How To Sleep Better At Night
Sleep fulfills an essential role in physical fitness. When we sleep, our body repairs itself. So better sleep generally means better recovery. There are a few B-vitamins that may help with sleep in various ways.
You need to know that B-complex vitamins are great for natural performance gains. When I was training for triathlons, I gravitated towards taking a B-Complex vitamin before my rides, runs, and swims. It was most noticeable during my rides. Building up to my yearly race, I would typically ride between 30 and 80 miles per week. For some reason, on days when I could dial in my diet and nutrition, I rode significantly fast. It felt amazing.
I also learned that when I take those B vitamins right before bed, I will wake up much less groggy than usual. The only caveat, though, was that if I did not go to be directly after taking the B-complex vitamins, I would have significant trouble falling asleep.
How does vitamin b3 help with sleep?
Recent science has shown that serotonin helps with sleep. Vitamin B3 fulfills a role in serotonin production as an antioxidant. Without sufficient vitamin B3, our bodies are likely to experience oxidative stress in amounts and types that may inhibit serotonin production.
What causes low sleep quality?
Diet may play a significant role in low sleep quality. Certain nutrients are essential for muscle recovery. Recently, I decided to change up my exercise regimen. Instead of exercising 30-40 minutes per day, I decided to exercise three times per day from six to 15 minutes at a time, three times per day. On a week where I was all-in, I would exercise approximately 21 times per week. My exercises involved a healthy mixture of high-intensity cardio, resistance training, and yoga poses. One side-effect of exercising once per day was that I slept better that week.
How to increase sleep duration?
I wear three types of sleep trackers. At the beginning of 2020, I noticed that I was sleeping an average of 4 hours and 30 minutes per day. This past week, towards the end of 2020, I am averaging 5 hours and 59 minutes of sleep per day.
I made two significant changes to my diet and fitness routines that increased my sleep duration. I started consuming more complex carbohydrates because I wanted to experience immune system benefits, and I started exercising three times per day. The sleep through more exercise is understandable, but sleep gains from complex carbs?
From what I understand about complex carbs, they tend to burn slower. Complex carbs get metabolized in a part of the lower colon, and one of the by-products of complex carb metabolism happens to be free fatty acids. If you remember macronutrients, 1 gram of carbohydrates is four calories, and 1 gram of fat is nine calories. Gram for gram, calories for calories, if your body relies upon a constant energy source when sleep, then complex carbs likely be the ideal source.
Drinking water to sleep better?
In addition to exercise, diet, and B-complex vitamins, I have discovered that water helps me sleep better. There is no doubt that drinking a sufficient amount of water is excellent for your health. It should not be a stretch to understand that something good for your health would also benefit sleep quality metrics. In my experience, certain types of bottled water significantly affect my deep sleep more than others. After many months of trial and error, I have concluded that water's electrolyte balance is the likely differentiator—the better the water, the better the gains.
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None of the information you read on this site is meant to diagnose or treat any condition. If you have health issues, please educate yourself and consult your physician.