Have you ever felt like your energy is draining without knowing why throughout the day? he Dr. Matthew Walkerprofessor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of Berkeley, California, is famous Global sleep expert.
After more than 20 years of research on this topic, the expert answers this question in Stephen Bartlett’s podcast, Diary of a CEO.
They discuss the issue of the rise of people who choose An accessory to be able to rest.
he magnesium It relaxes the nervous system, reduces stress, and promotes the production of hormones, such as melatonin, that helps you sleep. However, Walker calls Caution when using nutritional supplements.
“If you have sleep problems and take supplements, you are throwing away dollars to collect pennies,” the specialist says.
However, the expert admits that despite the evidence, data shows that more and more people are turning to nutritional supplements.
In this sense, it is among the most sought-after materials on the market Melatoninthe Ashwagandha and magnesiumperhaps the most popular currently.
Walker, for his part, recommends focusing on what makes more sense. “What we have to do is Look towards the basic things. Regularity, watch your caffeine intake, make sure you don’t drink too much alcohol, reduce light intensity, and do a digital detox.
“Any of these, especially all of them combined, will make you sleep better than taking the last bottle of this supplement,” he explains.
The expert insists that logic and Objectivity. “If there really is any accessory promised to be Shangri-la “From sleep every night, pharmaceutical companies would have jumped on it decades ago.”
Walker gives a more everyday example: “Just to put it in context: it took George Lucas about 30 years to accumulate about 4 billion in profits from the saga. star wars. It took Ambien – the brand name for zolpidem, an insomnia painkiller – 22 months. “That’s how big the sleep business is.”
The expert explains that after studying everything surrounding the city for several years Supplements industry and magnesium especially, They don’t work.
“The first thing I have to say is that most forms of magnesium: magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate… They don’t cross the brain barrier “There is only one form of magnesium that, with some evidence, can induce sleep, but it has worked for people who are already magnesium deficient,” he explains.
The world insists on this There is no need to supplement. “We won’t go over 100% when you’re actually there,” he reiterated. “But that’s exactly the problem with magnesium supplements: The only thing you’re potentially creating is… Urine is expensive “When that time comes,” he explained.
His words are supported by various studies. Article published in complementary medicine and therapies bmc, In 2021, he confirmed that when a person already has sufficient levels of magnesium, Adding an accessory rarely results in major changes.
Most of the effects observed in the literature come from people with a deficiency or a specific population (elderly, alcoholics, patients with disorders that cause magnesium loss). In the general population without deficit, There is little or no benefit.
What we can observe, indirectly, is little Muscle relaxationWhich sends signals to the brain and vagus nerve to help sleep. “But in reality, magnesium doesn’t tip the scales in favor of sleep.”
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