Best Type of Zinc
In these posts Zinc is recommended. In one post it is picolinate, in another post it is orotate. I have personally done some research and I have nailed it down to acetate or sulfate. So....which one of these is the king or zinc?
Helps Hypothyroidism
I wanted to update on the sleep combo of melatonin/magnesium/zinc. It turns out that this combo is also likely to be helpful for hypothyroidism and since the meds for hypothyroidism are known to negatively affect sleep, this is a match made in Earth Clinic!
Art
(Not Canada)
10/07/2020
Two brands of zinc affect me different ways, both zinc gluconate. One seems to be making me hurt all over, contains: cellulose gel, calcium carbonate, stearic acid, croscarmellose sodium, hypromellose, magnesium stearate, polyethylene glycol. The other (non-gmo) makes me feel good: vegetable cellulose, dicalcium phosphate, silica, vegetable magnesium stearate, vegetable stearic acid.
Just a heads-up.
(California)
10/07/2020
L-Tryptophan
I take l-tryptophan; it is precursor to melatonin and serotonin so it adds up to sweet dreams. Been doing so for years and it's just great. I'm already taking zinc but earlier in the day so am eager to try zinc and magnesium at night.
Liquid Melatonin
I've taken melatonin pills for many years, but I decided to try it in liquid form. There is a remarkable difference.
Magnesium
There was no way to add a comment to the main article so I had to Reply to an existing comment.
Magnesium has well known laxative effects. People with exquisitely sensitive guts cannot take that much magnesium at one time without it resulting in multiple trips to bathroom. Which results in interrupted sleep, just the opposite of intended effect ...
(Brussels)
08/20/2020
Ever since I switched to liquid magnesium, there's no going back for me. So much easier to take and goes straight to where it's needed. I take Remag from Dr. Carolyn Dean - it's easy to take and I buy the 16oz bottle to save money - lasts a long time. Because it's absorbed at the cellular level, it doesn't result in loose stools. rnareset.com is where you can get it. Dr. Dean wrote the book years ago, The Magnesium Miracle.
(Zurich, Switzerland)
08/20/2020
Take Magnesium L-Threonate. Has a relaxing effect in the brain, and does not cause a laxative effect.
(Toronto, Canada)
08/20/2020
Only some forms of Mg will do what you said. The bisglycinate form is okay for most people to take without causing loose bowels. The citrate and chloride forms of magnesium will have the bowel loosening effect on most people.
(Scotland)
08/20/2020
How about eating a banana or two as part of a light evening meal at least four hours before bedtime. Bananas are rich in vitamins and minerals including magnesium and they are high in fibre. Bananas will bulk up your stools and could have a gentle dehydrating effect overnight. Ignore the myth that bananas are fattening. 5 medium-sized bananas are equivalent in calories to a 150g bag of potato chips. Trying eating 5 bananas in one sitting! I doubt you can but many people can scoff a 150g of potato chips and go back for more!
Dano,
The three forms of magnesium I named will all work for the purpose of acting as a sleep promoter. Magnesium Taurate, Magnesium L Threonate and Magnesium Glycinate. Magnesium Glycinate is the same as Magnesium Bisglycinate.
Of the three, Magnesium L Threonate is least likely to cause diarrhea followed by Magnesium Taurate, based on my own experience with all three forms. These two in particular, Magnesium L Threonate and Magnesium Taurate, have shown in studies to target the brain and taurine from Magnesium Taurate also crosses the blood brain barrier and has a calming effect. This is what I am currently using, Magnesium Taurate, but have used all three as well as many other forms of magnesium.
Magnesium L Threonate is lacking in human studies compared to most other forms of magnesium of which there are over 15 forms.
Art
Magnesium, Melatonin & Zinc
Since I have been doing a significant amount of testing with melatonin, I recently tested the effectiveness of melatonin that also contains vitamin B6 as it has been mentioned on EC. In fact I recently said it was not a good form of melatonin to use for Covid-19 as the high dosages required for Covid-19 would mean you might get too much B6.
On the other hand, for the low dose of melatonin used in this sleep aid combination, I have found that the use of melatonin that has B6 in it adds to the effectiveness of this combo!
If you are deficient in B6, it can contribute to insomnia. B-6 also helps with absorption of melatonin, which is poorly absorbed, so for the above combo, a 5 mg melatonin supplement that also contains B6 is more useful to me for sleep!
Only a small change to the original combo, but more effective for me for sleep!
Here is a link to one melatonin product that contains 5 mg of melatonin plus 10 mg of vitamin B6.
When you look at the health benefits of this sleep aid combo, I am not only getting better sleep, but also improving my overall health!
Art
Melatonin Side Effects
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Melatonin in many people (myself included!) has the opposite effect. It wires me like ten cups of coffee. So, be aware it may NOT work. Don't try it for the first time if you really NEED sleep.
(Seattle)
08/21/2020
I agree with Katgirl. Melatonin taken as a supplement may make things worse.
