Health balance is hierarchical. Sleep is at the foundation of the hierarchy. It does not do the body much good to address specific health concerns if poor sleep is a driving factor for those concerns.
Sometimes fixing health imbalances are as simple as fixing sleep. It’s easy to jump to a pill, a detailed protocol, or flashy technology to “fix” us, but sometimes, we just need to balance out the foundational things that keep us alive - proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep.
Poor sleep quality is directly linked with myriad health issues. Epidemiologic research likes to find associations between behaviors and outcomes - x is associated with y. This can be useful in some contexts, but association does not prove causation. So when studies find that x is “directly linked” to y, it’s best we take note (1, 2).
Studies have shown that improving sleep quality leads to improvements in several health concerns, including mental health (3), academic performance (4), metabolic and cardiovascular health markers (5), insulin resistance (6), and quality of life (7).
While interventions to improve glucose regulation, mental health, and inflammation have a critical role, improving impaired sleep quality could be the thing that eliminates the concerns altogether. Its vital role should not be ignored.
You likely are not getting quality sleep if you experience any of the following:
You must cycle through each subsequent phase to achieve ideal quality sleep. Generally, this takes about 8 hrs, but it depends on how efficiently you enter each phase. The cycle progression is referred to as “sleep architecture.”
If your sleep is disrupted at any point throughout the night, the sleep cycle cannot pick back up where it left off. It has to start over from phase 1 (8). Gently waking once or twice with no issue falling back asleep does not disrupt the architecture.
Even waking to urinate will not disrupt the cycle. But if you wake to relieve your bladder more than 2 times each night, this could be a sign that you’re not getting into proper deep sleep (9).
Chamomile, hops, passionflower, and GABA offer a neuromodulating effect that helps to calm a racing mind and reduce stress and anxiety (hyperlink anxiety article for references). Thus, addressing what causes many people to have a hard time falling asleep.
Magnesium bysglycinate
Magnesium powerfully influences the nervous system towards a more calm and relaxed state. It reduces the stimulatory neurotransmitter glutamate, is an agonist (stimulates or activates) to GABA A receptors, and increases BDNF, among several other influences (10). These reactions are anti-anxiolytics and anti-depressants.
Magnesium also influences the internal stress response by reducing stress signals from the brain that causes the release of cortisol. It reduces cross-talk and activation of the HPA axis, and low magnesium levels are associated with increased sensitivity to stress (10).
In addition to these calming and anti-stress effects, magnesium also influences serotonin both by enhancing the production and receptor binding (10). Serotonin is the precursor to melatonin (11). We need melatonin levels to be high at night, and cortisol should be low. In the morning, this pattern is flipped. The sleep-enhancing effects of magnesium are multifaceted.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is an herbal sleep remedy that’s been used for thousands of years. This herb has mostly been researched for its anxiety and calming effects (12, 13). Both of these factors can disrupt sleep, and lemon balm showed improvements in both areas in these studies. One study found a 42% reduction in anxiety-related insomnia with lemon balm (13).
It also demonstrates sedative effects as it decreases alertness and cognitive performance (14), making it an excellent herb for sleep support.
Valerian Root
Another ancient remedy for sleep. Valerian tea has been used for centuries for its sedative effects. It also possesses anti-anxiety effects as well via its impact on GABA (15).
A meta-analysis found that valerian subjectively improves insomnia (16). Another study employed sleep trackers and found that it reduced time to fall asleep (17). It also showed improvements in post-menopausal insomnia and symptoms in women (18).
L-Tryptophan
Tryptophan is the amino acid that serotonin is made of. As mentioned above, serotonin is the precursor molecule to melatonin. Studies have shown that supplementing with tryptophan before bed reduces the number of wake events after sleep onset (19), demonstrating improvements to sleep quality and sleep architecture.
Magnesium enhances the conversion of L-tryptophan to serotonin. Supplementing with these two essential nutrients effectively improves the body’s natural ability to regulate healthful sleep processes.
