Enhanced Collagen Sleep

It’s 2 am and your mind’s running at lightning speed- ideas popping up, your next meal and trip is being planned; and you’re thinking to yourself while staring at your dark, dark ceiling… when’s this going to end? Am I ever going to fall asleep? Been there? Same. These are by far the most frustrating and stressful nights I’ve ever had – when my body is super sleepy but my mind feels like the road runner. After several weeks of going through this, it finally dawned on me that I should probably look into creating a peaceful night time routine a few hours before sleeping, to help my mind settle down and not be broken up with its connection to my body. Now, having finally tried a couple things; here’s my night time routine to prepare for a peaceful sleep: Night mode on phone One of the things I discovered was the night mode on my phone. 10:30 pm is when it goes on for me. While I don’t always stick to it, I do it as much as possible to help keep me on track with time. Although I don’t think I would rely on this a 100%, here’s how it helps me beyond its primary purpose. It acts as a reminder more than anything, to start to carry out lighter tasks, or some reading. Maybe some browsing too, if I want. For example, if I have to wash my hair, I make sure to carve out time for that. Make a relaxing drink You’ve probably seen me try out lots of mushroom drinks, teas and elixirs in the evening to calm down, support my immune system and so on. Honestly, I love switching up and trying different things to see how they work on my body and help… or not. But even though I switch it up, I’ve consistently stuck to magnesium powder the most, specifically magnesium citrate. One of the things during my research for better sleeps that had popped up was magnesium citrate powder. Having read about its benefits, I decided to try it out- because why not make food and supplements a go-to, over crazy pills and things you don’t really need in your body? Ever since then, I’ve found an amazing difference! I’ve had better quality and deeper sleeps, as well as better muscle recovery after having magnesium powder. I’ve known for it to also help with metabolism and even better digestion! So I either have it as is, because this watermelon lime flavour is so. delicious! But sometimes, I add in some herbs or flowers like holy basil, lavender or rosemary, that help induce sleep too! It’s such a staple supplement for me; I even make sure they travel with me. Hot showers Aah, hot showers. They’re incredibly relaxing. Picture this – you chill and drink some magnesium in your night drink. About 15 – 20 mins later, you head in for a shower and just let the hot water steam up and relax your body even more so. It is pure heaven to me. Magnesium is great for relaxing your muscles and helping them function properly, especially after a workout. And at this point, when the shower is involved (or a bath) it makes for the perfect combination. Pro tip: Get on that exfoliation routine in the shower. After your shower, massage body lotion on your body. You’re stacking up on relaxation after relaxation. It’s the best damn thing before bed. Try it! Meditation music/nature sounds Different music affects everyone differently. A lot of times at night, I really sway and chill out listening to artists like Sabrina Claudio, Siir, Alina Baraz, Tasha Angela, The Internet and so on. It gets my sensual, self-love and self-care vibe in motion. But when I hit the bed, its time for some rain sounds or meditation music for going deep into relax and dream land. I used to listen to an app full of nature sounds that was customisable down to how hard you wanted the rain to pour (this app isn’t available anymore). So now, I usually manage to find good ones for rain or meditation music on i-tunes or youtube instead! So that’s all for my night time routine in a nutshell! These few things are vital for me to mellow down and sleep well. And lastly, for the magnesium drink, here’s how you can make it. 1.5 tsp Soothe magnesium citrate powder 75 ml hot water Add in some more water, iced or hot is up to you Herbs like basil, rosemary or flowers like lavender or passionflower Mix in magnesium powder to hot water till fully incorporated. Add in rest of water and herbs/flowers. Mix well and enjoy a relaxing evening.

