Posted by Lao Tzu on September 29, 2010, at 16:41:47
In reply to good solutions for sleep?, posted by Christ_empowered on September 26, 2010, at 18:07:20
Especially important are magnesium and calcium. Try not to use magnesium oxide or calcium carbonate. I feel these are inferior to other chelated forms. That means try using something like Magnesium citrate or glycinate and a chelated form of calcium.
Some people say Valerian is helpful for sleep. Doesn't work for me, though. Passionflower may help as part of a cocktail. There are some herbs out there that are good for sleep. I think Ashwaghanda is one. For me, the melatonin and Calcium/Magnesium work the best. Melatonin by itself may work for awhile as it did for me. Then later it may not work as well, so you might have to add Calcium and Magnesium. The thing about calcium and magnesium is you have to experiment a little to find the dosage that helps you maintain a good night's rest.. For me, the magic number is 500mg of each. It could be less or more for you. Some sources recommend just using Magnesium for sleep, but I find adding calcium helps even more. For me, a 1:1 ratio works the best.
If you have deficiencies in some of the B vitamins, they may help with sleep as well. I find that B6 and B1 can help with sleep in my case. I used to take Niacin sustained-release at bedtime, but no longer. It's possible that adding a little Niacin may help with sleep, but I don't know for sure. Sometimes, B vitamins are too energizing and can interfere with sleep if taken too late in the day. Everyone's different. I probably would stick with melatonin and Calcium/Magnesium and maybe add an herb like Passionflower or Ashwaghanda if you need it.
Lao
poster:Lao Tzu
thread:963892
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20100812/msgs/964229.html