Melatonin
Many people use melatonin to help with sleep, and its use and efficacy for sleep have become a rather controversial topic in recent years. Despite the controversies, melatonin supplementation between 300mcg and 5mg has been shown to improve several sleep parameters, including time to sleep, duration, and quality (20).
Here’s the scoop on melatonin. It is the neurohormone that’s in charge of the circadian rhythm. It’s secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and by several other organs of the body, and by mitochondria (21, 22). It regulates sleep and wakefulness, plays important roles in many metabolic processes, and demonstrates mild antioxidant effects (23).
Because of its widespread implications in the body, some have argued that supplemental melatonin likely isn’t influencing the brain and circadian rhythm. Instead, it might be having systemic effects on the body that, in turn, allows for better sleep.
Even so, high-quality data show that melatonin supplementation improves sleep (20). Given the very low risk of side effects at low doses, the exact mechanism of action is likely irrelevant. Some argue that we should not supplement with compounds our body makes on its own. It’s worth noting that breast milk contains high levels of melatonin at night with undetectable levels during the day (22).
Just as with any supplement, they are not meant to be a crutch. They are what their name implies - they should supplement times in our lives when our biology could use an extra boost. Melatonin is one such supplement that’s best used when needed as opposed to chronically.
Sometimes fixing health imbalances are as simple as fixing sleep. It’s easy to jump to a pill, a detailed protocol, or flashy technology to “fix” us, but sometimes, we just need to balance out the foundational things that keep us alive - proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep.
Poor sleep quality is directly linked with myriad health issues. Epidemiologic research likes to find associations between behaviors and outcomes - x is associated with y. This can be useful in some contexts, but association does not prove causation. So when studies find that x is “directly linked” to y, it’s best we take note (1, 2).
Studies have shown that improving sleep quality leads to improvements in several health concerns, including mental health (3), academic performance (4), metabolic and cardiovascular health markers (5), insulin resistance (6), and quality of life (7).
While interventions to improve glucose regulation, mental health, and inflammation have a critical role, improving impaired sleep quality could be the thing that eliminates the concerns altogether. Its vital role should not be ignored.
You likely are not getting quality sleep if you experience any of the following:
- You do not wake feeling rested or struggle to get out of bed due to tiredness.
- You need stimulants like coffee to get going in the morning.
- You feel exhausted throughout the day.
- Mild physical activity wears you out more than it seems it should.
- You snore.
- You wake more than twice to urinate throughout the night.
- You wake with drool on your pillow.
- You’re a mouth breather or have trouble breathing through your nose.
- You have issues falling asleep, staying asleep, or falling back asleep after waking during the night.
- You wake up at the same time each night.
- You get less than 7hr of sleep.
- You get less than 2hr of natural sunlight exposure and/or have bright lights on after sunset.
What is “Quality” Sleep?
Quality matters more than quantity when it comes to sleep. You progress through multiple phases of sleep each night:- 4 REM cycles (rapid eye movement)
- 4 non-REM or deep-sleep cycles
- Light sleep in between
You must cycle through each subsequent phase to achieve ideal quality sleep. Generally, this takes about 8 hrs, but it depends on how efficiently you enter each phase. The cycle progression is referred to as “sleep architecture.”
If your sleep is disrupted at any point throughout the night, the sleep cycle cannot pick back up where it left off. It has to start over from phase 1 (8). Gently waking once or twice with no issue falling back asleep does not disrupt the architecture.
Even waking to urinate will not disrupt the cycle. But if you wake to relieve your bladder more than 2 times each night, this could be a sign that you’re not getting into proper deep sleep (9).
Tools to Improve Sleep Quality
Sleep IQ is designed to help the body relax and support healthy sleep architecture. Formulated with many of the same ingredients as Anxiety IQ, these herbs support the nervous system by regulating GABA (Learn about GABAs role in regulating the nervous system - link to Anxiety article).Chamomile, hops, passionflower, and GABA offer a neuromodulating effect that helps to calm a racing mind and reduce stress and anxiety (hyperlink anxiety article for references). Thus, addressing what causes many people to have a hard time falling asleep.
