders. Vitamin D is one of the best vitamins for sleep, and it has both a direct and indirect role in:
- Melatonin production
- Regulation of your circadian rhythms
- Sleep quality
If you have a vitamin D deficiency, you are likely to experience symptoms that include:
- Poor sleep quality
- Fatigue
- Bone pain
- Muscle cramps
- Mood changes
- Vitamin B6: The dream vitamin and its role in sleep regulation
The second most common sleep vitamin is vitamin B6. Studies have found that increasing your natural levels of vitamin B6 can reduce psychological distress, like anxiety or depression which have a direct impact on sleep disturbances, especially insomnia.
Vitamin B6 is particularly effective for women because it can help treat hormone-related depression, which is known to affect the quality of sleep directly.
If you have a vitamin B6 deficiency, you are likely to experience symptoms that include:
- Poor sleep quality
- Lethargy
- Poor immune health
- Mood changes
- Tingling in your extremities
- Vitamin E: Antioxidant effects and sleep quality
Vitamin E can help if you struggle with chronic insomnia. Several studies suggest that these are the best vitamins for good sleep, especially if your poor sleep has led to memory issues; increasing vitamin E can improve memory function and reverse some of the impairments caused by sleep deprivation.
If you have a vitamin E deficiency, you are likely to experience symptoms that include:
- Poor sleep quality
- Vision problems
- Muscle weakness
- Feeling unwell
- Magnesium: The relaxation mineral
Magnesium can help alter the neurotransmitters that increase relaxation. Magnesium is essential to several areas of daily function, including your nighttime sleep, and getting magnesium supplements can help you feel more relaxed and improve the sleep you receive each night.
If you have a magnesium deficiency, you are likely to experience symptoms that include:
- Poor sleep quality
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle spasms
- Stiffness
- Abnormal heartbeat
Magnesium is a very popular vitamin for sleep, but it's also commonly mixed with other vitamins like melatonin and vitamin B6. Several studies have found that the combination of these three can prove more effective than one on its own.
- Other notable vitamins/minerals
There are several other notable vitamins and minerals that play a role in sleep. For example, an iron deficiency is known to lead to restless leg syndrome and sleep spasms. By getting extra iron, you can control these issues.
Vitamin B12 is another nutrient that has been shown to positively improve sleep quality and help treat insomnia. It is especially useful when combined with melatonin and magnesium. Low vitamin B12 can lead to several psychological issues namely, depression which, by extension, negatively impacts sleep.
If you have a vitamin B12 deficiency, you are likely to experience symptoms that include:
- Poor sleep quality
- Headaches
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle weakness
- Depression
- Indigestion
- Shortness of breath
Where to get vitamins for good sleep
There are several ways you can start to replenish vitamins for better sleep in your body. The easiest way is with food. You can seek out foods that have high levels of the vitamins or other nutrients you need, like:
- Beans
- Tuna or salmon
- Green vegetables
- Whole grains
- Nuts
- Fortified cereals
- Root vegetables
- Fruit
If you need higher doses, somewhat sooner, you can get supplements like body sprays, infusions, or pills. But if you need changes to your sleep much faster, the quickest way is to get an IV infusion or similar medication that can provide a high dose of the vitamins you need.
When to consider supplementing for sleep
If you are struggling with your sleep pattern and experiencing problems not just with how long you sleep but how good you feel when you wake up, it might be time to consider professional consultations from a healthcare professional.
There are many great sleep vitamins that you can incorporate into your nightly routine, many of them from natural sources like:
- Food
- Supplements
- IV infusions
However, It's always important that you consult a healthcare professional before starting a new supplement. No matter how safe a vitamin might be, suddenly increasing the doses you consume might have potential contraindications with other medication you are on.
Summing Up
What vitamins are good for sleep? Many of the vitamins that you need on a regular basis are also good for sleep, including magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin E, and vitamin D. If you are not getting enough of these vitamins, it can detract from the quality of sleep you enjoy each night.
There is transformative potential in sleep vitamins, and if you get enough of the vitamins your body needs, you can improve your sleep. When you incorporate vitamins into your routine in order to improve your sleep, try to look for natural ways like increasing foods that are high in certain vitamins or being out in the sun to get vitamin D. You can also consider things like IV infusions to boost several vitamins at once naturally, magnesium sprays that you spray on your body before you go to bed, and many other options.
Remember, it all starts with Yu.
