Sleep Supps
Nothing beats a good night’s sleep. Up until about 8 years ago I would lay down in my bed, close my eyes, and the next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes 9-10 hours later, often times in the exact same position I feel asleep in! However, I’ve been chasing that type of sleep for the last 8 years. I still fall asleep within minutes, sometimes even less than a minute of laying down, but I will often wake up between 3a.m.-4.am. and struggle to fall back asleep. I’m not a fan of OTC drugs although I have taken them occasionally, and I definitely won’t consider prescription sleep aids. But I’ve recently started taking ZMA each night before bed and I feel it has significantly helped me to stay asleep, and wake up feeling rested. There are only 3 ingredients, Magnesium, Zinc, and Vitamin B-6. Zinc and Magnesium are important to everyone, but especially those that exercise. Here’s some more info on Magnesium (disclaimer – while there are many clinical studies referenced, this is still the internet). There are plenty of different brands of ZMA , since there’s nothing proprietary about these minerals, and they are also really inexpensive, but some versions also contain 5-HTP, which will definitely help most people sleep, I’m just a little wary of taking something long term that has a more direct effect on my hormones. So if you’ve already reduced your caffeine intake, and you’re not taking pre-workout right before the 7:30pm class, but still struggle to get good sleep, ZMA may be worth a try.
