Poor Sleep
It is usually behavioural or contextual, not a disorder
It mostly reflects timing, consistency, workload, and stimulation
Stablise timing, arousal, and sleep opportunity first Use products only to support constraints, never to override basics.
What Poor Sleep Feels Like
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Waking unrefreshed despite “enough” hours in bed
Daytime sleepiness or fogginess
Increased caffeine dependence
Reduced mood stability or stress tolerance
Insufficient or misaligned sleep opportunity
Regularly sleeping <6 hours per night
Day-to-day timing variability (>1-2 hour)
“Catching up” on weekends, creating chronic debt
Sleeping outside your biological time
Arousal overriding sleep
Stress or cognitive overload close to bedtime
Late caffeine or stimulant use
Alcohol or heavy meals close to bedtime (2-3 hours)
Excess protein (>2g per kg per day) crowding out carbohydrates or fibre
Environmental disruption (light, noise, temperature)
Fragmented or non-restorative sleep
Frequent awakenings (including subconscious micro-arousals)
Poor sleep architecture (deep sleep <13% of total sleep; REM sleep <20% of total sleep)
What Poor Sleep Is About
(Most common -> Least common)
Myths
Poor sleep means you need supplements
Most sleep problems are behavioural or timing-related, not nutrient deficiencies
Alcohol helps you sleep
Alcohol sedates but fragments sleep architecture, reducing deep and REM sleep later in the night
Melatonin fixes sleep
It shifts circadian timing by 30-90 min. It does not override poor habits or high arousal.
Poor sleep is rarely a single failure — it is timing instability plus sustained arousal, preventing deep and REM recovery.
Suggested Solutions
Try this first (no buying)
Fix wake-up time first, then bedtime
Keep sleep timing consistent (±30-60 min daily, incl. weekends)
Reduce caffeine after early afternoon
Create a wind-down buffer (6-90 min)
Eat earlier and lighter in the evening
Reduce cognitive load late at night
Improve sleep environment (dark, quiet, cool)
For many people, sleep quality improves within days once timing and arousal are stabilised.
When products may help (optional)
Sleep timing is already consistent
Caffeine use is controlled
Constraint exist (travel, schedule, stress, workload)
Specific Products
(targeted to common causes)
Products do not fix insufficient sleep opportunity, poor timing, or fragmented sleep on their own. They may help only when the constraint below applies and foundations are already addressed.
Hyperarousal at Bedtime
Body is fatigued, but nervous system is active; Physical discomfort or muscle tension
Signs: Racing thoughts in bed. Tired but “wired” feeling at night. Sleep latency (>30-45 min most nights)
Product: Magnesium (glycinate or threonate)
Usage: 100-200mg elemental magnesium, taken 30-60 min before bed
*Do not exceed 300-350mg per day. Stop if morning grogginess, loose stools or no improvement after 7-10 days
Circadian Timing Constraint
Adjusting to fall asleep earlier than usual
Signs: Difficulty falling asleep until late. Waking later than desired when unrestricted
Product: Melatonin (low dose). It advances sleep timing by 30-90 min before natural melatonin rise. It does not deepen sleep or compensate for insufficient sleep duration.
Usage: 0.3-1.0mg, taken 2-3 hours before target bedtime
*Avoid doses >3mg, nightly indefinite use and combining with sedatives.
Commonly used but often counterproductive:
Alcohol as a sleep aid
High-dose melatonin (>3mg)
Escalating dose or sedative “sleep stacks” when sleep does not improve