1. Melatonin constricts blood flow, so if your circulation is 'iffy', then it could get a lot worse: (from the study "Melatonin potentiates NE-induced vasoconstriction without augmenting cytostolic calcium concentration")
2. Melatonin worsens Restless Legs Syndrome (probably because of the vasoconstriction).
3. And melatonin inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which breaks down acetylcholine. High acetylcholine levels can cause anxiety, irritability, muscle spasms, and even seizures.
I tried it for about a week...made my sleep much, much worse.
Kelly D.
Please keep in mind that the post I put up for sleep, did not pertain to melatonin by itself and by picking just melatonin out of the three supplements and vitamin D, you are taking melatonin out of context for the purpose of sleep as reported in the original study.
In the study that the post I wrote was based on, they tested the combination of melatonin, magnesium and zinc plus suggested bringing your vitamin D level into the reference range because vitamin D has an inverse relationship with sleep issues. Lower vitamin d levels correlate with increased sleep issues while higher vitamin D levels correlate with decreased sleep issues.
Of importance, this was a placebo controlled double blind study, representing a better quality study.
Regarding restless leg syndrome (RLS), the original post had nothing to do with RLS which should be treated on its own and not count on your sleep aid to resolve that health issue too!
One of the most popular remedies for RLS on EC, is magnesium, and zinc may offer benefit also. The point being that this particular combination is not the same as melatonin alone and the three supplements are synergistic with each other meaning that the combination is more effective than any of the three alone at improving sleep! Taking melatonin by itself is not at all the same as taking this combination and even if you do have RLS, the magnesium component of this sleep combination is likely to help both RLS and sleep! My own testing has shown magnesium oil (MO) to be helpful for RLS while other posters have found benefit with oral magnesium supplements.
You said melatonin constricts blood flow based on the study you mentioned, but the following human study is more precise in saying just the opposite of what you said. This is a direct quote from the following study:
'Compared with placebo, melatonin significantly increased peripheral blood flow, as measured by distal to proximal skin temperature gradient and finger pulse volume.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14671201/
This study also mentioned that melatonin has no effect on cerebral blood flow.
Again, taking melatonin out of the context of this supplement combination, is a mistake because magnesium can act as an acetylcholinesterase agonist while melatonin alone can not! This is probably one more reason why this combination did so well in the placebo controlled double blind study!
So as you can see, melatonin alone is not comparable to the three supplements used in the study to improve sleep and bringing your vitamin D level up well into the reference range is likely to also be additive in terms of sleep improvement.
Art
Melatonin, 5-HTP, GABA, L-Theanine
I am 72 and my life is very stressful. When I started having trouble sleeping, I took melatonin and 5-HTP. They helped somewhat, but I would still wake up every hour and a half and take 20 minutes to get back to sleep.
I read a very interesting article by a sleep specialist in psychology today, and he recommended gaba and L-Theanine. GABA slows down the overactive obsessive part of the brain, and revives the more calming parts of the brain.
The second night I took GABA, I realized that I had been far less stressed all day, and was waking up less often
A month or so after I starting to take GABA, I added the L-Theanine, which works much the same way as GABA. I very soon noticed that I woke up fewer times and I fell back asleep much quicker. I still take melatonin and 5-HTP, and find I need to take a nap in the day far fewer times. My life is much happier now!
John,
Long term use (months) of 5HTP may create problems for you as it will reduce dopamine and ultimately no longer work. Reducing dopamine is a bad idea. Here is a study that highlights this mid term problem with 5HTP:
It might be safer to select another sleep aid such as zinc, magnesium, valerian extract (smells bad), passionflower, lavender etc.
Art
Tart Cherry Juice
I took melatonin for years, but unfortunately had to stop tasking it becasue I was getting a very bad rash from it. I have been a very bad sleeper all my life, it takes me from 30-40 minutes to fall asleep and I usually wake up up every 2 hours or so, and have trouble falling back to sleep. I want to add I am a very active person, gym time every day and walking. I already take the magnesium at night, but without my Melatonin I became a very unhappy person, until I read an article about Tart Cherry juice,
I drink an 8oz. glass about an hour before going to bed, and it worked even better than the melatonin, I read that Tart Cherry juice actually contains melatonin......all I can say is, I have never slept better in my life, if there is a bathroom visit, there is no problem going back to sleep. I now buy the Tart Cherry Concentrate put 2tablespoons into an 8oz glass of water.
Hope it will somebody else.
Vitamin D
3 Scientifically Proven Supplements To Help You Stay Asleep
Since the study for this combination of supplements was fairly long, I imagine that many EC readers did not have time to read the whole study, so I thought I would highlight an important point shown in this study as well as other studies and meta analyses. In most of these studies it was clearly shown that there is an inverse relationship between vitamin D serum level (25 OH d) and sleep issues or to say that a little differently, as the vitamin D level declines, sleep issues increase and as 25 OH d serum level rises, sleep issues decline.
Overall, this is just one of many reasons to make sure your 25 OH d serum level is replete!
Art
