A large chunk of the population has some kind of vitamin deficiency. As a result many people get sick on a regular basis, don’t heal rapidly from illnesses, have mood disorders and have a general malaise and lack of energy.
We wouldn’t exaggerate if we said that a lot of our problems could probably be solved by getting more vitamins and minerals.
Insomnia – is one of the most prominent issues today. It can be a serious condition. The inability to sleep well enough or long enough can result in: headaches, poor mood, lack of concentration, slow healing, susceptibility to disease, low energy and more. If you like to get more out of your everyday life, if you want to get more from your relationships and your work, the thing you need to do is to focus on your sleep.
The Vitamin You Need
Which vitamin deficiency affects your sleep? Though there are a few, the one we’re going to focus on is vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 creates our red blood cells (along with iron) which deliver oxygen around our body and enable our brains to function optimally. It also builds DNA as we sleep.
Furthermore, vitamin B12 works closely with the hormone melatonin and helps our body to regulate its ‘circadian rhythms’ – the sleep/wake cycles that make us tired at the right times and awake at the right times.
It’s recommended we consume about 2.4 milligrams of B12 a day in order to get its full benefits.
This isn’t actually what causes many of us to have the deficiency though. The problem with most people lies in digestive problems which can occur as a result of antibiotic use for instance. Vegans also suffer from this problem, seeing as most of our B12 comes from meat, fish and dairy.
What’s the solution, then? You could increase your intake of foods high in B12, which include most meats, fish, eggs and dairy. Vegans would do well to supplement. In the meantime, make sure you’re looking after your stomach fauna by consuming things like yogurt that contain healthy bacteria.
Other Vitamins and Minerals
There are other vitamins that can play a role as well. Low amounts of vitamin D have been linked with insomnia and as many of us are deficient, supplementation is again a good idea. Zinc and magnesium are also known to play a very important role in our sleep and help us reach those deeper and healthier levels of sleep.
You can always eat foods like cherries, which actually contain melatonin and are able to act almost like sleeping pills.
Foods rich in tryptophan like turkey and eggs are also good for enhancing sleep. Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin which is the feel good hormone and is closely linked with melatonin.
Low potassium is something that can make it hard for us to stay asleep in the night and cause cramps. The moral of the story? Eat your greens and sleep better.
Source: Healthy Food House