by Tony Gjokaj March 31, 2020 3 min read

Lately, sleep is one of the most common searches on Google today: people want and need more of it. It's understandable, many of us are constantly working and doing things, putting sleep low on the priority list.

There's not enough time in the day to optimize sleep.

One option is supplementation, with the intention to eliminate sleep deprivation or improve sleep quality.

In this article, we are going to go over four powerful supplements that have been shown to promote or improve sleep and sleep quality.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted in our brains that regulates our sleep: this means we produce it! It is secreted when we encounter COMPLETE darkness in the evenings, which tells our body that it's time to go to sleep.

Supplementing with melatonin has been shown to benefit people who are encountering stress-induced anxiety, insomnia and more. Here are some few of the following benefits:

  • Reduces Insomnia. According to a double blind study, melatonin has been shown to improve sleep quality and morning alertness in insomnia patients.
  • Reduces Jet Lag symptoms. Melatonin has been shown to be great for handling jet lag, especially since our bodily rhythms change when experiencing a new time zone.
Typically, 0.5mg is a good place to start! If that does not work, work up to 1mg to 5mg. Most people encounter melatonin's benefits within 1mg.

    L-Glycine

    Glycine is an amino acid and nootropic that helps assist in sleep and human body health. When it comes to body health, it helps maintain strength in your muscles/bones, improves metabolic function and more.

    While our body typically produces it, supplementing with glycine has been shown to improve sleep quality, which also indirectly improves cognition.

    L-Glycine has a few of the following benefits:

    • Improves Cognition. Glycine has been shown to improve cognition in individuals with poor sleep, which negatively impacts cognition.
    • Reduces Fatigue. As Glycine improves sleep quality, it has been shown to secondarily reduce fatigue overtime.
    • Elevates Serotonin. Glycine helps improve serotonin, which is required to produce melatonin. 
    • Improves Sleep Quality. According to a double blind study, Glycine supplemented before bed has improved sleep quality by reducing time to fall asleep.

    Supplementing with 0.5g-3g of additional Glycine tends to show great effects when it comes to sleep quality. Combined with supplements with Magnesium Glycinate, you may experience synergistic benefits with it.

      Magnesium

      Magnesium is an essential mineral that is found in nuts & leafy vegetables. It has been shown to assist in improving sleep quality, reduce blood pressure, and more.

      Magnesium deficiencies are the second most common deficiency in the United States: this is because our diets are lacking nuts & vegetables that provide us magnesium.

      According to a sleep quality study, magnesium has been shown to improve sleep quality in individuals who are deficient in the mineral to begin with.

      L-Theanine

      L-Theanine is an amino acid & nootropic that's typically found in teas like green tea. It is typically not found in everyday diets, making it a great amino acid to supplement with!

      While L-Theanine is typically used synergistically with Caffeine, it is a great supplement to use before bed due to it promoting relaxation.

      Here are a few benefits of L-Theanine:

      • Promotes Relaxation. In various studies, L-Theanine has been shown to promote a calming effect.
      • Reduces Anxiety. As previously mentioned, as L-Theanine promotes relaxation and calmness, L-Theanine has a possible correlation in reducing anxiety.
      • Improves Sleep Quality. In a double blind study with patients with ADHD, L-Theanine promoted quality of sleep by reducing time to fall asleep.

      Drift Away

      With our sleep reinforcer, Drift, on the way... we wanted to give you the components of the supplements so that you can understand more about them and their synergistic benefits.

      While some components may seem unconventional to other sleep supplements, diving into the research, we found that these components are truly the powerhouses of sleep supplements.

      Lastly, understand this: supplements augment who you are. You need to work on improving your sleep for these supplements to actually give you the benefit you are looking for. This means we challenge you to prioritize your sleep before supplementing for it!

      Any questions, comments or insights? Throw them below and let's discuss!

      Until next time Reforged Legion, stand strong!

      Tony Gjokaj
      Tony Gjokaj

      Tony is the Owner of Reforged. He is a PN1 Certified Nutrition Coach and has been in the fitness space for over a decade. His goal is to help millions exercise their way out of depression and anxiety.



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