It's that time of year again: Daylight Savings Time. While many people love the extra daylight that comes with this time of year, it can definitely throw off your sleep cycle.¹ Here are a few simple tips to help promote a good night’s rest and to feel less drowsy during the day:

 

1. Spend more time outside.

Natural daylight is a key factor in our circadian rhythm. When we spend time outside during the day, it helps our body to produce melatonin at night – the sleep-promoting hormone that plays a key role in a good night's sleep.² 

 

2. Cut the bedtime snack.

This tip may not sound fun, but avoiding that last snack of the day helps your body focus on sleeping instead of working hard on digestion. Researchers suggest eating your last meal or snack 3 hours before bedtime.³

 

3. Dim the lights. 

We know to avoid screens one hour before bedtime, but did you know any kind of nighttime light exposure may impact your sleep? Being exposed to bright lighting before bedtime can negatively affect transitions between sleep cycles, reducing your overall sleep quality.⁴ Use minimal lighting in the hour leading up to bedtime by dimming the lights or reducing the number of lights used.

4. Take a natural sleep aid supplement.

Your body requires magnesium for up to 80% of its functions — and sleep is one.⁵ Magnesium plays a big role in stress relief⁶ and aids in the relaxation of muscles, helping to promote a good night’s rest.⁷

 

Magnesium for Sleep

Magnesium is a natural sleep aid; supplementing with magnesium may help you fall asleep faster and have longer, more satisfying sleep.⁸

 A recent study found that participants who took food supplements containing magnesium had significantly better sleep scores than the placebo group.⁹ They also exhibited considerable improvements in ease of falling asleep, quality of sleep, and alertness the following morning.

Magnesium also plays a significant role in normal muscle function, including muscle relaxation⁷ — one more reason it may be so beneficial as a sleep aid. 

While you should be able to get adequate magnesium from a balanced and varied diet, modern farming practices and food-processing have made it difficult to obtain the recommended daily amount of magnesium, and studies show that the vast majority of the population are deficient in this vital mineral.¹⁰ A high-quality magnesium supplement can help to fill in dietary gaps.

 

Not all magnesium supplements offer the same benefit.¹¹

PrizMAG Pure Magnesium Bisglycinate is one of the only magnesium supplements on the market that is completely free of fillers, binders, and magnesium oxide and stearate, so you can rest assured you are only getting a pure, quality supplement that is formulated for optimal absorption.¹²

There are two key reasons PrizMAG Pure Magnesium Bisglycinate is award-winning¹³ as a sleep aid:

In addition to magnesium’s role in quality sleep, glycine is shown to promote sound sleep and reduce drowsiness during the day.¹⁴ The two nutrients are combined into Magnesium Bisglycinate in PrizMAG, creating a dynamic powerhouse that promotes quality sleep.^{14, 15}

Ask your local pharmacy about PrizMAG Pure Magnesium Bisglycinate today.

 

References:

1. Manfredini, R. (2018). Daylight saving time, circadian rhythms, and cardiovascular health, Intern Emerg Med 13(5): 641–646
2. Effects of Light on Circadian Rhythms. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/longhourstraining/light.html
3. Panda, S., PhD. (2018). The Circadian Code, Penguin Random House
4. External Factors that Influence Sleep,  The Division of Sleep Medicine atHarvard Medical School. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/how/external-factors

5. Workinger, J. (2018). Challenges in the Diagnosis of Magnesium Status, Nutrients 10(9),  doi: 10.3390
6. Sartori, SB. (2012). Magnesium deficiency induces anxiety and HPA axis dysregulation: modulation by therapeutic drug treatment, Neuropharmacology, 62(1):304-12, doi: 10.1016
7. Zhang, Y. (2017). Can Magnesium Enhance Exercise Performance?, Nutrients 9(9), doi: 10.3390
8. Hornyak, M. (1998). Magnesium therapy for periodic leg movements-related insomnia and restless leg syndrome: an open pilot study, Sleep 21(5), doi: 10.1093 
9. Rondanelli, M. (2011). The Effect of Melatonin, Magnesium, and Zinc on Primary Insomnia in Long-Term Care Facility Residents in Italy: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial, J Am Geriatr Soc (59)1, doi: 10.1111
10. DiNicolantonio, J. (2018). Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis, BMJ Open Heart Journal 5(1)
11. Blancquaert, L. (2019). Predicting and Testing Bioavailability of Magnesium Supplements, Nutrients, doi: 10.3390
12. Siebrecht, S. (2013). Magnesium Bisglycinate as safe form for mineral supplementation in human nutrition. International Journal of Orthomolecular and Related Medicine, Nr. 144
13. Rude Health Magazine (2020). https://www.rudehealthmagazine.ie/magazinearchive2020
14. Kawai, N. (2015). The sleep-promoting and hypothermic effects of glycine are mediated by NMDA receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, Neuropsychopharmacology, 40(6):1405-16 doi: 10.1038
15. Abbasi, B. (2012). The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial,  J Res Med Sci, 17(12):1161-9