How To Sleep Better Using Nutrition

Sleep is essential for maintaining good mental and physical health, allowing the body to rest and recharge leaving individuals fresh and alert. However, our modern lifestyles have meant not everyone is getting sufficient or quality kip.

For this reason, Viridian is highlighting the importance of nutrition to support healthy sleep.

In a 2022 study, researchers found that tart cherry intake during the day helped with regulating the sleep-wake cycle¹. Another ingredient glycine could help with falling asleep by cooling the core body temperature. Sleep deprived individuals who were given 3 grams of glycine before bed in a study showed improved sleep and cognitive function². Clinical studies have also investigated the positive effects of red date extract in influencing sleep³.

A lack of magnesium can also be a significant contributing factor. Magnesium deficiency has been shown to result in low levels of the hormone melatonin, which is the hormone needed for sleep. Increasing magnesium intake in the body has been shown to improve restorative sleep⁴.

Magnesium is found in many plant-based foods, including spices, nuts, cereals, cocoa and green leafy vegetables such as spinach. Taking a magnesium supplement could help fill any nutritional shortfalls.

Aimee Benbow, Director of Nutrition at Viridian, said: “Poor quality sleep can impact every aspect of our daily lives, and the results of our survey has shown a vast amount of people are experiencing lack of energy and broken sleep. This can impact on quality of life, coping mechanisms and overall happiness. Continued broken sleep can affect us greatly.

“Viridian is highlighting the importance of nutrition to support healthy sleep. There have been numerous studies into natural ingredients for aiding sleep, the key ones being sour cherries, glycine and red date. Magnesium can also bring significant nutritional value, but many don’t recognise the huge impact it can make. In fact, over half of people in our survey had no idea the role this mineral plays in our health.

“As well as poor sleep, low magnesium status has been linked to low mood, fatigue, stress and hormonal imbalance. It can be confusing to find the right diet and supplementation so we recommend people head to their local independent health store to get advice on the nutrients that can help with natural sleep. The trained experts can help people navigate a wide variety of magnesium and other supplements, guiding to those which are effective, ethical and pure.”

Viridian is at the forefront of nutritional education via specialist health stores and is rolling out an awareness campaign by naming magnesium its Ingredient of the Year 2022 to alert the general population, including young adults of the pitfalls of magnesium deficiency.

About the survey:

• The survey was carried out on 2,041 people aged 18-99
• The key findings from the survey include:

– Only 5% of us sleep well all of time.

– Half of those survey are suffering with lack of energy (50%) – with females experiencing slightly less energy than men – highest age range for lack of energy 25–34-year-olds.

– 45% sleep badly most/every night, with stress being one of the main reasons.

– Although 53% take supplements and minerals on a regular basis, 47% don’t – including 51% who don’t know the role magnesium has in maintaining and regulating our health, including energy levels, sleep and hormone regulation.

References:

1. Kimble R, Keane KM, Lodge JK, Cheung W, Haskell-Ramsay CF, Howatson G. Polyphenol-rich tart cherries (Prunus Cerasus, cv?Montmorency) improve sustained attention, feelings of alertness and mental fatigue and influence the plasma metabolome in middle-aged adults: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Br J Nutr. 2022 Feb 3:1-31.
2. Bannai M, Kawai N, Ono K, Nakahara K, Murakami N. The effects of glycine on subjective daytime performance in partially sleep-restricted healthy volunteers. Front Neurol. 2012 Apr 18;3:61.
3. Shergis JL, Ni X, Sarris J, Zhang AL, Guo X, Xue CC, Lu C, Hugel H. Ziziphus spinosa seeds for insomnia: A review of chemistry and psychopharmacology. Phytomedicine. 2017 Oct 15;34:38-43.
4. Abbasi B, Kimiagar M, Sadeghniiat K, Shirazi MM, Hedayati M, Rashidkhani B. The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Res Med Sci. 2012 Dec;17(12):1161-9.

The information contained in this article is not intended to treat, diagnose or replace the advice of a health practitioner. Please consult a qualified health practitioner if you have a pre-existing health condition or are currently taking medication. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet.

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Author: Viridian Nutrition