Break your poor sleep and energy cycle

Sleep and energy are intimately linked. Poor sleep inevitably leads to low energy. This sleep and energy deficit, which snowballs, becomes a vicious circle. Read on to find out why we need quality sleep to regenerate, restore and detoxify our bodies.
By Health First
3 min read
mauvais cycle de sommeil

Break Your Bad Sleep and Energy Cycle

Sleep and energy are intimately linked. Poor sleep inevitably leads to low energy. This snowballing sleep and energy deficit becomes a vicious cycle. Read on to learn why we need quality sleep to regenerate, restore, and detoxify our bodies.

Stress reduction and exercise improve sleep. However, when we are exhausted, it can be difficult to find the energy to exercise. As a result, we don't benefit from the many benefits of exercise, including stress reduction.

What is the best way to break this cycle? Use natural remedies that boost energy, reduce stress, and improve sleep, including ashwagandha, medicinal mushrooms, and magnesium.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a plant that helps the body adapt to stress, reduces inflammation, and improves muscle strength and mass.1, 8

Medicinal Mushrooms

Medicinal mushrooms offer countless benefits for the body and mind, including helping adapt to stress and boosting our energy. Reishi (Ganoderma lucidium), in particular, helps to calm the nervous system and promote sleep.5 Therefore, it may be best to consume it later in the day or before bed.

However, for dynamic energy, try cordyceps. Cordyceps boosts energy. One of the mechanisms for this increase in energy is to protect mitochondria from damage.3 Mitochondria are the energy factories of the body.

If you feel particularly mentally fatigued, or you simply want to boost your focus and memory, then lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is the mushroom for you. It helps protect and regenerate brain cells, while also helping to reduce stress, boost energy, and much more!7 

Magnesium

Many people suffer from low magnesium levels due to their diet.2 Magnesium is essential for energy metabolism, heart and muscle function, blood sugar levels, and much more.4, 6 Therefore, a magnesium deficiency can have major consequences for energy and sleep.

It is best to take magnesium with dinner or before bed. In the short term, it helps relax muscles before bed and reduce nighttime cramps. In the longer term, magnesium helps increase the body's energy.

What you need to know about these remedies for sleep and energy is that they are safe for almost everyone and do not interact with most common medications.

Patrick Callas, ND, is the founder of Island Natural Health naturopathic clinic on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. He currently works at SCIMEDICA Health Group in South Surrey and Empower Health in East Vancouver. He is an educator for Purica and has been a proud father since January 2017.

References:

  1. Dar NJ, Hamid A, Ahmad M. Pharmacologic overview of Withania somnifera, the Indian Ginseng.. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2015 Dec;72(23):4445-60. doi: 10.1007/s00018-015-2012-1.
  2. James J DiNicolantonio, James H O’Keefe, and William Wilson. Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis. Open Heart. 2018; 5(1): e000668. Published online 2018 Jan 13. doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2017-000668.
  3. Li XT, Li HC, Li CB, Dou DQ, Gao MB. Protective effects on mitochondria and anti-aging activity of polysaccharides from cultivated fruiting bodies of Cordyceps militaris. Am J Chin Med. 2010;38(6):1093-106.
  4. Liu M, Jeong EM, Liu H, Xie A, So EY, Shi G, Jeong GE, Zhou A, Dudley SC Jr. Magnesium supplementation improves diabetic mitochondrial and cardiac diastolic function. JCI Insight. 2019 Jan 10;4(1). pii: 123182. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.123182.
  5. Sanodiya BS, Thakur GS, Baghel RK, Prasad GB, Bisen PS. Ganoderma lucidum: a potent pharmacological macrofungus. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2009 Dec;10(8):717-42.
  6. Reddy ST, Soman SS, Yee J. Magnesium Balance and Measurement. Adv Chronic Kidney Des. 2018 May;25(3):224-229. doi: 10.1053/j.ackd.2018.03.002.
  7. Üstün R, Ayhan P. Regenerative activity of Hericium erinaceus on axonal injury model using in vitro laser microdissection technique. Neurol Res. 2018 Dec 20:1-10. doi: 10.1080/01616412.2018.1556494.
  8. Wankhede S, Langade D, Joshi K, Sinha SR, Bhattacharyya S. Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Nov 25;12:43. doi: 10.1186/s12970-015-0104-9.