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With Ollie Cooperlive news reporter

Welcome to the first part of my fitness supplements series; Here I aim to discover whether they are helping to deceive or rip you off.

I sought the help of a performance nutritionist Andrew Petts And Arj ThiruchelvamAs a personal trainer and head coach at Performance Physique, he will analyze 12 different supplements, starting with magnesium at every lunch for the next two weeks.

Magnesium

I was caught up in the marketing that suggested magnesium mineral supplements would help me sleep better.

The cost varies wildly depending on where you buy it and what form it comes in; The tablets cost as little as 1p each, while 1ml costs £2.70.

What does it do?

“Minerals such as magnesium are responsible for cellular reactions that aid muscle function, brain health/function, mental health, immune function, healing, sugar breakdown and sleep, so they are important to consume,” explains Andrew.

He adds that intake is undoubtedly important, but there is no need for any supplements.

“Real food always wins,” he explains.

“Almost everyone needs to get (magnesium) from food sources like nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, avocados, leafy greens, unrefined grains and some fish,” she says.

Most women need 270 mg per day and men need 300 mg, although some estimates suggest you need more than that.

“30 grams or a handful of almonds will give you about 80 mg of magnesium, while half a cup of cooked edamame beans will give you about 50-60 mg of magnesium; notice I haven’t mentioned a supplement yet?”

If tablets, drops, or sprays must be used (that is, you hate every food that naturally contains magnesium), Andrew rates it just 6/10; We also note that we as humans have a generally low absorption rate of magnesium. Mineral through supplements.

Personal trainer Arj gives a harsher score, saying the average person gets little or no bang for their buck: 3/10.

“Most people consume magnesium for muscle relaxant and sleep purposes, but this is not an area with strong supporting evidence and so I recommend getting magnesium from your daily meals,” he says.

An important note here is that women are much more likely than men to suffer from magnesium deficiency, and if you’re deficient, you should really supplement.

If you think you may have a magnesium deficiency (symptoms Here), see a doctor who can diagnose you with a blood and/or urine test.

Decision: Give it a miss unless you really, really hate dark chocolate

Here are 10 examples of foods naturally rich in magnesium:

whole wheat
Spinach
quinoa
Almonds, cashews and peanuts
dark chocolate
black beans
edamame
Avocado

Alternatives to help you sleep

We’re not here to direct you to more products to buy.

If you, like our experts, have decided that magnesium is not the answer to your poor sleep, here are a sleep expert’s top tips for improving the quality of magnesium without spending a dime.

Alison Cullen, sleep expert and nutritionist at Avogel.co.uk, recommends:

Start early: Exposure to sunlight in the morning is a very effective way to set your circadian clock so your body is aware of when to turn off your power for sleep. Daylight and darkness act as “zeitgebers” (literally “time givers” or “time cues”) that guide our internal planning and regulate our sleep and wake cycles. A small window with exposure to sunlight in the morning will give your body information about when you’ll probably want to go to sleep. You can reinforce this message by dimming the lights in the evening and avoiding harsh screen light an hour before bed.

Eat to sleep: Eating a light dinner as early as possible in the evening reduces the negative impact of digesting a heavy meal overnight. Digestive discomfort can be very noticeable at night, affecting our sleeping position, and acid reflux occurs more while lying down. Additionally, the heat produced by metabolizing a heavy meal prevents the temperature drop associated with quality sleep. Eat a larger lunch and a tastier dinner, and aim to leave a three-hour gap between dinner and bedtime.

Goodness: Another factor related to the gut during sleep is the quality of the microbiome. When the gut is full of healthy microorganisms, communication between the gut and the brain is better and sleep becomes better. A simple way to support your microbiome and the microorganisms it hosts is to consume prebiotic foods. Onions, garlic and leeks can be added to dishes; Also useful are mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage and bananas, artichokes and oats.

Quit drinking: Although it may seem strange, where heavy alcohol intake is associated with extreme drowsiness, even moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to reduce restorative sleep quality by 24%, and high alcohol intake can affect sleep by up to 39.2%. These effects are similar in men and women and apply whether you are active or sedentary. However, the effects appear to be stronger in young people than in older people. As researchers note, there’s a big difference between “falling asleep” and “passing out”; Sleep affected by alcohol is of lower quality and less restorative.

Keeping calm: The body naturally cools down before sleep, and assisting this process helps ensure healthy and satisfying sleep. Temperature irregularity disrupts good sleep, and one way to “set the thermostat” for the body in the evening is to take a warm bath an hour or two before bed. It can be as little as 10 minutes, but it has been shown to cause blood flow to the palms and soles of the feet, allowing the body to cool down nicely by the time you get out and go to bed.

Be grateful: Counting your blessings may be a concept associated with your grandmother or nanny, but research shows that gratitude positively affects sleep. Spending a few minutes before going to bed thinking about all the things you can be grateful for will not only end your day on a very positive note, but it will also positively impact the quality of your sleep.

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