Supplements to aid insomnia

[RottenWillow]

I've tried melatonin, its good for 3 hours or so. But I've also heard that magnesium is effective but have no experience with it at all. My training is suffering mightily. This girl's gotta get her sleep in.

Apart from OTC drugs what supplements do you guys recommend for insomnia?

 

[Ceebs]

Valerian or Gotu Kola. Solaray is a good brand.

5-HTP apparently works too for sleep, 200-300 milligrams on an empty stomach before bed, but I didn't find it to have that effect. Just made me happier and not crave things.

 

[RottenWillow]

Valerian or Gotu Kola. Solaray is a good brand.

5-HTP apparently works too for sleep, 200-300 milligrams on an empty stomach before bed, but I didn't find it to have that effect. Just made me happier and not crave things.

Thanks for the quick service Ceebs.
Valerian Root I've tried with no effect at all, but Gotu Kola is a new one on me. I'll check that one out.

Anyone else heard anything about magnesium?

 

[Ceebs]

I can't remember why I started taking Gotu Kola, actually - I think I may have read it was good for the adrenals. If I take a couple grams of it before bed - 4 pills of the Solaray brand - it makes me verrry relaxed.

Isn't ZMA (zinc, magnesium, and B6) supposed to help you sleep, too?

 

[lucidblue]

Try ZMA (which has magnesium) and take melatonin with it. I use Beverly ZMA.

http://www.dpsnutrition.net/product_information.asp?number=BV022&back=yes&dept=1425&last=1425

For the past several months I've had a lot of trouble sleeping. On days when I lift I take ZMA and melatonin before I go to bed. The other nights I take Valerian Root.

 

[RottenWillow]

Thanks ladies for the links. I'll look into Gotu and ZMA.


Ceebs, LB, do you think that frequent, intense training may actually increase insomnia in some people? I've noticed that I actually sleep more poorly when I am training regularly which I admit seems counter intuitive.

 

[Ceebs]

Ceebs, LB, do you think that frequent, intense training may actually increase insomnia in some people?

Without a doubt. Frequent intense training will engender lots of cortisol being released, which will make it hard for you to rest up.

And it's a vicious circle, too, because the less rested you are, the more cortisol you have floating around, which in turn will prevent you from resting, which in turn will increase cortisol...

 

[Seashell]

Wow, I have the total opposite problem.

I can fall asleep in about 2 minutes, anywhere, anytime. Getting UP is the hard part for me.

 

[Ceebs]

Trade ya, Seashell?

I had mono last year, and I loved falling asleep the instant my head hit the pillow. 16 hour marathon naps.

 

[lucidblue]

I have trouble sleeping the nights I don't go to the gym. I had a really upsetting couple of months in the spring and I would kill myself at the gym so that I could sleep at night.

Half my problem is that I'm a night person and I am more productive at night. I have no interest in going to bed before 1am and could really stay up until 2 or 3.. but I try to force myself to go to bed by midnight.

I might mention that if I want to nap during the day, I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.