Magnesium bysglycinate
Magnesium powerfully influences the nervous system towards a more calm and relaxed state. It reduces the stimulatory neurotransmitter glutamate, is an agonist (stimulates or activates) to GABA A receptors, and increases BDNF, among several other influences (10). These reactions are anti-anxiolytics and anti-depressants.
Magnesium also influences the internal stress response by reducing stress signals from the brain that causes the release of cortisol. It reduces cross-talk and activation of the HPA axis, and low magnesium levels are associated with increased sensitivity to stress (10).
In addition to these calming and anti-stress effects, magnesium also influences serotonin both by enhancing the production and receptor binding (10). Serotonin is the precursor to melatonin (11). We need melatonin levels to be high at night, and cortisol should be low. In the morning, this pattern is flipped. The sleep-enhancing effects of magnesium are multifaceted.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is an herbal sleep remedy that’s been used for thousands of years. This herb has mostly been researched for its anxiety and calming effects (12, 13). Both of these factors can disrupt sleep, and lemon balm showed improvements in both areas in these studies. One study found a 42% reduction in anxiety-related insomnia with lemon balm (13).
It also demonstrates sedative effects as it decreases alertness and cognitive performance (14), making it an excellent herb for sleep support.
Valerian Root
Another ancient remedy for sleep. Valerian tea has been used for centuries for its sedative effects. It also possesses anti-anxiety effects as well via its impact on GABA (15).
A meta-analysis found that valerian subjectively improves insomnia (16). Another study employed sleep trackers and found that it reduced time to fall asleep (17). It also showed improvements in post-menopausal insomnia and symptoms in women (18).
L-Tryptophan
Tryptophan is the amino acid that serotonin is made of. As mentioned above, serotonin is the precursor molecule to melatonin. Studies have shown that supplementing with tryptophan before bed reduces the number of wake events after sleep onset (19), demonstrating improvements to sleep quality and sleep architecture.
Magnesium enhances the conversion of L-tryptophan to serotonin. Supplementing with these two essential nutrients effectively improves the body’s natural ability to regulate healthful sleep processes.
Melatonin
Many people use melatonin to help with sleep, and its use and efficacy for sleep have become a rather controversial topic in recent years. Despite the controversies, melatonin supplementation between 300mcg and 5mg has been shown to improve several sleep parameters, including time to sleep, duration, and quality (20).
Here’s the scoop on melatonin. It is the neurohormone that’s in charge of the circadian rhythm. It’s secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and by several other organs of the body, and by mitochondria (21, 22). It regulates sleep and wakefulness, plays important roles in many metabolic processes, and demonstrates mild antioxidant effects (23).
Because of its widespread implications in the body, some have argued that supplemental melatonin likely isn’t influencing the brain and circadian rhythm. Instead, it might be having systemic effects on the body that, in turn, allows for better sleep.
Even so, high-quality data show that melatonin supplementation improves sleep (20). Given the very low risk of side effects at low doses, the exact mechanism of action is likely irrelevant. Some argue that we should not supplement with compounds our body makes on its own. It’s worth noting that breast milk contains high levels of melatonin at night with undetectable levels during the day (22).
Just as with any supplement, they are not meant to be a crutch. They are what their name implies - they should supplement times in our lives when our biology could use an extra boost. Melatonin is one such supplement that’s best used when needed as opposed to chronically.
When to Use Sleep Support
The ingredients in Sleep IQ were chosen to support healthy circadian biology and to support the body in times of stress. While our bodies are capable of regulating these systems on their own. Our modern lifestyles and nutrition can disrupt this balance. Supplements are a great tool for supporting these systems when life wears us down or gets too busy.Healthy sleep hygiene habits and behaviors that modulate and support circadian biology:
- Get morning and evening sunlight exposure to support natural melatonin production.
- Exercise each day to help your body burn off additional energy.
- Keep lights dim and warm in the evenings.
- Avoid stressful stimuli, like the news, violent shows/movies, or work-related projects before bed.
- Take a warm shower or bath before bed to help you relax and wind down.
