The Better Path to Naturally Sleeping Well
Why melatonin isn’t the answer
When you’re not sleeping well, it takes a toll. On your mood, on your mind, and on your overall health and vitality.
You may feel irritable and quick to anger. Or foggy with difficulty focusing. Or like you can’t possibly make it through the day.
If you’ve looked for a solution to help you sleep through the night, you may have tried melatonin supplements. And whether they’ve worked for you or not, there’s a better way to give your body the direct sleep support it needs.
Because even though it seems like the obvious thing to try, melatonin isn’t the right answer.
Insomnia Can Drain Your Wellness
You need consistent restorative sleep to be healthy. While a night or two of poor sleep may not have long-term consequences, going without a full night’s quality sleep regularly can take a terrible toll on your wellness.
Insomnia happens when you can’t fall asleep, stay asleep, or enjoy good quality sleep. Any or all of those affect your whole body, which counts on sleep to perform routine repair and maintenance tasks.
Lack of sleep, especially when it happens often, can lead to serious health issues including:
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar
- Obesity
- Increased risk of heart attack or stroke
- Immune system dysfunction
- Depression
Good sleep isn’t just important for your daily functioning. It also plays a major role in keeping you healthy and vital for the long haul.
Why Melatonin Supplements Don’t Always Work
Your body naturally starts releasing melatonin as the sun begins to set. It signals your body to start winding down and go to sleep. Melatonin levels increase until the middle of the night, then begin to decrease as morning dawns so you can wake up.
If you’re having trouble falling asleep, it makes sense that you’d turn to melatonin supplements. Unfortunately, that’s not always an effective solution.
Research shows that melatonin supplements are less effective for adults than children. One meta-analysis found that taking melatonin resulted in 8 extra minutes of sleep compared to placebo. And while 8 minutes is better than nothing, it won’t leave you feeling refreshed in the morning.
So why don’t melatonin supplements work? If your body isn’t producing enough melatonin on its own, something is interfering. And that will also happen with added melatonin. Some of the top reasons for this include:
- Timing. Melatonin supplements need to be taken at least two to three hours before bedtime. Taking them later will delay sleep.
- Light. Exposure to light, including light from screens, sends a “stay awake” message to your body. That can interfere with the natural effects of melatonin, even if you’re taken the supplement at the right time.
- Frequency. Relying on supplemental melatonin can reduce its effectiveness.
- Stress. Your body produces a hormone called cortisol when you’re feeling stress. Cortisol works against melatonin to keep you awake.
Supporting your body’s own melatonin production system works better as a long-term sleep solution then topping up with melatonin supplements.
Quality Sleep Is a 24-Hour Process
Getting to sleep at night takes all day. It’s just one part of your body’s daily cycle that’s tied to light and dark. That circadian rhythm rules waking up, controlling body temperature, metabolism management, hormone production, and going to sleep. When your internal clock syncs up with nature’s day and night signals, you’re able to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night.
To keep your body on schedule, your body produces different daytime and nighttime hormones. Those hormones work as a team to get you through each 24-hour period.
During the day your body relies on serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone that helps you get through the day feeling positive and energetic.
As the day winds down, your body switches over from serotonin to melatonin. Your pineal gland gradually releases more melatonin as the light fades away and night takes over.
Your body uses serotonin to make melatonin, and it uses a compound called 5-HTP to make serotonin. In order to produce enough of your daytime and nighttime hormones, your body needs a healthy supply of 5-HTP on hand.
Build Your Own Melatonin
Your body knows how to produce melatonin – it just needs the right supplies on hand.
The main building block for melatonin is 5-HTP, the same natural chemical used to create serotonin. Your body also uses B vitamins and minerals like magnesium to support melatonin production.
Melatonin also enlists help from calming chemicals like GABA and L-theanine that help you relax and de-stress, setting the stage for quality sleep.
Nourished Brain & Body. Good Restful Sleep
Enjoy quality sleep with your own natural supply of melatonin.
At Ease PM combines the ingredients your body needs to create melatonin plus plenty of support to help you relax and get ready for a good night’s sleep. It contains a healthy blend of:
- 5-HTP for serotonin and melatonin production
- GABA and L-theanine to promote relaxation
- Calming herbs including hops, lemon balm and California poppy
- B vitamins and magnesium for full sleep support
Sleep well tonight with At Ease PM.
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