Alami Insomnia? Expert Says Consumption Of Nutrition Can Help You Sleep Nyenyak

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JAKARTA - Although it is a fundamental part of human life, getting enough sleep and quality is easier to say than many people do. Seven hours per night is a minimum recommendation, but 1 in 3 people in America don't get enough sleep, according to the CDC.

Stress and various life problems can disturb a person's sleep. Sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea can also cause a lack of sleep. There are many things you need to do, ranging from changing your schedule and diet. Certain foods, such as magnesium, can improve sleep quality, according to the Cleveland Clinic, reported by Livestrong, Tuesday, January 9.

This is the opinion of a sleep expert regarding the relationship between magnesium and sleep quality. And why nutrition such as magnesium is recommended if you want to get a good sleep moment.

Sleep seems quite easy, but the process of making it happen is actually quite complicated. There are some neurotransmitters (aka brain chemicals) involved in the sleep process. The two key players are serotonin and GABA. Serotonin can cause sleep while GABA is mainly associated with helping you relax and fall asleep.

Magnesium can affect this neurotransmitter, according to Tracy Hannigan, a certified sleep therapist known as The Sleep Coach.

"Although no mechanism has been proven yet," he said. However, there is an assumption that magnesium facilitates the GABA function, which has a calming effect.

Magnesium played an important role in sleep by acting as a GABA agonist, according to a study in December 2012 at Journal of Research in Medical Sciences. Clinical trials found that magnesium supplements helped improve insomnia in the elderly.

When magnesium levels in the body are low, serotonin levels also weaken, according to Mount Sinai. Increasing magnesium levels can help increase serotonin and improve sleep disorders.

Although magnesium can help regulate neurotransmitters involved in sleep, keep in mind that its role is most likely just a support, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

If you find it difficult to sleep, you may have taken a drug containing melatonin. Melatonin is generally known as a'sleeping hormone' produced naturally by the body and used to support circadiant rhythms or internal clocks that help you wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night.

When melatonin is low, your internal clock may not understand that it's time for you to sleep while you're lying in bed. Some evidence suggests that magnesium affects the sleep hormone. Magnetium supplements have shown to significantly increase melatonin levels, according to clinical trials in December 2012 at Journal of Research in Medical Sciences.

Combining magnesium with melatonin has also proven to improve quality and duration of sleep, based on a small study in January 2011 at the "Journal of American Geriatrics Society".

Stress and anxiety can prevent sound and healthy sleep.

"In people who have difficulty sleeping, wanting to sleep can also cause anxiety that worsens the problem," said Hannigan.

Magnesium can help reduce stress and worry by reducing levels of night cortisol (known as a "stress hormone" in your body, according to the American Sleep Association.

"The lack of magnesium attributed to anxiety and consuming more magnesium has been shown to help overcome anxiety," said Hannigan.

Stress greatly affects sleep quality, so any nutrition that helps overcome stress can provide additional benefits to improve the quality of your sleep.

Although not much scientific research strengthens the relationship between magnesium and sleep. However, experts agree that consuming more magnesium can help deal with sleep disorders and is likely to be less harmful.

The following foods include a source of magnesium-rich foods, according to USDA, namely:

The recommended daily magnesium for adult women is 310 to 320 milligrams per day, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Pregnant and lactating women need more recommended daily magnesium. As for adult men, the recommended daily number is between 400 and 420 milligrams, according to NIH.

If you choose to take magnesium supplements, 200 milligrams of sitrate magnesium or magnesium glycinate is enough, according to the Cleveland Clinic. As usual, talk to your doctor before starting new supplements.