What should you do when you can’t sleep well? Taking magnesium is not the only solution for sleeplessness. Dietitian Chiu Shih-Hsin outlines targeted nutritional strategies for four common types of sleep issues to help individuals find solutions tailored to their needs.
An Overactive Mind or Anxiety-Induced Sleeplessness?
Magnesium Glycinate + GABA + L-Theanine
Chiu points out that if your mind is racing and you feel tense or anxious, priority should be given to a combination of GABA, L-theanine, and magnesium glycinate. He explains that at this moment, the brain is like a sports car with its gas pedal floored and an overheating engine; the nerve cells are in an over-excited state.
GABA and L-theanine act as the brain’s “brakes,” encouraging the excited nerves to calm down and transition into a relaxed wave pattern. Meanwhile, magnesium glycinate acts to “relax the stiff components,” easing tense muscles and nerves so the body can fully unwind.
Autonomic Nervous System Imbalance or Menopausal Sleeplessness?
Oryzanol + Calcium + Magnesium
For those experiencing autonomic nervous system imbalance or menopausal symptoms like palpitations and night sweats, the “master controller of the brain” (the hypothalamus)—which regulates body temperature, heart rate, and hormones—often goes out of sync. This can cause the sympathetic nervous system to spike unexpectedly, waking people up in the middle of the night with sudden hot flashes or a racing heart.
Oryzanol can directly target the hypothalamus to “reset the controller,” fine-tuning and stabilizing the dysregulated autonomic nervous system. Calcium and magnesium work together to help stabilize heart rate and blood pressure, soothing muscles and the cardiovascular system sensitized by autonomic imbalance.
Sleeplessness from Disrupted Schedules or Day-Night Reversal?
Short-Term Melatonin Supplementation
Chiu states that in cases of day-night reversal or highly irregular schedules, the brain’s internal machinery is completely intact, but the “gears of the biological clock are misaligned.” The brain mistakenly believes it is still daytime and fails to release sleep signals.
Melatonin directly signals to the brain: “It is midnight now, time to sleep!” physically nudging the internal clock back to the correct position. Therefore, short-term use of melatonin is recommended for this type of issue.
Frequently Staying Up Late and Waking Up Extremely Tired?
Sesamin + Tryptophan to Help Support Sleep
For people who frequently stay up late and wake up feeling extremely exhausted, the body is overextended and running on empty. The liver and cells accumulate too many “fatigue wastes” (free radicals). Because the body is overly fatigued and in a state of chronic inflammation, it struggles to initiate its natural sleep repair mechanisms.
Sesamin focuses on “repairing the generator” by supporting liver health and providing antioxidant support to help clear metabolic waste accumulated from late nights, reducing physical burden. Tryptophan helps replenish the depleted raw materials, providing the fuel needed overnight so that the exhausted mind and body have the necessary precursor to synthesize serotonin, gradually restoring a natural sleep rhythm.