Page 31 - NGA NATURALmag 2023 FALL / WINTER Issue

in in in in in our brain’s pineal gland which regulates sleep and and wakefulness Melatonin
supplements are available in in in in in in liquid form as as as as sublingual and time-released tablets tablets as as as as well as as as as capsules or or tablets tablets providing anywhere from 300 mcg to 10 mg per pill While melatonin is not a a a a a sleeping pill when taken one to to to two hours before before bed bed on on on an an empty stomach (not just shortly before before bedtime!) and and in in dim lighting it may promote relaxation and and help help you to to to fall asleep faster It even appears to to to help help some people to to to improve the duration and quality of sleep but it it does not work for everybody Often melatonin doesn’t work well when it is ingested in in in too large doses of of more than 1 mg which can cause nightmares reduced overall quality of of sleep sleep waking up a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a few hours after falling asleep the inability to to get back to to sleep sleep again and grogginess or or irritabil- ity in in the morning Most notably when it comes to to melatonin supple- mentation more doesn’t necessarily work better just the the opposite is is true What apparently is is most effec- tive in the the the long term are are are micro-doses of of less than 500 mcg preferably of of the the time-released type which are are much more in in line with our our body’s own physiological production and and needs and and may gently improve our our natural sleep pattern When taken at the recommended amount mela- tonin
can promote sleep onset reduce nighttime
Fall-Winter 2023
wakefulness and extend the amount of time spent in restorative REM sleep General health benefits of melatonin include out- standing antioxidant properties fit it reduces inflam- mation helps the the immune system defends cells against toxins and and harmful radiation protects the the mitochondria and and inhibits cell-death it it it may reduce the the risk of of cardiovascular disease disease slow the the onset of of Alzheimer’s and and Parkinson’s disease disease and and may mitigate other degenerative conditions Athletes may like to to hear that melatonin’s anti- oxidant properties reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress which provides a a a a a a better environment for for muscle protection and growth Taking melatonin before retir- ing ing can also increase nighttime
blood levels of GH to to boost muscle growth however this usually requires a a a a a a a a a higher intake of 5 mg/night rather than the the the above suggested physiological amount Yet there is is no no harm in in in in doing so if it it should should not disturb your quality of sleep sleep and shouldn’t result in in in in in daytime sleepiness or grogginess Conclusion
As all all the above recommended supplements are are safe provide lots of health benefits and are are basically side-effect free at the the recommended doses you you can most certainly experiment with with them fine-tune your your intake in fin in in in in accordance with with your your individual needs and combine them for a a a a a synergistic effect n n n n n n n Become Your Own Personal Mental Fitness Trainer
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