10 Nutrients That Support A Good Sleeping Cycle

How does our diet affect our ability to sleep properly?

Supporting a good sleep cycle is not an easy thing to do. In America, 70% of adults report that they obtain insufficient sleep at least one night a month, and 11% report insufficient sleep every nigh, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association. A chronic sleep deprivation problem is one of the Four Ways That Our Lifestyle Affects Our Immune System. 

As a result of the modern "conveniences" provided in today's world...

1. We have the freedom to eat more unhealthy foods, especially with food delivery apps and options at our fingertips.

2. We tend to be stressed out more by life, whether it is about finances, work, or the COVID-19 pandemic. Sometimes we can't even distinguish between fake news and real news, because the fears and stresses of life have hit our ability to think critically.

3. And unfortunately, that does interfere with how well we sleep, especially with regards to the biochemical signalling patterns in our body.

Bearing that in mind, here are 10 nutrients that can help to support our body's cells in operating at high levels, which can then help to promote a proper circadian rhythm for one to obtain a more restful sleep.

 1. There are at least 4 nutrients that support the function of the nuclear respiratory factor 2 (nrf2) pathway in the body, which stimulates the cells in our body to produce glutathione from within the cell. Glutathione acts as an antioxidant to protect the body from oxidative stress. Nutrients in this list include resveratrol, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and quercetin.  These nutrients are able to support the cellular neutralisation of reactive oxygen species, which can then bring down the intensity of the inflammatory signalling from the immune system.

2.  Omega-3 fatty acids, namely eicospentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) aid in reducing the activity of the pro-inflammatory nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. NF-κB is the major pathway that regulates the intensity of the inflammation signal in the body. The nrf2 pathway helps to balance out any overshoot that is coming from NF-κB, and these two pathways are in a constant tug-of-war battle for maintaining the inflammatory signal. DHA and EPA can also contribute to the synthesis of anti-inflammatory mediators such as Resolvin D1 that enhances cell phagocytosis and aid in anti-inflammatory signalling. 

3. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is a necessary cofactor for supporting the activity of the glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) enzyme. We consume glutamate in our diets as an amino acid in various proteins, and we also do find it in the popular flavouring ingredient monosodium glutamate. The GAD enzyme converts glutamate to gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA). Glutamate and GABA thus function together in a balancing act. Glutamate excites the brain, while GABA is inhibitory. We want higher levels of glutamate than GABA in our brain when we're awake, but we want more GABA than glutamate when we're about to go to bed.

4. Magnesium is a relaxant - we do need to be in a relaxed state to sleep better. Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night knowing that one of your leg muscles was going to cramp up? I have - and that's how I know my diet was deficient in magnesium at that time too!

5. Withanolides from the ashwagandha herb are being used nowadays for calming and stress relief purposes. These compounds are also able to promote relaxation and a more restful sleep cycle.

6. In Sleep, Cognition And The Accelerated Onset Of Neurodegeneration, I also do touch on the role of melatonin in promoting sleep. Melatonin (or its precursor L-tryptophan, another amino acid) is an important regulator of our sleep cycle, and we also ought to ensure that the melatonin production process is working properly. I discuss inflammation and how that can cause issues with melatonin production, which can be balanced out by nrf2 supporters and sufficient omega-3 fatty acid consumption too.

One can find these 10 nutrients in Dr J's product recommendations for a

Do click on that link to find out more!

As a bonus, it also does support our immune system function, though one can aim instead for

But they do go hand-in-hand, that is for sure.

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