Posted by Lao Tzu on January 28, 2009, at 9:30:20
In addition to my bedtime regimen of vitamins, I also tried adding about 30mg of niacinamide and this further helped me to sleep well. This is what I take for good sleep architecture:
1. 500- 750mg Niacin sustained-release
2. 300-400IU natural vitamin E
3. 25mg zinc gluconate
4. 200mcg selenium
5. 50-75mg P5P (B6)
6. 30mg Niacinamide (form of B3)--You have to cut a 250mg tablet into smaller pieces with a pill cutter.
7. 1/4 piece of a 3mg tablet of melatonin--You don't need all 3mg for it to be effective as long as you take the other supplements with it. This small dosage of melatonin DOES make a difference.
I have also, at times, added 300mg of calcium to my bedtime regimen with good results; however, calcium supplementation causes other problems for me, so I discontinued using it.
In the past, I have tried using Valerian for sleep. It works for a while, but then I become tolerant to its effects over time, and then it just makes me drowsy instead of inducing sleep. So I came to the conclusion after months of experimenting with vitamins, that the above regimen is quite effective, at least in my case, for helping one relax so that sleep is easier to achieve. I must note that I am taking an antidepressant as well as an antipsychotic. The antipsychotic helps to lower histamine, and thereby helps with sleep architecture. If I wasn't taking the antipsychotic, I don't know for sure how well the vitamins alone would work for better sleep. Also, you have to take enough of the vitamins to do any good. Just taking a multivitamin won't help a lot. You need individual vitamins at the right strengths. For example, I've noticed that 200IU of vitamin E is not quite enough to help with sleep. I need at least 300IU and 400IU is even better. If you're deficient in certain B vitamins, you may not sleep as well. I was B12-deficient a year ago, as well as needing extra B6 and B3, so these B vitamins did help with my mental health and probably added to my ability to sleep better. I occasionally take a B12 sublingual tablet (not everyday) and notice that I do sleep better on the days I take it. However, I cannot tolerate pantothenic acid (B5) very well as this B vitamin tends to interfere with my sleep.
One of the greatest activities to ensure better sleep quality is exercise. I definitely sleep better on days I exercise (brisk walking for 30-45minutes), and I believe the lack of exercise is probably one reason of many that we have so many sleep disorders. Diet is a big factor too, not to mention the plethora of drugs we put into our bodies and the stress we create for ourselves by setting too many deadlines and having rigid schedules with little time to relax and just BE.
poster:Lao Tzu
thread:876727
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20081006/msgs/876727.html