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Taking zinc before bed can improve your sleep quality, and if a zinc supplement is necessary for you, there there are many health benefits of taking zinc before sleeping.
Although getting enough zinc from your diet should be the primary goal, if you do not consume enough zinc from your diet each day, taking a zinc supplement before bed can improve your health in a variety of ways.
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!
In this article, I will help you determine whether or not you should take zinc for sleep and why taking zinc before bed is a good idea for some people!
I will discuss the best zinc supplement before bed more below, but if you’d like to check out my suggestion already, I prefer Garden of Life Raw Zinc over other zinc supplements:
- ZINC WITH VITAMIN C FOR IMMUNE HEALTH: Our Zinc supplement provides whole food nutrition with 30mg...
- 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...
- ZINC FOR SKIN HEALTH PLUS PROBIOTICS & ENZYMES: Our plant based chelated Zinc vitamin includes a Raw...
- VEGAN ZINC SUPPLEMENTS FOR ADULTS: Our real food raw zinc supplement is Third-party Certified Vegan,...
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. If you are consuming enough zinc each day, you shouldn’t need to take zinc before bed, and you certainly don’t want to exceed the FDA’s Tolerable Upper Limit of zinc intake per day.
The Tolerable Upper Limit for zinc intake, as defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is 40mg 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 and with worse absorption.
For those of you who do not consume enough zinc in your diet, a zinc supplement can be effective for improving your health, 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 quality zinc supplement before you sleep each night, you can be comfortable in knowing that your immune system will work at its full potential.
Although I used to take zinc for sleep each night, since I began studying for my Master’s Degree in Nutrition Education, I began intaking more dietary zinc and using zinc supplements before bed less.
However, even when consuming adequate amounts of zinc in my diet, when I use zinc as a nighttime sleep aid, the main difference I notice is that I have a deeper sleep and do not wake up as frequently.
Does Zinc Make You Sleepy?
Unlike sleep medications or sleep supplements (such as valerian root or melatonin), zinc does not make you sleepy. Zinc does not necessarily induce sleep, and zinc helps you sleep simply by playing a role in sleep regulation. Taking zinc before bed can be a good idea for some people, but you should not think that zinc will make you sleepy.
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 crucial that you get enough zinc in your diet from food sources or supplements so that you can have a healthy sleep each night!
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 or directly after a grain-heavy meal would not make 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 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 high-zinc foods, or you believe you need more zinc in your diet, taking a proper dosage 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 FOR IMMUNE HEALTH: Our Zinc supplement provides whole food nutrition with 30mg...
- 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...
- ZINC FOR SKIN HEALTH PLUS PROBIOTICS & ENZYMES: Our plant based chelated Zinc vitamin includes a Raw...
- VEGAN ZINC SUPPLEMENTS FOR ADULTS: Our real food raw zinc supplement is Third-party Certified Vegan,...
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
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.
For such an inexpensive supplement, taking zinc before bed can have a direct impact on your ability to get a restful sleep every night, while also promoting overall health.
If you struggle with consuming enough zinc-rich foods each day, taking zinc for sleep, in my opinion, is an excellent way to improve your sleep quality and help become healthier.
If you’d like a more “complete” supplement, RSP Nutrition Z-Elite is a great supplement for sleep that also contains melatonin, magnesium, and zinc!
Learn More: How to Lose Weight Overnight
2 Responses
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
My problem is that I work nights so it would make sense to take Zinc in the morning before I go to bed. However, I have not adjusted my breakfast and dinner habits. I eat oatmeal about 2-3 hours before I go to bed. I eat dinner around 6-7. I eat lunch around 11 pm but spread it over the next few hours. So when is the best time to take a zinc supplement?