Hey guys I have started taking some magnesium (from magnesium citrate) before bed in an effort to help me get to sleep easier, and sleep better. But so far (taking it for a week) I don’t think that it has helped me sleep at all. I’ve tried taking up to 300mg around bed time and I’ve had no effect. How much would I need for the so called benefits?
N.B. I’m also taking zinc around bed time and this has helped me dream better, but I still don’t have such an easy time getting to sleep in the first place.
I’ve been taking 500mg near bedtime, and it’s helped me sleep better.
If you want help falling asleep easier, try melatonin. Get the 1g size, and try one the first night, about 20 minutes before going to bed. If that doesn’t work, add another the next night. Play with the dosage up to about 5mg.
Too much melatonin makes me have trouble waking up (I stay groggy and dreamy), but if I get it just right, it helps me sleep better. I rarely have to use it though.
[quote]deadman1206 wrote:
Hey guys I have started taking some magnesium (from magnesium citrate) before bed in an effort to help me get to sleep easier, and sleep better. [/quote]
As for helping you fall asleep, magnesium probably isn’t going to help much there. I’ve struggled with sleep issues my whole life and have probably tired everything under the sun to help with it. The things I’ve found to work best in this regard are:
Be consistent. I don’t know how old you are, but if you are staying up all night on the weekends consuming tons of alcohol and having tons of sex, trying to be out by 10pm on the weeknights probably isn’t going to work so well. By the time you start to get back into a rhythm, it’s Friday night and you are doing to be up until dawn and then sleep most of the day. This is rough for most people to not do, especially in their early 20s, but if it’s important you do what you must.
Do something every night before bed that is relaxing and helps you chill out and get ready to sleep. Light reading does well. Something not too though provoking. I’d sometimes read Carl Sagan before bed and end up tossing and turning all night while contemplating the origins of the universe. That’s not so good. If you can find something that puts your brain in hibernate, that’s a good choice. Hell, find something that bores the shit out of you and read it for 5 minutes. You’ll be asleep before you know it. Again, it doesn’t have to be reading though. Some people stretch, mediate, or go for a walk.
There are some supplements that do help you relax and get to sleep. Melatonin is a good one. Try a sublingual or time release form, those tend to be the best. GABA also works great. I mix about 3g with some juice just before bed and find it really mellows me out. Some people have good results with 5-htp too, but it didn’t do much for me.
Best of luck with the sleep. Believe me, I appreciate what it’s like to not be able to get to sleep when you want.
What is it with Americans and Sleep issues?
Honestly, there are virtually NO Sleep issues with the Euros, East Indians,
The Chinese, Polynesians,Jamaicans, Brazilians, etc. in comparison to here…WTF Man?
The foundation of this problem is swept under the rug via fierce denial of what our
culture is, and what it’s becoming in our worship and sustainment of the so-called
‘almighty dollar’, and keeping our heads above water workin’ our asses off all our
lives just for the BASICS of life.
Stress…that’s what it is of course…oh yes america has “stuff”, and better “stuff”,
but at what cost? Health, and major sleep issues being a HUGE part of it, and no
Magnesium, Melatonin, and no riding on the Wings of “Lunesta” is gonna take of it in the long term.
Solution? Fuckifino, we’re in this Matrix, as for me I make decent coin as an INDEPENDENT internet
middleman in sales and I barely finished Hi Skool (lol), so I sleep like a Bear in wintertime
and I suspect the ONLY reason for american’s sleep issues is due to the uniquely
american ‘stressors’…Workin’ for sombody else barely makin’ it, pissing in a
cup for them on a regular basis…in other words, not being financially FREE in a supposed “free”
country, which is the primary cause of Martial/Family problems, which trancendently
are the MAIN cause of North American Sleep issues…Magnesium?? REALLY??
Look in the mirror Pal, the one person you cannot lie to is yourself, if an idiot
like me can do whatever the hell I want because persistence trumps intelligence
every single time, you can too, thereby possibly curing your sleep issues forever.
Don’t let anybody bullshit you telling you it’s ‘body chemistry’ either, only
TV commercials and Doctors give you that line to sell you worthless crap.
Americans are wired to go-go-go. Wake up super early, rush to work, rush to pick up kids, rush to get home. Are stressed out time wise and financially, don’t exercise enough and don’t eat well. This is all a recipe for poor sleep habits.
add on that which I’m guilty of is watching TV late or on the computer, though I tend to get enough sleep and quality sleep
believe me we europians have trouble sleeping too,as ketosis says i think being consistant is the best, and cut back on the caffein sound simple but works fo me.sleep well
That’s exactly it, it’s a VERY unhealthy rush rush society here, and it’s weakening us
slowly but surely.
But you gotta work “hard” Son, it’s the american way!
No matter one’s “hard” work, the hard truth is your Managers and CEO’s rarely notice it, and treat
one like absolute SHIT and in a bad economy they have the upper hand on you because
you need the job and they know it.
No wonder people can’t get to sleep in the america… but we are great because we
have more “stuff” right?..gimme a break.
There ya go, the root of the sleep problem in the last few posts, good luck with
the Magnesium…or whatever.
[quote]Karado wrote:
That’s exactly it, it’s a VERY unhealthy rush rush society here, and it’s weakening us
slowly but surely.
But you gotta work “hard” Son, it’s the american way!
No matter one’s “hard” work, the hard truth is your Managers and CEO’s rarely notice it, and treat
one like absolute SHIT and in a bad economy they have the upper hand on you because
you need the job and they know it.
No wonder people can’t get to sleep in the america… but we are great because we
have more “stuff” right?..gimme a break.
There ya go, the root of the sleep problem in the last few posts, good luck with
the Magnesium…or whatever.[/quote]
Give us a break already. I work hard and sleep just fine. Start your own thread in PWI.
[quote]deadman1206 wrote:
Hey guys I have started taking some magnesium (from magnesium citrate) before bed in an effort to help me get to sleep easier, and sleep better. But so far (taking it for a week) I don’t think that it has helped me sleep at all. I’ve tried taking up to 300mg around bed time and I’ve had no effect. How much would I need for the so called benefits?
N.B. I’m also taking zinc around bed time and this has helped me dream better, but I still don’t have such an easy time getting to sleep in the first place.[/quote]
At least as much calcium as magnesium, but not more than twice as much. If 500 mg mag, then 500-1000 mg cal; if 1000 mg cal, then 500-1000 mg mag. They have opposite effects - cal constricting muscle, mag relaxing it - so have cal morning and afternoon, mag at night.
If you have been deficient in mag long-term, it may take a few weeks for your stores to build up.
Healthy sleep:
go dim one hour before bed
in bed before midnight
sleep in darkness and quiet (sleep mask helpful)
don’t get up until after dawn
Also, get bright BLUE light (sky works best) in the morning, to shut off melatonin, to start acquiring sleep debt, so you can be sleepy by bedtime. AVOID blue light (includes TV and computer) before bed.