Taking menopause supplements is an increasingly popular alternative to hormone therapy. For women who experience troublesome menopause symptoms, adjusting their nutrient intake may help to rebalance hormone levels naturally. Although you may not think that hot flashes and night sweats are related to nutrition, there’s an interesting link between the hormones that cause them and your diet. In this article, we look at some common menopause symptoms along with supplements that can treat them effectively.
Symptoms of Poor-Quality Sleep
People can suffer from poor quality sleep for multiple reasons. Not only does it leave you feeling tired but it can also increase the likelihood of making mistakes at work or having an accident. Here are the most common symptoms:
- finding it difficult to get to sleep
- lying awake during the night
- waking up multiple times throughout the night
- waking up early and being unable to get back to sleep
- still feeling tired after you’ve woken up
- finding it difficult to nap in the day even when you’re feeling tired
- feeling tired or irritable in the daytime
- finding it hard to concentrate or focus in the day because you feel tired
It’s common to experience these symptoms if you work an unusual shift pattern or travel internationally and experience jet lag. Problems sleeping can also be linked with anxiety so it’s important to seek advice from a medical professional if you think this may be the case.
What to Look for In Effective Sleep Patches
There are several naturally occurring compounds that have been shown to improve sleep. Top of the list should be melatonin which is the main hormone involved in falling asleep. However, there are also other ingredients to look out for that can help you get a good night of rest. In this section, we look at the evidence behind the most effective nutrients in sleep patches.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that triggers your body to wind down so you can fall asleep. It’s also involved in ensuring that you stay asleep which is crucial to good quality rest. If you have healthy levels of melatonin, then it’s likely that you’ll find it easy to sleep throughout the night. But if your levels are low or disrupted, then it’ll be difficult for your body to switch off.
Our bodies produce melatonin as it gets dark which initiates the sleep cycle for that night. As the hormone levels increase, we begin feeling less alert and the core temperature of our body drops. This causes us to start feeling drowsy so we’re inclined to head to bed and fall asleep. But if our melatonin production is out of synch, then our natural sleep cycle doesn’t get triggered at the right time. Sleep patches that contain melatonin will give your hormone levels a boost so that you feel tired and stay asleep throughout the night.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a micronutrient that’s crucial for our all-around health. It’s involved in regulating blood pressure, muscle function, and the formation of bone, proteins, and DNA. It also contributes to nerve function and can therefore support the process of relaxation.
Magnesium helps to activate the parasynthetic nervous system which is what helps you wind down at the end of the day. It regulates neurotransmitters involved in the system as well as the release of melatonin. A clinical trial involving older adults found that magnesium supplementation was beneficial for improving sleep quality. Participants were given a daily dose of 500mg magnesium or a placebo for 8 weeks and recorded several aspects of their sleep patterns. The magnesium group slept for longer, had better quality sleep, and higher melatonin levels than the placebo participants. This shows that magnesium not only aids sleep but also supports the function of other hormonal contributors.
Valerian Root
Valerian root has been used to treat insomnia for centuries. It’s a herbal remedy that functions similarly to pharmaceutical sedatives. This allows your brain to relax and switch off so that you’re able to get a peaceful night’s sleep.
Research shows that valerian root can make it easier to fall asleep, with study participants nodding off 15-20 minutes faster than those who took nothing. It can also improve your sleep quality too, so you feel more rejuvenated even if you don’t sleep for longer.
Hops
Although primarily known as an ingredient in beer, hops is also an effective herbal remedy for sleep issues. Taking hops before bed can increase GABA levels in the brain which reduces the activity of neurons. This results in you feeling calmer and relaxed so that it’s easier to nod off.
High levels of GABA have also been shown to promote better quality sleep throughout the night. It increases the amount of time you spend in ‘rapid eye movement’ or REM sleep, which is the most restorative stage of the sleep cycle. It also mimics one of the body’s natural sleep signals by decreasing its core temperature. This makes your system think that it’s time to wind down so that you naturally start to feel more drowsy.
5-HTP
5-HTP is short for short for ‘5-Hydroxytryptophan’ which can support the production of sleep hormones. Our body makes it naturally from the amino acids that come from eating protein. It’s needed to make melatonin which we’ve already discussed as a crucial contributor to sleep. Without enough 5-HTP, your body won’t have the building blocks to manufacture sufficient sleep hormones.
Research has shown that taking a 5-HTP supplement can increase the quality of your sleep. One study found that it boosted the amount of time spent in high-quality ‘REM’ sleep so that you feel more rested in the morning. It’s also been used as an effective insomnia treatment, as well as depression, headaches, and binge eating-related obesity.
Get a Good Night’s Rest with Our Sleep Patches
The Sleep Starter Topical Patch helps to promote a restful night’s sleep thanks to its 5mg dose of melatonin, along with magnesium, valerian root, hops extract, and 5-HTP (Griffonia Simplicifolia). Check out our 5* reviews to see how others have benefited or try them risk-free thanks to the money back guarantee.