When it comes to sleep, it is not only important that you are getting enough, but it is also important that are you getting good quality sleep. Sleep is important for physiological reactions all throughout the body, such as hormone regulation, mediating mood, and healing and supporting our immune system. Basically, if your sleep is off, everything will be out of balance. In North America, it is more common than ever for individuals to be sleep deprived. This may be due to many different factors. It really comes down to the health, environments and lifestyles of the individual experiencing sleep issues. There are some common practices that can help improve the quality of a person’s sleep. Below are what I find to be most important when working towards a healthy sleep regime. 1. Blue Light Blocking In today’s society, we are surrounded by blue light; both natural sources such as the sun, as well as unnatural sources like LED lights. Backlit devices (blue light) is artificial light that surrounds us in our homes and is on all screens including smartphones, TV’s, tablets and computer monitors. Staring at these screens into the evening hours can be disruptive to our hormones that play a role in helping us fall asleep. Melatonin is an important hormone involved in helping us to fall asleep and stay asleep. Melatonin is produced in a small part of the brain called the pineal gland. The production of this hormone is stimulated by our natural circadian rhythm regulated by the setting of the sun. When it gets dim out, melatonin is produced making us feel sleepy. If instead we are staring at and surrounded by bright lights come sunset, our melatonin production is inhibited, and we struggle with falling asleep. Consider the below modifications to help keep your melatonin regulation optimal: No screen time two hours before bed. Depending on current habits, this may be something you take small steps to work towards. Start small such as 30 minutes and work your way up to two hours. Unless you have the latest iPhone that automatically is programmed with a blue light filter, you can download an app called f.lux for all of your screen devices. This blue light concept is not new, and there are programs and apps available to filter the blue light from your screens. Consider putting a few red lightbulbs in lamps around your home. When the sun begins to set, turn off the main lights and switch on the red lamps instead. Putting salt lamps near the bed or in the bathroom for those middle of the night trips is a calming way to see your surroundings without stimulating yourself too much in the night with blue light. Another option to block blue light is to buy blue light blocking glasses. You can purchase those on Amazon or at your local department store. You can purchase some orange safety glasses and wear them in the evening hours. The shade of the glasses will block blue light. You may look funny, but trust me, your sleep health is worth it! 2. Make your room sleep-friendly Blackout your room. This means putting up blackout blinds and place a towel in front of the door where light might shine in. There is a ton of research on the adverse effects of even a small amount of light exposure while you are asleep. Light exposure in the middle of the night may make for a groggy morning. Do your best to make your sleeping accommodations as dark as possible. Keep your room simple. You should use your room for sleeping and cuddling only! Try and avoid studying or doing work-related tasks in your bedroom. Keep your bedroom free of clutter. Leave the technology out of the bedroom. 3. Create healthy habits that will enhance your sleep quality Practice going to bed and waking up at the same time every morning. When you are trying this keep in mind that if you are not falling asleep after 30 minutes, it is best to get out of bed and go back when you are ready to sleep. However, if you get up and out of bed, remember your blue blight blockers! When you wake up in the morning, expose yourself to natural light. Head outside for an early morning walk. Exposing yourself to early morning light for as little as 20 minutes will help regulate your natural circadian rhythm. Eat your last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime. This is important because digesting food takes a lot of energy. If you eat close to bedtime, your body’s energy will go towards digesting and absorbing food instead of other actions such as efficiently producing hormones that help you with sleep. Meditate before bed. Try and slow down your mind in the evening. If meditation is not your jam, try reading a book or magazine. Sleep is important! When we are not sleeping properly we will notice it! Weight gain, negative mood changes, and weakened immunity are just some examples of the many problems we encounter with poor sleep quality. The above lists are suggestions that may help to improve your sleep, starting with incorporating one or two small things into your daily routine is a step in the right direction for improved sleep quality. Depending on each individual, there are many ways to help improve sleep quality including supplementing with vitamins, minerals and herbs. If you struggle with sleep it is best to talk to your Naturopathic Doctor to find a health regime that best suits your unique needs. Sleep well, be happy, be healthy! Amy is a certified nutritionist with over 7 years of experience working in the health and fitness industry. She is currently in her third year as a Naturopathic Medical Student and has a special interest in gut and brain health. Find her on Instagram: @amy_kwilson

I often refer to myself as a ‘needy sleeper’. As in, I don't think I’ve ever in my life just spontaneously fallen asleep while sitting on a chair, I don't sleep in planes, trains or automobiles, and I’ve don’t ever dozed off while watching a movie. I’d rather just turn off the tv, and go to bed. Why? Because I need to be *key word* horizontal, on a nice comfy bed, with the temperature not too warm but not too cold. Are you understanding the ‘needy sleeper’ thing now? This unfortunately doesn’t translate to being a ‘good’ sleeper. I usually wake up in the middle of the night a few times (hello cortisol levels), and each night, I enviously listen to my partner drift off to lalaland while I struggle to come to terms with the fact that I probably sent one too many exclamations marks in an email earlier that day. Ugh! Falling asleep is sometimes a challenge, and so is staying asleep. This is even more the case nowadays, during COVID, because of the lack of mental stimulation and connection throughout the day - our minds tend to run wild at night. Recently I’ve been on a mission to improve my sleep quality. Sleep is one of the main pillars of health and is monumentally important for us to feel and function optimally. I’ve incorporated a few well researched supplements, and other tips and tricks to help improve my sleep. Here are 10 simple things you can start doing to help improve you sleep: 💤 Melatonin: a neurohormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. It is very well researched for initiating and regulating sleep. The primary use of melatonin is to normalize abnormal sleep patterns by helping to decrease the time it takes to fall asleep. The benefits of melatonin are not dose-dependent; meaning, taking more will not help you fall asleep fast. 💤 GABA: a neurotransmitter that regulates many of the depressive and sedative actions in brain tissue and is critical for relaxation. GABA’s primary function as a supplement is to improve sleep. 💤 Magnesium Glycinate: this form of magnesium is binded to the amino acid glycine, which has been successfully researched to improve sleep quality. 💤 Blue light blockers: blue wavelength light from screens tricks your brain into thinking it’s daytime, which inhibits the production of melatonin. Some studies suggest that blue light blocking glasses may increase melatonin production in the evening, improving sleep. 💤 Dim the lights and opt for candles instead. Light suppresses our melatonin production. The more we can limit light, the better. 💤 Trade in the scrolling for page flipping. Start setting boundaries with your phone and laptop and try to keep both out of the bedroom as much as possible. Reach for a book instead. 💤 Pour yourself a cuppa herbal tea. Chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root or passion flower are all well researched herbs that help us relax. 💤 Wash your face earlier in the evening. I like to do it right after dinner. I feel much more ready for bed and it also ensures that I’m never too tired to wash my face! 💤 Get some new pillows! Invest in some better quality pillows and linens and get excited about getting into bed. 💤 Speaking of beds - they should only be used for sleeping (or sex). Your bed should be a sacred space, not a place to work or be on your phone. Setting these boundaries will help condition your brain to know that being in bed means that it is ready to fall asleep. Enhance Your Bedtime Routine Enhance your bedtime routine with Enhanced Collagen™ Sleep, formulated with GABA and melatonin to support deeper, more restful sleep with the added benefits of collagen! GABA: Gamma-Aminobutyric acid is a major neurotransmitter that regulates much of our brain function. It inhibits neural activity, reducing mental and physical stress, promoting relaxation and sleep quality and length, proving effective in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders. MELATONIN: Melatonin is a hormone made by the brain, helping to regulate circadian rhythm and promoting the onset of sleep. Melatonin supplementation helps those who struggle with sleep due to jet-lag or shift work, helping to reset the sleep-wake cycle and promote deeper, longer sleep. Shop New Enhanced Collagen Sleep