Taking zinc before bed is one of the most effective ways to improve your sleep quality. Overall, there are many benefits of taking zinc for sleep!
Zinc is a vital element for a healthy life. Zinc 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 getting enough zinc from your diet should be the primary goal, if you do not get enough zinc from your diet, taking a zinc supplement before bed can improve your health in a variety of ways.
Want to learn how taking a zinc supplement will improve your quality of life? Keep reading below!
Zinc and Sleep – Should You Take Zinc Before Bed?
The main reason you should take a zinc supplement before bed is that you are deficient in zinc due to not obtaining enough from your diet.
The Tolerable Upper Limit for zinc intake, as defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is 40 milligrams per day. Dietary sources of zinc include oysters, beef, crab, and yogurt, amongst others. Zinc is found in a variety of plant foods as well, although in smaller quantities.
For those of you who do not consume enough zinc in your diet, a zinc supplement can be effective for improving your healthy, and specifically your immune system.
There are a variety of negative health effects of zinc deficiency, and many of them involve the immune system and the bodies healing processes.
According to a study published by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences,
“The results of more than three decades of work indicate that zinc deficiency rapidly diminishes antibody- and cell-mediated responses in both humans and animals.”
If you consistently take a proper zinc supplement before you sleep each night, you can be comfortable in knowing that your immune system will continue to work to its full potential!
I started using zinc as a consistent supplement before sleep a few years ago, and I have noticed many differences in my body.
I was originally supplementing with zinc because I believed it would help with symptoms of overtraining while I was playing basketball in college (which it certainly helped with), and I was happily surprised at the results.
Now, taking zinc before I go to sleep is part of my nightly routine.
When I use zinc as a nighttime sleep aid, the main difference I notice is that I fall into a dramatically deeper sleep and do not wake up as frequently.
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!
Does Zinc Help You Sleep?
Although the reason why is relatively unknown, it appears that zinc plays a vital role in sleep regulation, and can help you sleep better.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences,
“One of the most unexpected functions of zinc to date may be in the regulation of sleep, an essential physiological function shared by the entire animal kingdom. While the mechanisms by which zinc regulates sleep remain unclear, rapid progress towards their elucidation is to be anticipated.”
Due to this, it is imperative that for good health you get enough zinc in your diet!
Effects of Melatonin, Magnesium, and Zinc for Sleep
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 nightly melatonin, magnesium, and zinc appears to improve the quality of sleep and the quality of life in long-term care facility residents with primary insomnia.”
Along with this, the results of the study revealed that this combination of natural supplements provided numerous additional benefits as well.
Not only did this combination of three supplements increase the total sleep time of the participants, which was the primary concern of the study, but the patients both fell asleep easier and stayed asleep longer.
Along with this, the patients reported a reduction in the “hangover” upon waking up.
I personally notice this effect when I take a zinc supplement for sleep also!
Additionally, the study reported that the overall quality of sleep for each participant was improved.
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.
Should You Take Zinc in the Morning or at Night?
The key to determining whether you should take zinc in the morning, night, or any other time of day is the absorption process of zinc.
The most important factor is to not consume your zinc supplement near a time when you also consume phytates, which are 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 a grain-heavy meal would not make any sense.
For example, if you eat oatmeal in the morning, it would not be a good idea to take your zinc supplement at that time.
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 have any concerns about how much zinc you should take per day, make sure you speak with your doctor!
What is the Best Zinc Supplement to Take Before Bed?
There are a lot of great zinc supplements to choose from, but the key is finding the right dosage.
As I already mentioned, the Tolerable Upper Limit for zinc intake per day is 40 mg. If you consume a high zinc diet, there is little to no reason you should need a zinc supplement before sleeping. However, if you do not consume a variety of high-zinc food, or you believe you need more zinc in your diet, taking a proper amount of zinc before bed can be effective.
Garden of Life Raw Zinc
If you are interested in purchasing a zinc supplement for yourself, I suggest you check out the Garden of Life Raw Zinc. This zinc supplement contains 30mg of zinc, which is below the Upper Limit of zinc intake per day.
- Zinc with vitamin C: Our Zinc supplement provides whole food nutrition with 30mg of RAW Zinc (over...
- Natural cofactors: Raw Organic fruits & vegetables, alkalizing trace minerals and probiotics &...
- Why Raw Zinc? Raw means these Zinc pills are made without high heat, and they contain no synthetic...
- Probiotics & Enzymes: Our plant based zinc, vitamin includes a raw probiotic and enzyme blend for...
- Vegan Zinc: Our real food raw zinc supplement is third-party certified vegan, non-GMO project...
RSP Nutrition Z-Elite
Based on the research provided above on melatonin, magnesium, and zinc, some of you may be interested in purchasing all three of these supplements to try to improve your sleep quality.
Although you can purchase all three of these supplements individually, RSP Nutrition makes a supplement (Z-Elite) that contains melatonin, magnesium, and zinc together in useful dosages!
RSP Nutrition Z-Elite combines melatonin, magnesium, and zinc into one supplement that you can take each night to obtain the clinically studied benefits of this combination of supplements.
Concluding Thoughts – Benefits of Taking Zinc Before Bed
For such an inexpensive supplement, taking zinc before bed can have a directly positive impact on your ability to get a restful sleep every night, while also promoting overall health.
Taking zinc for sleep is, in my opinion, an excellent way to improve your sleep quality and help create a healthier you!
If you’d like a more “complete” supplement, RSP Nutrition Z-Elite is a great supplement containing melatonin, magnesium, and zinc!
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One Response
Hi Adam,
Thank you for this helpful article. I suffer from insomnia for two years. I decided not to take any medication and only taking chewable Gaba which I find is not helping me. Do you think that I should start taking Zinc first to see if I have a deficiency or take the ZMA? I am a bit worried about ZMA as it has melatonine in it and I don’t want my body to get use to it every night. I appreciate your advice