Sleep tips + Sleep supplements for the gals who need better sleep!
Hiiiiiiiii friends.
Today we are talking about sleep! And for the sleep supps part I am bringing in PEOPLES RX here in Austin who I am partnering with! As you know they are my favorite natural pharmacy (more than a pharmacy though) and I think their product lines, services, staff, food, etc… are amazing. I so hope you get to stop into one of their locations one day!
MY CURRENT SLEEP: I sleep well lol. BUT! I do struggle at times to get enough deep sleep (90 minutes of deep sleep is the goal for me!) And I’m still doing some work on my HRV. I do wake up occasionally to go pee but I wonder if that’s because I drink too much water too close to bedtime. I need a curfew for that lol. And at times— it is hard for me to fall asleep if I’m still feeling hyper from the day. Overall though, I’ve gotten some great advice over the years and my sleep would likely get graded an A-. That’s solid!! I do work at it.
Because this community loves bullet points- I am going to rattle off some points/opinions/resources I think you would find fascinating!
1. If you are going to do melatonin, try not to make this a long-term thing! And if you do buy melatonin- so many brands jack up their prices. Peoples Rx has some starting at $6. The staff at Peoples Rx are more likely to suggest other supplements to you than Melatonin, but they do have it. BUT PLZ— Do other things first before becoming an avid user of melatonin.
Peoples Wellness Director, Jessica, says, "We get a lot of customers coming in for melatonin and after a quick consult, they end up leaving with a better long-term solution. While melatonin is desirable for its efficacy, we don't recommend it as a sleep solution – as with many hormones in our bodies, having too much can cause health concerns. Melatonin is not a drug therefore not regulated by the FDA, but if you're in need of a single night of restful sleep or jetlag fix, there are no harmful studies for short-term usage."
2. One of the number one things that disrupts sleep are zeitgebers. Which is basically environmental cues that disrupt your circadian clock. Can be food, activity, light, etc. Mollie Eastman, founder of Sleep is a Skill, says that the most powerful zeitgeber is LIGHT. So don’t be having on all these overhead lights once the sun goes down. You can do it! Shut em offffff.
3. Peoples Rx has some amazing herbalists working for them. Cassandra is one that works at the South Lamar location and she is so skilled in recommending the perfect herbal supplements for you at Peoples Rx. The two that she told me to pay attention to (that Peoples customers are loving) are:
”Deep sleep” by Herbal Formulas— She says this packs some “hard hitting sleep herbals.” And the price is affordable.
“Tranquinol” by local Austin Premier Research Labs. She says that this is one of the only sleep supplements that has saffron on it and people SWEAR by this one.
4. If you’ve been shown to have high cortisol, you may want to look into supplements and practices for adrenal fatigue whilst working on your sleep. Peoples Rx has so many choices when it comes to this issue and if you were to go in I would highly recommend talking to their staff about what you’ve tried, what you haven’t, and start to come up with a game plan. One thing I like about Peoples Rx staff is they are super opinionated and I like the confidence when they recommend something to me.
Pharmacist Kevin's top pick: Cortisol Manager
5. One tip that I got from Peoples Rx is to get savvy with marketing when it comes to sleep. They see sleep supplements all day and constantly have brands wanting to see at their locations— they told me that almost every time a product says SLEEP on it- it has melatonin in it. Which that’s okay if you’re looking for that, but if you’re not, be careful.
One "sleep" product they recommend that is sans hormones: Sleep Gummies from local company, One Farm!
6. Keep your place cool at night! You’ll sleep so much deeper. 60-67 degrees is often recommended.
7. If you’re looking into exploring magnesium supplements for sleep- definitely talk to the staff at Peoples Rx as they will have so many detailed, curated, and well thought out options for you— all according to your goals. They have a bunch of different magnesiums there!
QUOTE from Peoples: "We use and recommend different magnesium supplements based on the outcome you want! For example, Mg Glycinate is great for relaxation, sleep, and anxiety. (Suggestions: Pure Encaulations Magnesium Glycinate or Designs for Health Magnesium Glycinate complex.) While Mg Oxide supports bowel regularity (Suggestions: Oxypowder or Mag07)," Also: "There's also Mg Threonate, which aids in cognition because it crosses the blood-brain barrier (Suggestions: Life Extension Neuro-Mag or OptiMag Neuro.) For overall support for the above, we love supplements like Orthomolecular Reacted Magnesium or Xymogen OptiMag 125."
8. If you want a really great sleep article with more tips written by one of Peoples Rx’s Naturopaths- read this here!
I so hope you found this helpful! Moral of the story— talk to someone who can help you make a good decision about which sleep supplement to try. The biggest mover and shaker for you will be practices/lifestyle. Supps are the cherry on top!
Thank you Peoples Rx!!
