Can Taking Zinc Before Bed Help You Sleep Better?
Zinc is an essential mineral vital for numerous bodily functions, including the proper functioning of the immune system, wound healing, and maintaining hormonal balance.
It is found in all tissues and organs of the body and is essential for cell division, growth, and repair.
Although you should try to consume enough zinc from dietary sources, taking a zinc supplement before bed can benefit many people.
Taking zinc before bed can help you fall asleep, improve your sleep quality and provide multiple other health benefits.
Does Zinc Help You Sleep?
Zinc is a crucial micronutrient for the body, as it stabilizes cell membranes and DNA, strengthens antioxidant defenses against free-radical cells, assists in building a healthy immune system, influences behavior and learning performance, and much more.
Although the reason is inconclusive, zinc appears to play a vital role in sleep regulation and can help you sleep better.
In fact, research shows that dietary zinc intake can play a role in sleep regulation and quality.
In various research studies, taking a zinc supplement before sleep has demonstrated positive effects on sleep quality and sleep latency.
Before buying a zinc supplement, I suggest you try increasing your consumption of dietary zinc sources and evaluate how it affects your sleep quality.
If you are struggling to consume enough dietary zinc, you can try a zinc supplement like Rootcha’s Magnesium + Zinc Complex.
However, even when consuming adequate dietary zinc, I notice that I have a deeper sleep and do not wake up as frequently when I take a zinc supplement before sleep.
Does Zinc Make You Sleepy?
Although taking a zinc supplement will not make you incredibly sleepy, zinc can help you fall asleep because zinc and melatonin have an interconnected relationship, with deficiencies in one potentially leading to deficiencies in the other.
Zinc is important for many systems in the body, including the immune and endocrine systems, and deficiency can lead to hormonal imbalances, such as a reduction in melatonin levels.
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the sleep cycle, and research has shown that increasing melatonin can increase zinc levels and vice versa.
Due to its role in producing melatonin and sleep regulation, taking a zinc supplement before bed can make you sleepy and help you fall asleep faster.
Is it Better to Take Zinc in the Morning or at Night?
Whether your goal is to get an aesthetic body, improve your physical performance for sports or another competition, or simply try to become healthier and sleep better each night, zinc supplements can help you with your goals.
The key to determining when to take a zinc supplement is to analyze your diet and take zinc when it can be absorbed the best.
The most important factor is not to consume your zinc supplement near when you also consume phytates, a compound found in grains.
Although most people do not consume enough whole-grain-containing-phytates to make a significant difference, taking a zinc supplement during or directly after a grain-heavy meal is not a good idea.
For example, if you eat oatmeal in the morning, it would not be the best time to take your zinc supplement.
Additionally, as we have already mentioned, taking zinc before bed can help you sleep better, which is a fundamental reason to take zinc at night.
If you struggle with consuming enough zinc-rich foods each day, taking zinc before sleep, in my opinion, is an excellent way to improve your sleep quality and help you become healthier.
If you have concerns about how much zinc you should take per day, make sure you speak with your doctor.
Who Should Consider Taking Zinc Before Bed?
There are a variety of negative health effects of zinc deficiency, and many of them involve the immune system and the body’s healing processes, such as antibody and cell-mediated recovery responses.
Due to the incredible role of zinc in the body, people who do not consume enough dietary zinc can likely benefit from taking a zinc supplement before sleep.
If you consume enough dietary zinc daily, you shouldn’t take zinc before bed, and you don’t want to exceed the FDA’s Tolerable Upper Limit of zinc intake per day.
The Tolerable Upper Limit for zinc intake, defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is 40mg daily.
Several populations are at a higher risk for zinc deficiency. Including:
- Pregnant and Lactating Women: They require more zinc for fetal and infant growth and development.
- Children: Zinc is essential for growth and development in children. Zinc deficiency can lead to stunted growth and impaired immune function.
- Vegetarians and Vegans: Plant-based diets may not provide enough zinc, as zinc absorption from plant-based sources is lower than from animal-based sources.
- Older Adults: Zinc absorption decreases with age, and older adults may also have a decreased appetite, which can lead to lower zinc intake.
- Individuals with Gastrointestinal Disorders: Conditions such as Crohn’s and celiac disease can affect zinc absorption and increase the risk of deficiency.
Effects of Melatonin, Magnesium, and Zinc for Sleep
Co-supplementation of zinc and melatonin has been found to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Furthermore, combining zinc with melatonin and magnesium has been clinically studied as an effective treatment for insomnia.
According to a study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society that investigated the benefits of the combination of zinc, melatonin, and magnesium in the treatment of insomnia in older adults, the administration of a melatonin, magnesium, and zinc supplement improved the quality of sleep and the quality of life in long-term care facility residents with insomnia.
Along with this, the study’s results revealed that taking melatonin, magnesium and zinc before bed of supplements also provided numerous additional benefits.
Not only did this combination of three supplements increase the total sleep time of the participants, which was the study’s primary concern, but the patients both fell asleep easier and stayed asleep longer.
Also, the patients reported a reduction in the “hangover” upon waking up.
I also notice this effect when I take a zinc supplement for sleep.
One final interesting conclusion from the study is that combining these supplements also improved the alertness and behavior of the participants in the morning after a night of restful sleeping.
Taking a supplement that combines melatonin, magnesium, and zinc can provide a more complete solution for people who need help falling asleep or staying asleep.
Melatonin is a widely used sleep aid, and research indicates that both short-term and long-term melatonin use does not produce any substantial side effects.
Additionally, like zinc deficiency, magnesium deficiency is relatively common, and taking magnesium before bed can help reduce magnesium deficiencies and support a healthy sleep pattern.
I have not found a good supplement combining zinc, magnesium, and melatonin.
However, if you want to combine all three of these supplements, you could take a zinc + magnesium supplement like Rootcha’s Magnesium + Zinc Complex and a pure melatonin supplement like Nature’s Bounty Melatonin.
Best Zinc Supplement (2023)
There are a lot of great zinc supplements to choose from, but the key is finding the right dosage.
As mentioned, the Tolerable Upper Limit for daily zinc intake is 40 mg.
If you consume a lot of dietary sources of zinc, there is little to no reason you should need a zinc supplement before sleeping.
However, if you do not consume a variety of zinc-rich foods, taking a zinc supplement before bed can be beneficial.
If you want to purchase a zinc supplement, I suggest Rootcha’s Magnesium + Zinc Complex.
Rootcha Magnesium + Zinc Complex is a great zinc supplement because it contains high-quality and easy-to-absorb forms of magnesium and zinc, two essential minerals that work together to support various functions in the body, including immune function, cardiovascular health, nerve health, muscle recovery, wound healing, and antioxidant action.
The magnesium in Rootcha Magnesium + Zinc Complex is derived from sea salt and goes through an additional process to ensure full reaction and absorption in the body.
Magnesium may also support calming neurotransmitters, which can help promote relaxation and better sleep.
The zinc in Rootcha Magnesium + Zinc Complex is chelated zinc picolinate, a bioactive form that supports the activity of immune cells.
Rootcha Magnesium + Zinc Complex is also free from harmful additives and is non-GMO, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly.
Lastly, each batch is third-party tested for purity and label accuracy.
Last update on 2023-03-21 / I earn a commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. / Thank you for your support!
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