There’s nothing more frustrating than tossing and turning at night, desperate toget a good night’s sleep.
That’s where melatonin may come in handy.
Here’s why and what to do about it.
It works to help us prepare for sleep and enter those deep sleep stages," he says.
However, factors likestress1,excess light2from screens, andcaffeine3can all inhibit its production.
You’ve popped a melatonin supplement, tucked yourself in, and wait to drift off to dreamland.
There are a few reasons you might find yourself counting sheep.
Some of the most common ones include:
You have an erratic sleep-wake schedule.
You have high stress levels.
“Stress, in general, can suppress the hypothalamic sleep control center,” says Teitelbaum.
This causes those middle-of-the-night wake-ups."
You have been taking it for a while.
You are young in age.
Research has found thatmelatonin levels decline with age4.
This may help prevent you from waking up in the middle of the night.
Melatonin supplements are not suitable for people with diagnosable sleep problems.
“Sleep, as well as natural melatonin production, does well with rhythm,” says Dimitriu.
Here’s a primer onhow to get into the groove of a regular bedtime.
Eat protein before bed.
Hungry for some ideas?
Here are sleep experts’go-to nighttime nibbles.
Turn tech off at 10.
This is one of Dimitriu’s hard-set rulesand for good reason.
Try a different jot down of sleep supplement altogether.
Trya sleep-promoting complexin a multi-ingredient formula like the science-backed ingredients magnesium, jujube, PharmaGABA, and/or L-theanine.
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Ferira divulges that, “melatonin is, in fact, not my go-to sleep-centric supplement for clients.
It’s more of a last resort or personalized approach for certain individuals.
For starters, melatonin is a hormone, so tread lightly.
Secondly, there are loads of ways to optimize sleep hygiene that naturally support circadian rhythm syncing.
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