It’s so important to reduce stress and get your beauty sleep but let’s face it – life happens and you start to burn the midnight oil and the next think you know you’re officially sleep, nutrient and mineral deprived.
Like so many friends, I tend to be a night owl staying up late working, reading or watching mindless reality TV. Up until a few years ago when my hormones went crazy, four- six hours a sleep was a non-issue.
Lack of sleep combined with work-life stress and lack of exercise started to take it’s toll and began surfacing through various symptoms.
Weight gain was the most noticeable result of my insomnia which led to mild anxiety/depression, low energy and loss of appetite. My doctor’s advice was simple. Reduce stress and get more sleep.
Not exactly what I wanted to hear.
Falling asleep and staying asleep were both difficult so without taking sleeping pills, what’s a person to do? Luckily a friend who was having similar sleep issues asked if I had tried a magnesium supplement called Natural Calm.
This was the first time I had heard about using magnesium for sleep but at this point I was willing to try anything that didn’t require a prescription. After a quick Whole Foods run, I headed home with two individual packets of Natural Calm excited to give it a try that night.
That first night I slept. Through the night. And fell asleep at a decent hour. This had to be too good to be true. I wasn’t 100% sold so the next night repeated the dosage and had the same results.
Turns out most people, especially women, suffer from magnesium deficiency which can be caused by a number of stresses on the body like inadequate dietary magnesium, emotional stress, some drugs (diuretics, antibiotics, oral contraceptives, insulin, cortisone), heavy exercise, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and too much calcium in the diet. Magnesium is mother nature’s muscle relaxant turning off our body’s stress response.
Most people don’t get enough magnesium, including many who already take magnesium. There are two reasons for this: the amount of magnesium required by the body is greater than people think and many magnesium capsules and tablets are not completely absorbed by the body.
LADIES – I can’t stress this enough – magnesium affects hormones. There is nothing sassy about hormone imbalance. It’s so important for us to take care of ourselves and sleep should be at the top of your list.
After my individual Natural Calm packets ran out, I graduated to the full size 8 oz bottle. I’m now on to my second 8 oz bottle and have recommended to so many friends, I lost count.
Having problems falling asleep and/or staying asleep give Natural Calm a try. Ashley Koff, dietitian and author of Mom Energy explains the benefits in this quick video.
I have that and I thought maybe I couldn’t take it on the detox. I need some help with, ahem, moving things along. 🙂 Gonna go grab it and drink some.
This stuff should be your new best friend. It helps me sleep and move things along. It’s also one of the approved supplements on the detox. Definitely try it!