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The 3 Best Supplements to Help You Sleep Better on Night Shift

You may have noticed by looking at our products that we prefer to use natural methods to sleep better, rather than sleeping pills, however there are some natural supplements known to help with sleep. 

Even though there are only 3 on the list, a lot of time went into researching this and working out what the best 3 really are.

I really do think they will help you sleep better. I personally use all 3 of them and find they make a noticeable difference to my sleep and mood while working night shift. 

You should be able to buy these supplements at most health stores or online. The website I order mine from is iHerb.

I order from them because they have the biggest selection of supplements in the world and are very cheap. They are international but orders arrive very quickly to Australia (Around 5 days usually I find).

You can use any of the links on this page to get a further 5% off your order.

Click here to visit iHerb.com →

Make sure you check the laws in your country and state before buying each of these supplements. Make sure you seek medical advice and check the proper doses, side effects and allergies and what you shouldn’t take them in conjunction with before taking them. This eBook is not medical advice, do not listen to me, make your own decisions.

Anyway, lets get on with the list...

Melatonin

Melatonin is the main supplement I use if I am really struggling to sleep or really need a long deep sleep. I find it very effective at getting me to sleep, and helping me stay asleep.

It also doesn't make you drowsy like Restivate and the other over the counter sleeping tablets. I also find you get a real proper sleep, so you wake up refreshed not drowsy or feeling like you had an artificial sleep.

I don't take it every night as I don't want to build up a tolerance. I'm not sure if its actually possible to build up tolerance to it but I only take it when I need it just in case. 

You have probably heard about melatonin and it's role in sleep, but just in case you haven't here is a quick excerpt from webmd.com:

“Melatonin's main job in the body is to regulate night and day cycles or sleep-wake cycles. Darkness causes the body to produce more melatonin, which signals the body to prepare for sleep. Light decreases melatonin production and signals the body to prepare for being awake. Some people who have trouble sleeping have low levels of melatonin. It is thought that adding melatonin from supplements might help them sleep.

Some people take melatonin by mouth to adjust the body's internal clock. It is used for jet lag, for adjusting sleep-wake cycles in people whose daily work schedule changes (shift-work disorder), and for helping blind people establish a day and night cycle.”

At the time of writing this you can order it for under AU$5 a bottle on iHerb, I’ve linked it below. 

Click here to view Melatonin →

Serotonin 

Now as a bonus tip and thought on this subject, I have a bit of a theory which is not scientific at all and I do not want this to be considered advice or facts but bear with me anyway.

So, we already talked about how supplementing melatonin can help induce sleep as melatonin is the sleep hormone.

And we also talked about how your body produces melatonin when it is dark.

What we haven't talked about, but something that I learned in my research, is that when it is dark melatonin is actually converted from serotonin, and when it is light, your body converts the melatonin back into serotonin which wakes you up. 

So, here goes my unscientific conclusion and tip. Hopefully you can already see where I am going with this and I’m not crazy. 

When you wake up for night shift and it is dark, I would draw the conclusion that your body does not convert enough melatonin to serotonin, leaving you a little deficient. 

Now, if you don’t already know, serotonin is known to be the “feel good” chemical in our brain. It’s the chemical that cocaine makes your body produce in way higher than normal amounts. 

This possibly explains how we always feel less happy and more tired on night shift than on day shift, even with the same amount of sleep.

So what can we do about it? We can’t supplement serotonin as I don’t think it exists. However, there are supplements you can use to increase your serotonin levels instead.

My theory is that if you are deficient in serotonin on night shift, this supplement should help with that, which should put you in a better mood while you work night shifts. 

L-Tryptophan

From Wikipedia:

“Tryptophan is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is essential in humans, meaning the body cannot synthesize it: it must be obtained from the diet. Tryptophan is also a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin, the hormone melatonin and vitamin B3.

Because tryptophan is converted into 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) which is then converted into the neurotransmitter serotonin, it has been proposed that consumption of tryptophan or 5-HTP may improve depression symptoms by increasing the level of serotonin in the brain. There is evidence that blood tryptophan levels are unlikely to be altered by changing the diet, but consuming purified tryptophan increases the serotonin level in the brain, whereas eating foods containing tryptophan does not.”

You can order it here:

Click here to view L-Tryptophan →

Magnesium

You may have already heard that magnesium can aid with sleep, and that being deficient can cause you to have trouble sleeping, and it's true. 

Magnesium regulates the parasympathetic nervous system which gets you calm and relaxed. It also regulates melatonin and binds to the GABA receptors which are responsible for quieting down nerve activity. 

If you are deficient you may have trouble quietening down this activity and have trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep.   

Older people have less magnesium in their diet and are at a higher risk of being deficient. 

If you want to order some magnesium just in case you are deficient, here's the link:

Click here to view Magnesium →

Conclusion

There are 3 natural ways supplements can help with your sleep. And whether you buy them in the stores or online they should be easy to find and very affordable. 

Melatonin is the sleep hormone and should help you get into a sleep state even when it is light.

Adding L-Tryptophan to your diet can increase serotonin production which may be low while working at night, which should increase your mood. 

Magnesium relaxes your nerves and regulates melatonin production. People who are deficient may have trouble sleeping. 

Here is a link to a cart containing all 3 of these supplements:

Click here to view all 3 →

If you are a side sleeper you may also way to check out out sleep mask.

We think we have developed the best sleep mask for side sleepers.

 

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